Member-only story
A Boy’s Nightmares Come True
Flash sci-fi for Halloween
A boy’s eyes are dark and his gaze unfocused. Scientists chatter around him. One woman’s job is to keep him awake. She snaps in his face each time he dozes.
“Do not let him fall asleep even for a second,” says an older man. “Even a micro-nap could cause him to manifest a nightmare into this room.”
The boy is too dazed to express more than mild frustration each time she wakes him up.
There is banging on the door.
“We have to put him outside!” shouts a man with a little chin and bushy beard. “He’s going to fall asleep no matter what we do!”
“I’ve almost got it!” shouts a woman, typing something on her laptop. Wires come out of it and into the boy’s skull.
The banging on the door gets louder.
“You don’t know that!” the man groans. “If the boy dies, perhaps all his nightmares will die with him!” When she doesn’t answer him, he says, “Everything depends on this, May. Are you sure?”
She whips a gaze to him. She goes back to typing. “Done!” One last click. “5 minutes to download…”
The door bangs open.
“The nightmares got in…” says the older man.
