The Hunt For a New Toy

I stalked the detective through the dreamscape less and less. He got stronger, left hospital. Thinner, and prone to trembling, but still basically fine. He returned to work, and was put on desk duty.

I'd become accustomed to hunting regularly so I scouted around for a new toy.

I was at the doctor's getting my bloods done. He'd discussed weight loss, and warned me about the risk of diabetes. I arranged my face into an expression of respectful interest, but I was using my sharp hearing to eavesdrop on a conversation in another room.

The doctor sounded serious and gentle. The woman sounded strained. From what I could gather, her six year old daughter had a sexually transmitted infection. My heart became a hot, sharp dagger. Mike in Accounts, with his arrogance and fat jokes, seemed like paltry prey.

How am I going to do this?

I could contrive a meeting with the girl, and then seek her in the dreamscape. But kids' dreams are chaotic and frightening, hard to control and easy to get stuck in.

Instead, I bumped into her mother. I feign shock, "Are you alright?" Her face looks on the point of crumpling.

We got coffee. We made small talk. I patted her hand, pressed my number into it. Hugged her as we parted. Registered the smell of her hair, her warmth, the tears collecting at the corners of her eyes. I folded these things over in my mind, filing them away to retrieve later when night fell.

It took a long time to find her in the dreamscape. I came to her as a cat with long silky white fur and blue eyes. She hugged me tight. I could feel the bond between us thickening, like a sauce coming to a simmer, until I could ghost into her room in the physical world.

It looked neat and cosy, the man sleeping beside her looked normal. I imagined cutting off his skin piece by piece, night after night. Popping out each eyeball. Growing claws to push up his nostrils.

First, I need to be sure it's him.

Once I know, he'll never sleep well again. The Sandman's got nothing on me.

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Word count (excluding note): 366

Submitted on 20th February at 21.24

Quick Author's Note

Pay no attention to the writer behind the curtain: This one is part of a series.

A Year of Stories: I'm writing a story every day this year. This one makes a 51 day streak. I probably should have done the alien one today, shouldn't I. You can find all these stories in my Index post, which I do my best to update once or twice a week at least. It's also pinned to the top of my profile.

If you'd like to read another, here's my recommendation: here's one I did recently that I was happy with.

If you're joining me on this "story every day" madne adventure, please leave a link to yours in the comments! Whether you're on a creative bent like me, or if you have your own self-imposed criteria, I'd love to see what you come up with for today.

Thank you

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