Kam sits as Rory prepares tea. His body shakes as he pours, but Kam can see that his well defined forearms usually keep the tea steady. His breathing is ragged and pained. It’s as if he was brought into an alley and beaten within an inch of his life. Kam’s shoulder pain pulses. If this is the Dream Eater from last night, then Asa is the only one who could have done this to him.

“I can feel your peepers burning a hole in the back of my skull. Please, you mustn't worry so much.” Rory places a mug on his desk and gestures for Kam to take it. “I don’t have the habit of trying to find every student whose dreamscape I’ve perused through. I mean well when I say your name coming up is entirely a coincidence.” He sits back down, taking extra care to keep his torso straight. “However, I would be a fool if I did not take this opportunity to know my adversary.”

“Adversary?”

“Azlin. Or as you called the little bastard, Asa. Tell me, how much do you think you know about your friend?”

It’s such an easy question. Asa is his best friend. Asa is his not-so-secret crush. He has been and always will be there for him. Asa is terrible at video games, but will play with his friends anyway. Friends? Kam tries to recall a time Asa introduced him to any other friends, but can only think of Asa finding study groups or pointing out who is who on the soccer team. He must have soccer friends, right? Kam sips his tea and hides his brain running in Overdrive. 

“I can see your ruminations bubbling on the surface of your eyes.” Rory states. “Think deeper.”

Asa’s birthday is August 8th. Asa clings to Kam like an over-attached puppy. He talks about his game saving blocks after his games. His freckles are oddly symmetric. 

“Deeper, Mr. Rajab. How much do you really know about your dear friend?”

When have I been to Asa’s house? Kam can’t remember. What are his deceased parent’s names? Kam knows he met them a few times at the playground and for dinner at Kam’s place. Kam doesn’t even know Asa’s sexuality. The kiss they shared last night is barely a clue. But Asa did it just to make Kam comfortable. That’s all, right?

“Why do you call him Azlin?” Kam asks. 

“It would be unfortunate if Dream Eater society became known to the public and even for Dream Eaters to know who each other are in reality. Our dream names help keep us safe, especially from the Walkers. Azlin really should have told you this when you asked him to meet another Dream Eater, but he knows nothing about our etiquette.”

“Etiquette? Society? How many Dream Eaters are there? Walkers?” Kam flips their positions, but Rory waves away Kam’s questioning

This is why I made this meeting two hours, but two hours may not be enough time to completely elucidate your precarious position. Allow me to begin with our immediate business before we talk of dreams.”

“So my English professor sent you my essays and writing and you decided to be my writing mentor and advisor for writing contests? And it’s a complete coincidence that the same night you made that decision, we met you in my dream?”

Rory claps his hands together, though the pain he feels from his shoulders and ribs is obvious. “Exactly, I truly mean you no harm, in fact, harming you is antithetical to my academic persuasion. You are an excellent writer, and you deserve full academic support to pursue your craft. Be proud of that.”

He continues. “While I do not believe in such things as Fate, I do believe that mythology makes great reference material. I think our meeting could be an important relationship. But you are in quite a predicament. 

Kam’s lips thin into a line. “You mean Asa.”

“Yes, yes. You are aware that Asa is a deviant: A monster even by our standards.”

Kam grows defensive even as he remembers Asa’s face covered in blood and the entrails of Nightmares. “He protected me from you, didn’t he?”

“Yes, and yet he didn’t tell you you were going into my territory, unannounced,  that you were no longer safe inside another’s dream, and I nearly killed you because of it. What a stable and responsible individual.”

Kam looks for anything but Rory’s eyes and finds a book with a colorful cover and a strange font to stare at. “How do your ‘territories’ even work?”

“Now there’s an interesting question.” Rory begins typing on his computer. “It’s quite simple, really. Dream Eaters come to an agreement about large population zones. If there is no agreement, it’s settled by a regional council of Dream Eaters in the Dreamscape.”

Rory stops typing and gestures widely through his pain. “We are a society, Mr. Rajab. We come to conflict over territory sometimes, but there are so few of us that it is rarely an issue. Killing each other would lead to our extinction quickly. Even when there is a dispute, Dream Eaters gain power in two ways: Proximity to the dreamer, and time spent in a particular Dreamscape. The fight is practically over before it begins, and territory is settled..”

“Is…that why Asa was so much stronger than you in my Dreamscape.”

“Exactly right. My oh my, you are a little genius, aren’t you?” Kam ignores the jab, so Rory continues. “But that is not why Azlin is such an anomaly. Take a look.” Rory turns his computer screen.

Area MW-13 Five Year Report:

Summary: Increases in Nightmare activity since the demise of the previous Dream Eaters. Several Dream Eaters are currently missing, presumed dead after taking responsibility for area MW-13. Recommendation: Assign a highly reputable Dream Eater.

Kam tilts his head. The report dates back eleven years ago. 

“Don’t just stare at it. Use those critical reading skills we value so dearly. Read the report, Mr. Rajab.” 

Rory scrolls down as Kam speeds through the report. It explains more than he ever wanted to know about Dream Eaters and their relationship with Nightmares. Nightmares naturally occur in all Dreamers, and are harmless for the most part. However, Dreamers, aside from Walkers, have no defense from Nightmares. Over time, Nightmares continue to encroach on the consciousness of the Dreamer, assuredly devastating their psychological and physical health. Worse, collective outbreaks of Nightmares in an area creates overall societal degradation and sleeplessness for the area. 

Dream Eaters predate on Nightmares and allow Dreamers to have a full rest in return for a slim portion of their dreams. This mutually beneficial relationship is a natural part of life. 

The report notes that area MW-13 had been without a Dream Eater for at least five years. Charts and graphs indicate the declining health statistics of the area. Little hikes in area statistics happen every few months.

“What are those bumps on the charts? “Kam asks.  “It seems like it got better for a few weeks then went back down.” 

“Yes, yes. Well, let me show you my research on the matter.” Rory changes tabs. It’s an article titled Murder Victim Dead from Poisoning: Forensics Experts weigh in. 

“The death date matches that little upwards swing.” Rory keeps matching each bump on the chart with multiple articles.

Dead by Poison Again? Serial Murderer?!

Still on the loose: Toxic Murderer’s Third Victim

Toxic Murderer Strikes Again”

Victim’s family weighs in: “What are law enforcement doing.”

The last article is a complete history of the Toxic Murderer titled A Clue in the Beginning: The Toxic Murderer’s Strange Beginnings and Mysterious Disappearance. 

It starts with the Aranha family: Asa’s family. While the same toxin that is found in every murder is present in Asa’s parents, it is the only toxic murder where the cause of death was ruled to be blood loss from multiple stab wounds. 

“You see, Mr. Rajab, The Aranha’s were the Dream Eaters managing this area before the toxic murders began,” Rory says. “In fact, every single one of the toxic murders coincides with those bumps in improved health metrics and then falls after the murder occurs. While the authorities see the victims as random, I do not. All of the victims were Dream Eaters. I was the only Dream Eater in the last ten years since the Aranhas that established a territory here, and thus the toxic murders ceased.”

Kam glances out the window behind Rory. In the corner, a spider reinforces its web. Rory follows Kam’s eyes. “Ahh. I will take care of it.” Rory grabs a tissue. He stretches and groans. His ribs crack and he nearly collapses, but he succeeds. He squishes the spider and returns to his seat. The experience exhausts the old fox. 

“I believe the toxic murders ceased since I not only survived the murderer, but made a deal that we had kept for the last five years until a curious friend thought meeting a Dream Eater was a good idea.”

“Don’t you dare.” Kam stands. “Those murders were ten years ago. We were children. We were too busy playing hide and seek and learning multiplication.” Kam snaps his fingers. “I had to comfort him for years after his parents were murdered. It devastated him. I was all he had left. You honestly think a kid could murder their family like that?”

“Sit down, Mr. Rajab.” Rory orders. Kam reluctantly takes a seat. He feels fire in his cheeks. “There is a simple answer to this mystery: A desire deeply ingrained into the most feeble minded of men.”

“And what would that be?” Kam says, crossing his arms.

“Ecstasy, pleasure, nirvana, a pure and endless unadulterated fountain of bliss and beauty. Good men have fallen to vice more than history has ever captured.”

Rory moves his computer aside. He tilts his head down and closes his eyes as if playing a scene in his head. 

“You, Mr. Rajab, are the missing secret. Allow me to tell you about my first meeting with your friend,  Asa Aranha.”