Nightmare rolled his eyes. “You don’t even know half of it. Just know that it’s possible that you, or rather the medallion, might be the only thing that can save him.”
“Where is he?” I asked.
Nightmare shook his head. “I don’t know exactly.” He looked around and shook his head. “We should leave here, and then I can tell you what I know.”
“Okay, but how do we leave?” I asked, my nose wrinkling.
Nightmare opened his arms. “Come here.”
“Sorry?” I asked, squinting.
“Just come here,” he said, sighing.
I stepped closer, and he wrapped his arms around me. His body was hard and provided absolutely no warmth.
“Close your eyes,” Nightmare whispered.
I did as he said, and it felt as though my body was spinning as if trapped on a carnival ride. He squeezed me tighter.
“Keep them closed. It’ll be worse if you open them,” he said softly as the wind ripped around us.
“I’m going to be sick,” I said, pressing my face hard against his chest.
“Wait until we’re there,” he said, tightening his arms. His voice was surprisingly calm and soothing. Even though I didn’t know Nightmare well, I didn’t think kindness or sympathy was something he was capable of showing, if that was what he was doing. “It’s a new shirt.”
Suddenly, I stopped moving.
Nightmare released me and took several steps back. I placed my fingertips over my lips and waited for my stomach to stop spinning.
I carefully took in each breath, afraid if I took in too much air, I’d vomit all over the… rocks. My eyes moved over the gray, dreary surroundings.
There was a fine mist blowing at my face, which drastically helped ease the sick feeling away. The sky was covered with a blanket of thick, gray clouds. In the distance, I could hear endless rolling thunder.
“Where am I?” I asked, seeing nothing but rocky ground and mountain peaks in the distance. Bolts of lightning crashed down, aggressively hitting the mountaintops.
“The Between,” Nightmare said, holding out his arms. “Welcome to my home.”
There weren’t any homes or buildings of any kind around us. “You live here?”
“Well, not here exactly, but this is the plane I’m from.”
“Darkness too?” I asked, meeting his eyes.
“Yes,” Nightmare said, gesturing toward a rock. I spotted a pair of glowing eyes watching us. “And we’re being watched.”
I wrapped my arms around my body. “His imps.”
“Yes, they’re very worried,” Nightmare replied, pressing his lips together. It was the first time I could see that he was also quite worried about his brother. “Come.”
I followed Nightmare across the rocky terrain. There were lots of hiding eyes peeking out at us as we walked down a worn path.
It seemed the further we walked, the more attention was called to us. It wasn’t just the imps gathering around, but other living beings too.
There were thin, agile beasts that were mostly human but had a cat-like tail. Their skin was coated with a fine, pitch-black, short fur coat, and haunting green eyes.
Rocks rolled together to form a thick golem creature that gawked at me with black, empty eyes. A nude ice-man stepped out from behind a large rock, setting his turquoise glare on me. I pretended not to watch as a hairy beast with a humpback sprouted up from the ground like a rapidly growing tree.
It felt like there were far too many things watching my every move. They all wanted to make sure I knew I didn’t belong there. That I was different. I wanted to announce to them all that I wasn’t there by choice, that Nightmare had brought me, and I’d be leaving as soon as I possibly could.
“They don’t want me here,” I said, biting my lip.
Nightmare laughed. “They’re just interested.”
“Interested in seeing me die.”
“I don’t think it’s that at all. You’re the first of your kind to visit,” Nightmare said, flicking me a look.
“My kind,” I repeated, looking out of the corner of my eyes at the accumulating crowd.
Nightmare turned to the left, and I instantly noticed a three-story building in the distance. It looked as though it was going to crumble to the ground if I breathed too hard.
He walked up to the door and pulled it open before turning around to face the spectators. “Shows over. Go home.” He gestured toward the entrance. “Won’t you please come in?”
“Sure, I guess,” I mumbled, wrapping my arms around my middle as I stepped inside the creepy, most definitely haunted house. The house was mostly empty except for a few wooden chairs pushed against the walls and a rickety end table with an antique lamp. “Is this your place?”
Nightmare chuckled. “Definitely not. This is my brother’s home.”
“Why did you bring me here if he’s not here?” I asked.
