The day melted into night as William lay in the bed. He had nightmares, most of which he cannot remember, and at times felt a fever coursing through him. Eventually the pink liquid, Syn's Blessing, did its job and subdued his ailments. Now that the night had come, and he had recovered, he found himself in between the realm of sleep and reality.

For a moment, he swore he felt someone sit at the edge of his bed, but he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure about anything now and rolled over in bed; rubbed his eyes and opened them. Sitting beside him on the bed was a young woman, perhaps mid-twenties with black hair, blue eyes, and long eyelashes. She had a round taught face, and large eyes. Her beauty struck him and left him speechless. William pushed those feelings aside, out of respect for his wife. He thought it was her: the cultist who had been helping him, but he wasn't certain.

He said, "you're the cultist who's been helping me, right?"

The girl nodded and said, "my name is Marie and welcome to my beautiful nightmare. I've been trying to wake up, but Syn doesn't hear my prayers."

William sat up in his bed, and Marie scooted closer. She said, "I want to wake up because I lost my two brothers and mom in this nightmare. Can you wake me up?" Marie inched closer and placed her hand on his knee.

She said, "this is my nightmare, so I should be able to wake up, right?" William stared blankly and nodded.

William said, "your family is missing, too?"

Marie's eyes shifted to the door as she whispered, "Thaddeus has seen them. They're lost in the swamp. They're looking for me."

William pushed his hands against his temples and bit his tongue. He realized Thaddeus had told her the same things he told him. He flinched as he thought about Marie's family and what may have come of them.

He said, "were you camping, and then you woke up tied to a chair?"

Marie nodded, "that's when I became aware I was dreaming. The things I've seen, and had to do, it must be a nightmare otherwise I've done horrible things. It's not real. The things I've done. No." She tapped her fingertips against her thigh as her eyes darted toward the door. Her brows lifted, and she gasped.

Marie continued, "Syn is a powerful god that will save you. Remember that," the door creaked open, and Thaddeus poked his head into the room.

He said, "Marie, I've been searching for you. Syn has requested that you spend the night with me. Come, come."

Marie looked down and said, "it's nice to meet you, William. It's all a dream."

Thaddeus smiled as he said, "a beautiful dream," he ran his fingers through her hair, and brushed his hand down her shoulder. Marie shuddered, and Thaddeus seemed to like it. They left, and the door clicked shut. William sat up and noticed a piece of paper sitting where Marie was.

He opened it and it read, "the water creates the nightmare, the blessing creates the beautiful dream. Please wake me up." William laid back into his bed and flipped the note over. He stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it until it broke down into mush. Once he was confident it could easily pass through the sewer, he arose from the bed and searched for a bathroom.

William left his room and stood at the end of a long narrow hall. The carpet was tan, and the hardwood floor it rested on was aged and brown. Flaking off the walls, paint chips were scattered across the floor. Six bedrooms were on each side of the hall, and at the end was a large window. Each step he took reverberated through the hall.

Between each door was painting; some were of the manor, former Voices of Syn, and women. Not one of the people painted were smiling.

He walked farther down the hall and heard someone whisper, "please, wake me from this nightmare." He knew it wasn't Marie, as the voice belonged to a man. William deduced that this is a theme shared among the cultists — they are all living a nightmare.

He found a bathroom and spit the note into the toilet. At this point it had become little more than mush and went down with ease when he flushed. As he stood in the bathroom, an image of his son flashed in his mind, then his daughter, and then his wife. He reminded himself of the note, and what Marie said. The water causes the nightmare.

He thought, it's poisoned, and the antidote is that damn drink. If I'm poisoned right now, and I don't drink that, I'll die. Oh god, how am I going to get out of this?

William returned to his bedroom and lay on his bed. He thought of the gators which called the swamp home and tried to think of a way to escape. Was it possible to even escape? The sound of vehicles buzzing down a highway never came, only the persistent song of frogs and crickets. How deep in the swamp was he?

William rolled over in his bed and listened to the voices of strangers he hadn't met whisper prayers — that somehow, they could wake up from this horrible nightmare. They prayed that the horrors they committed were only figments of a dream conjured up in the land of nightmares. He closed his eyes and saw the face of his wife, and his son and daughter.

William whispered his own prayer, that he would see them again, but felt there was a reason Thaddeus knew about them. Why he used them as a carrot on a stick, and ultimately, that for whatever reason, they may not be alive.

As he pressed his hands against the temples of his skull, and sucked in the damp moldy air of the dilapidated Manor, and the hours of the night waned, he released a silent scream that felt too loud. His stomach panged for food, his mind wracked itself for the truth, and in this moment, he exhaled a deep breath and fell asleep because what else could he do? 

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