Page 13 (1/2)

PART FOUR - DEMONS-A-GO-GO

Chapter 13 WAKEY WAKEY

Dervish snoring When I hear that, I know I’ a dreadful, pig-choking noise like that! I open , utterly confused but no longer ensnared by the dream reality of the laboratory

I’ in around the edges of a dusty old set of blinds Propped up on a bare wooden floor Dervish and Bill-E spread out next tohi his name in his ear, not too loud in case anybody’s on the other side of the door Still no response I roll up his eyelids with one hand and snap ers in front of his eyes with the other He carries on snoring

You were all dreaic part of me whispers They’re still trapped inside it They can’t wake the them back

It tells ic flow out of me, into my uncle and brother They stir

Bill-Eabout an arle awake

"What’s happening?" Bill-E groans

"Where are we?" Dervish asks "Where’s Prae Athim? Sharmila? Shark? The-"

"That was bull," I cut in, steadying him as he tries to stand "Easy Don’t uard"

"I don’t understand What?" He stares around, forehead creased

"It was a drea up with the Disciples, the lab None of that was real It was all fantasy"

"Don’t be crazy!" Dervish snaps "I know the difference between" He stops Thinks about it His jaw drops "Bloody hell It had me fooled completely"

"Me too, for a while But bits didn’t add up There were mistakes"

"The lab," Dervish says slowly "It looked fae from Franz Kafka’s book, The Trial"

"Kafka?" I frown "It looked like buildings froht out of Silence of the La about?" Bill-E says "The cells were like so in a sci-fi flick, all those control panels and lasers"

"We provided our own drea, and leans against a wall until his legs support hiers to the blinds and parts a few slats Peers out Then looks at us "We’re still in Slawter We never left Grubbs is right-it was all an illusion"

Dervish walks around the roos and ar the Demonata are They’re , or they had a barrier in place to stop anyone getting out Blocked us with ical to us Since ourthat was reality-we couldn’t wake up"

"Why not si us?" Bill-E asks

"They’re demons They don’t work that way" Dervish chuckles "I can’t believe I fell for it Walking on to the planes without tickets Breezing through custo to see our passports"

"I didn’t spot that," I wince

"What about you, Billy?" Dervish asks "Notice anything out of place?"

"No," Bill-E says, scratching his head "Although I did think it strange that sohs and blushes

"They wanted us out of the way," Dervish says, "so they subdued us They could have killed us, but I guess they want us around for the finale If Lord Loss is hter us while we’re sleeping He’ll want to loat"

"We have to get out of here," I pant, getting up, fighting off a wave of dizziness "We have to stop them Get everybody out Call the Disciples"

"What about Juni?" Bill-E asks, and Dervish and I flinch, only now realising that she isn’t with us

"They’re probably keeping her in another room," Dervish says

"Why?" Bill-E frowns