The Curse Conduit

Unbeknown to either, both Derek and Uriah had made the same decision. Not to sleep that night. Derek happily submerged himself in a few x box games for a number of hours while Uriah caught up on his correspondence and checked his e mails. Each man had tried to occupy their minds in the hopes of making it through the night and each man had consumed a large quantity of caffeine but just before sunrise each man’s body gave in to the need for sleep. It was not too long before both Uriah and Derek had slipped in to REM sleep and their dreams began.

This night it was not Declan that Derek dreamed about but Danny, everything the same as always. The picture he carried, the plane, the battle, talking to his friend. But now his friend had Uriah’s face. Derek would wake up trying to remember what Urian had looked like before but like Declan, couldn’t find his face. Up to this point Derek’s dream was the same. Danny died but instead of waking up in a cold sweat, Derek continued to dream, almost like he was standing outside looking in. He stood next to Urian as he buried Danny, a Danny that now looked like him.

If anyone had been watching Derek sleep they would have seen him squirm, tossing and turning as he watched the new scenes unfold. He wandered through his dream as Urian fought to get home to England. He watched as he told Bethie that Danny was dead. He raced to reach her as she fainted but watched as Urian carried her into the house. It was like his dream was on fast forward and he could see Bethie and Urian’s lives after Danny had died. Although he was asleep and dreaming Derek was reacting to this change in his dreams. Never before had he seen this. He had always woken up as Danny had been killed. Derek was shouting, screaming, trying to get someone’s attention but no one would acknowledge him. This was how he woke up, shouting. He jumped out of bed confused and disorientated, twisting in one direction and then another, his eyes wild, dancing across the room until they landed on a program for the tour. Derek walked over to the table, picked up the book, flicking through its pages. “My name is Derek Mailer. I am Derek Mailer.” He needed to hear his own voice, telling him who he was to make his mind focus on reality.

Derek looked at himself in the mirror and gasped, dropping the book. Danny was staring back at him. Dressed in his flight jacket, holding his injured face with his hand. Derek looked at himself. His hands were still on the table. He shook his head to clear it and then looked back into the mirror. This time he put his own hand to his face to reflect what Danny was doing. Danny simply stared back at him and his image began to fade, shimmering, being pulled back into history.

Derek stood looking into the mirror, his own reflection now looking back at him.

Dream and reality collided, sending Derek for the bathroom to throw up.

Uriah had dreams, he had dreamt all his life but until a few weeks ago it was not very often that he would remember his dreams. Oh he did remember a few but most times it was just a feeling left when he woke, like a faded painting unable to make it our clearly. But now, now his dreams were so very vivid, he remembered every single one over the past few weeks and they all involved Derek. At first Uriah has put it down to the stress of the tour but after Derek had told him about his dreams Uriah had been a little uneasy about his own and more than a little concerned. At the time he had not told Derek he had been in his dreams but waking up the other morning with bruises on his body he knew it was time to say something, even if he didn’t believe it himself. As Derek had, Uriah had succumbed to sleep after a long night of fighting the urge and his dreams had taken over. Restless, he fought his way through the battles with Declan, not waking up but finding himself alongside the plane ready to bury Danny. Uriah tossed and turned as the dreams played out in his mind like a movie. His heart pounded in his chest while the dream continued much further than it had ever done before. Normally Uriah would wake just after he had finished burying Danny but this time he had a much bigger part to play.

Uriah dreamed of Urian and his fight to get back to England. He dreamt of Bethie and Urian as they lived after the war and he struggled with the bed sheets as he watched Urian die, then saw Bethie laying in her bed, he knew she was dead. It was all too much for Uriah; he woke up shouting, dripping in sweat with a blinding headache. So rattled was he by his dream he collapsed on his hands and knees beside the bed trying to get his breathing back under control. Slowly he rose, taking himself off to the bathroom to throw cold water onto his face. As he straightened up the face looking back at him in the mirror was not his own. It was Urian. However what happened next sent his mind into over drive. His reflection spoke. “Help him.”

Uriah gasped, Urian shimmered and the image disappeared leaving Uriah to stand staring at himself in the mirror wondering what had just happened, praying he was still asleep. The throbbing of his head and the pain of the bruise on his side told him he was very much awake. Slapping cold water on his face was not going to stop his growing anxiety.

Derek’s words came back to him “Ghosts in your room.”

Was this what Derek had meant? Had he seen something like this? Uriah needed to talk to Derek.

He stopped at Derek’s room hoping to find him but when no one answered Uriah made his way down to the hotel restaurant. His heart sunk a little when he saw Casta, Simian and Derek sitting together. Casta motioned for him to join them and Derek gave him a tired half smile. Concern clouded Simian’s face. “Uriah you look dreadful. You must have had a very rough night my friend.”

Uriah slumped rather than sat in his chair. “You could say that.” He shot a look at Derek.

Casta patted him on the shoulder. “We have just been through this with Derek. He doesn’t look much better than you do. What it is? Something about the tour got you both anxious?”

Both Derek and Uriah shook their heads.

Casta continued. “Then what? Derek refuses to tell us.”

Derek jumped to his own defence. “I did tell you! I’m not sleeping!”

Simian gave Derek a worried look. “Derek this is more than just not being able to sleep. Look at you, at both of you. It’s only going to take one photo to start the conspiracy theories amongst the fans.” Simian looked at Uriah. “So are you going to tell us what is going on?”

“It’s like Derek said. I’m having trouble sleeping. Can’t settle. Last night was the worst.” Again he looked at Derek.

Casta was not about to let it go. “Maybe you should think about changing rooms that might help.”

Both Derek and Uriah knew that changing rooms was not going to help but to appease their friends they agreed to look into it after breakfast. A breakfast that both picked at, something that did not go unnoticed by the others.

Standing at reception waiting for the clerk to see if he could find them alternative rooms for the rest of their stay Uriah shifted from one leg to the other but remained silent. As much as he wanted to find out what was going on he was equally hoping that it would all go away.

Derek sighed heavily. “Okay Uriah spit it out. What happened last night?”

Slowly Uriah began to tell Derek about his dream right up to the point where Urian spoke. Uriah looked at the clerk and then looked back at Derek.

Derek understood his silence and knew he had not finished. They waited to get the keys to their new rooms and then headed for the lift. In its confined safety Uriah finished his story.

Derek was shaken. “What the hell is going on Uriah!?”

Uriah shook his head as Derek relayed his own story of the evening’s events.

So intent in their conversation that when the lift opened they did not see the person waiting to get in and Derek walked straight into her, knocking her completely off her feet.

Both men rushed to help her back up.

“Geez I am so sorry. I feel terrible. I’m sor….” Derek did not finish as he looked into her face. “Bethie?”

Uriah shot his friend a look.

“Elizabeth. I told you only my Grandmother ever called me Bethie. You know if you had wanted to see me again you could have just called. I’ve heard of sweeping a girl off her feet but guys.”

Uriah was very concerned. “Are you alright. I mean…”

Elizabeth smiled warmly at him. “It’s okay. Nothing broken.” She looked at Derek who had been stunned into silence. “Well are you going to just stand there or are you going to help me reclaim my papers?”

Derek didn’t’ move, continuing to stare at Elizabeth. Uriah pushed him lightly. “Derek! The lady asked for some help.”

“Uh, oh yeah. I’m sorry.”

Both men bent down and picked up Elizabeth’s folders and the papers that had fallen from them. Derek handed them back to her. “I really am very sorry. Are you sure we have never met before?”

Again Elizabeth smiled but this time it affected both men. It was Bethie, it was her smile and it was Beth-Elena. Uriah’s mind whirled with a flurry of visions from his dreams. Elizabeth noticed that he had gone a little pale. ”Mr Burner are you okay. You don’t look so good?”

Uriah regained his composure. “Sorry, just tired. Not sleeping very well.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. You guys have been working so hard, I’m not surprised.”

Elizabeth went to touch him on the arm to reassure him and a spark of electricity jumped between them. Uriah flinched a little and Derek laughed.

“See I told you she was super charged. She gave me a shock at the autograph signing.”

It was time for Elizabeth to apologise. “Ohhh I’m sorry. Did that hurt?”

Uriah rubbed his arm. “Not really just a surprise.”

Elizabeth moved to push the button on the lift. “Well nice to see you again. Maybe you should think of having a nanna knap catch up on that sleep.”

Both men laughed at the thought of having a nanna knap.

The lift doors opened and Elizabeth stepped in. Just as the doors were about to close Derek stopped them with his hand. “Would you like to join us for morning tea?”

Again Elizabeth gave them one of her warm smiles. “As much as I would love to. I am on the clock. Have to get back to the office.” She rummaged around in her papers and pulled out a small card. “Maybe some other time?”

As Derek took the card the doors closed and she was gone.

Uriah just stood looking at the doors. He could not believe that he had seen her. He had chided Derek the other day but he had to admit that he had not paid much attention to her at the signing. She was definitely similar to both Beth-Elena and Bethie. So similar they could have been sisters.

Derek looked at his friend. “Now do you believe me?”

All Uriah could do was nod his head.

Elizabeth took a deep breath as she rode the lift to the lobby. They had met again. It was as if the universe was conspiring to make sure that they did meet. She had not dared tell them that since the signing she had also had trouble sleeping. Her dreams of Synergy had changed a little. She dreamt of Derek the most so she was not surprised when his face popped into her dreams even when they weren’t about Synergy. But lately he had been invading the dream she had been having since she was a child. Elizabeth smiled to herself and put that down to the fact that the man in her dreams had similar features to Derek so it was not a big leap for her mind at all. Declan now looked like Derek but he was still Declan. But now when she woke up crying at his death it seemed to hurt so much more. Elizabeth shivered a little trying to shake the feeling and get on with the rest of the day. After all it was just a dream.