Dream Killing: Dream Killing, #1

By Magus Tor and Carrie Lynn Weniger

In this game, the only rule is kill or be killed.

Drew thought he’d escaped a dangerous life when he quit the CIA but then he was entered into The Game.

Working a dull 9-5 in a city where no one knows him, sometimes Drew wishes for more excitement in his life but when he stumbles upon a new coffee shop in his area, he meets new friendly faces, including sweet natured Max, and his life is changed forever.

Every night when Drew falls asleep he appears in a mysterious dream world, like a computer game with simple rules: kill or be killed.

But when people start dying in his waking life too, Drew realizes the game is more dangerous than he could ever have imagined and those controlling it must be stopped before it’s too late.

High octane, imaginative and intriguing from the first page, this collaborative novel will have you panting for more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beyond His Words
• Release date: Oct 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516308743

Magus Tor

Magus Tor is a dreamer who enjoys dreaming varied dreams of being a doctor, a lawyer, a police officer and a teacher but never in the wildest dream to become a writer. Since starting to write in 2007, Magus continues to explore creating worlds in his imaginative mild. Although he wishes to specialize in writing fantasy but his mind twisted his will and he ended up writing more Science Fiction than Fantasy. So far, his only fantasy novella is D-Nine: Protectors of the Crown.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Five years ago, CIA Agent Drew Corrigan never would have imagined he’d be sitting at a desk doing anything, let alone customer service. Once a special agent tasked with the most secret of missions, Drew had lived for the constant excitement of his job—never knowing exactly where it would send him or how far he’d have to go to get things done. That had all changed when a mission he’d been sent on had gone terribly wrong and people had died.

After four years of simply going through the motions, Drew decided it was time to move on and do something different with his life. Retirement hadn’t been all it was cracked up to be, and a big change was needed. So he picked a city, applied for jobs online, and found an apartment to rent. All was in place.

Chicago, here I come! When Drew said it, he almost sounded genuinely excited.

Now, the six-foot, 250-pound, muscle-bound former agent simply sat in a cubicle, performing mundane tasks as a customer service agent for a security alarm service. Retirement from the CIA brought him the satisfaction of knowing he would not have to put anyone in harm’s way again, but it also brought with it a sense of failure and of boredom.

********

A few weeks after moving to Chicago, Drew decided it was time. He had to start enjoying the city he lived in. He wanted to become part of this metropolis that so many loved.

On his way to work, he stopped at The Bean, a local coffee shop. It was right around the corner from his apartment and steps away from the L platform he would need to be standing on in an hour’s time.

Stepping inside, Drew found that The Bean was just as he had hoped. There were smiling people behind the counter, a handful of tables closely grouped in the center of the room, and comfortable couches situated close to the window where people could socialize. Drew walked up to the counter, hoping the coffee was just as comforting as the ambience of the shop.

What can I get for you? the guy behind the counter asked. He was short, blond-haired, and wiry. His tag said, My name is Adam.

Large coffee, black, Drew replied out of habit.

Black? We have some great additions to black coffee. You sure you don’t want to add some flavor?

I like it black.

Okay, black it is.

While Adam got the coffee, Drew looked down the counter and saw the variety of muffins and other pastries lined neatly on trays at the opposite end. He made a mental note of that since muffins were a weakness of his.

Here you go, sir. We are about to do our weekly raffle. Would you like to throw in a ticket? All you need to do is join our coffee club. It’s free.

Sure, what the heck. You only live once, right? Drew filled out the card and handed it back to Adam. The barista neatly folded the card in half and then in half again. With a quick toss, he flicked the card into the big jug with the rest of the entries. What’s the prize? Drew asked as Adam shook the jug.

An alarm clock. That way, you can set it for the perfect time to come to The Bean and have a great cup of coffee!

Adam made an announcement to the people sitting at the tables, letting them know the raffle was about to start. For something so small and silly, it sure did excite the patrons. They jumped out of their seats and gathered at the counter.

And the winner is...Drew Corrigan! Wow! First day in the jug and already a winner! Adam seemed overly happy that Drew had won.

Huh. Thanks, a surprised Drew replied.

Here is your very own The Bean alarm clock! Enjoy your prize, and I hope you keep stopping by! Adam almost sounded like he was expecting Drew to leave now, so Drew accepted his new alarm clock, paid for his coffee, and headed out the door.

Up on the L platform, Drew sipped his coffee as he waited for his train. I guess things could be worse, he thought, eyeing his new clock. It was shaped like a coffee bean, of course, with the coffee shop’s logo on the top.

Once he got to work, Drew’s newfound smile was replaced by the dull look all of the cubicle dwellers wore. Eight hours of nothing but, I’ll be glad to help you, sir, and, Of course, ma’am, you are right. The days around the office always seemed to drag, and today would be no exception.

********

About an hour before quitting time, Drew began to plan out in his mind what he would have for dinner. Nothing fancy, but he always took care to eat a balanced meal; he liked to stay healthy and fit.

When he ended his last call of the day, he turned off his phone and removed his headset. He spent five minutes meticulously arranging his desk for the next day, and then he was on his way back to the train.

Drew always spent the 15 minutes on the train watching the people around him. The way they went about their lives, not knowing someone was looking at them—or perhaps not caring—fascinated him. They talked on their cell phones, read books or newspapers, chatted with friends, or just stared blankly out the windows at the city passing by.

When Drew’s stop was called, he stood up and headed for the door. As he stepped out, he could hear the sounds of the cars rushing by underneath him on the street below. Drew missed driving, but he hated the traffic, and parking was a nightmare in the city, so he settled for the train.

He walked around the corner and smiled as he saw his building. He loved his apartment. It was on a quiet street...well, except for the sound of the train, which never seemed to bother him...and it was a beautiful Greystone. He climbed the stairs to the second story, breathing in the smells of the family dinner being cooked in the first-floor apartment.

********

After eating dinner, Drew took a shower and plopped down on the couch to watch the evening news. He found himself wondering why nothing good was ever in the news. Just then, the weather forecast came up on the screen, and he changed his tune. Beautiful, sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s were being forecast for the next five days.

When the news was over, he turned the channel to Survivor and enjoyed the hour-long episode. He was always embarrassed that he watched the show, and would never admit it to anyone. But after the missions he had been on with the CIA, it was fun for him to watch all of the whiny, bratty young adults complain about their situation. It also added a bit of comedy and drama to his life.

********

Chuckling about the outcome of his show, he turned off the TV, put the remote control in its proper place, and turned off the lamp on the end table. Drew then slid the chain into the lock on his door, flipped the light switch on in the hall, and made his way to the master bedroom.

Feeling slightly silly, he plugged in his new alarm clock and set it. As he slipped into bed, he began thinking about the nice weather to come. He slowly drifted off to sleep with a slight smile on his face, as if the weather was already there.

Drew couldn’t have been asleep very long when his eyes popped open. As he looked around, he realized he was no longer in his bedroom. Where was he? He didn’t recognize the dark, empty room. He was on the floor, slumped up against the wall. All that was in the room with him was a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall opposite him.

He stood up, brushed himself off, and took a few steps closer to the TV. Next to it was a very small sign posted on the wall that simply read, Turn on TV for instructions. Hesitantly, Drew reached out and touched the power button. As a voice began to come from the speakers, the words it spoke ran across the screen.

"Hello. I am glad you are here. You have been chosen to take part in a game like no other. The number of players is slowly increasing, and the action you will encounter will be like nothing you have ever experienced. This game is not for the weak but for the strong-willed. You will learn what kind of person you really are, as the game will test your mind, body, and soul.

The rules are simple. Kill or be killed. On your right wrist you will find what appears to be a watch. Please look at it now.

Drew lifted his right hand and saw the watch. The only thing on the screen was the number 50. Confused, he looked back to the screen on the wall. At that moment, the voice began again.

That number signifies the number of lives you have. For every kill you make, the number will go up by one. For every time you are killed, the number will go down by one. You will also lose one life every day.

Drew listened carefully, not saying a word. This is so weird. Do I even want to play this game? he thought to himself. The voice on the TV paused as if it knew that Drew was lost in thought.

On the wall just outside the door to your left, you will find your gun. You only get the ammunition that is already in the gun, so chose your targets carefully. Once you are out of bullets, you will be on your own.

Cool, I get a gun! Living in Chicago had its drawbacks, and not being legally allowed to carry a handgun was one of those. Of course, with his being former CIA, there were some allowances made. But in the grand scheme of things, Drew found himself having to leave his gun behind an awful lot.

Go now. You may go anywhere the tunnels take you, but there is no way out except back at this room. I must warn you, though, you are not the only one who knows where this door is, so there may be others waiting for you to return.

Drew thought this all was a little odd, but he figured it might be fun. It reminded him of some missions he’d been sent on, and it brought back the memories of the adrenaline and the excitement.

He walked over to the door and slowly opened it. Right there on the wall, as the voice had said, was a gun. It was nothing spectacular, but it was all he had, so he gladly lifted it off the wall and slipped it into the waistband of his jeans.

Drew slowly crept down the hall. With no clear objective or target to set his sights on, he felt uncomfortable at the thought of just killing random people. Maybe tonight, he would just try to do a little exploring, and hopefully he wouldn’t have to use his gun.

The tunnels were dark, but because of Drew’s specialized training, he was able to take a mental note of each turn he made. His skills were still strong, and he knew he would have no problem making his way back to the room where he had begun.

Some corridors were very narrow, and the soft green glow seemed much brighter in those areas. Other corridors were wider, causing the glow to appear much dimmer. The green light almost caused a night-vision effect, which was also something Drew was very familiar with.

As he inched his way through the tunnels, he felt as though there might not be much to this game because he encountered no other players. But just as that thought entered his head, he heard footsteps and ducked around a corner. His instincts told him to stay flat against the wall and hope he had not been seen.

In the distance, Drew heard gunfire echo in the darkness. His senses were on high alert, and since this was his first day in the game, he decided it might be best to sneak back to the door and leave. As he slid along the wall, a large man, skin as dark as night, ran past him. He turned and glanced at Drew but quickly looked back up the corridor. Whew, that was close. I guess I wasn’t the kill he was looking for! Drew was surprised at how shaken he was and decided that maybe after some rest, he would feel better about this game and give it another go.

Quickly, but on high alert, he made his way back to the area where he’d started. He poked his head around the corner, gun drawn, and looked toward the door. As far as he could see, there was not a soul around. He made his move and lunged for the door, flinging it open, diving inside the room, and slamming it shut all in one swift motion.

********

Drew went to stand up but realized he was now safely tucked under the sheets of his king-size bed. Slightly out of breath, he sat up and looked around. The sun was glowing through the blue curtains, and the alarm clock was softly buzzing. It was a dream, he thought to himself.

He felt weird for a short time as he dragged himself out of bed and got ready for work. The dream had left him feeling as though it was real. Shaking off the odd sensation, Drew grabbed his wallet and keys and decided to forego coffee today. He grabbed a soda out of the refrigerator as he headed for the door.

Stepping onto the train 15 minutes later, Drew had already put the dream out of his mind. Now, as he prepared himself for another long and boring day of, No, ma’am, and, Yes, sir, he watched the people taking the ride with him and wondered how many of them felt the same way about their jobs.

Chapter 2

Sitting in his cubicle, Drew looked up at the clock and realized that today had actually gone a little faster than usual. He was thankful to be able to pack up his desk and call it a day. As he walked to catch the train, he decided that a couple of muffins from The Bean would be a nice treat. He didn’t eat sweets very often, but they looked so good.

Drew enjoyed his usual people-watching on the train and almost missed his stop. Surprisingly, the lady sitting next to him nudged him with her elbow and alerted him to his impending mistake. Descending the stairs from the platform, he could smell the coffee and was looking forward to stopping in at The Bean.

He was greeted with a handful of hellos as he walked through the door of the coffee shop. It felt nice to be acknowledged that way.

Coffee, black, right? Adam asked, catching Drew off guard. Drew hadn’t expected him to remember how he liked his coffee.

Actually, no. Today I would love a couple of the blueberry muffins over there.

Good choice. Here’s a bag; go pick out the ones you want.

Thanks.

As Drew headed down to the other end of the counter, he passed someone he was sure he had seen before, but he couldn’t place the face. The guy was a large man with the darkest skin Drew had ever seen. Where had he seen the man before? Usually good with faces, Drew was thrown. His training had taught him to be mindful of the people he came in contact with, and he wasn’t used to the feeling of not knowing where he had seen this face before.

With muffins in hand, Drew walked around the corner and up the steps to his apartment. The muffins smelled so good that he actually considered skipping dinner altogether and going right to dessert. But, being the disciplined person he was, he quickly dismissed that idea and let himself into his apartment.

Drew made himself a salad and grabbed a diet soda out of the fridge. Better to eat healthy now so he could enjoy the muffins later! He was about to set his food on the breakfast bar where he normally ate, but decided eating in front of the TV would be nice. There were some shows on the DVR he had been meaning to watch, and this way he could get comfortable. He set his food down and went to the bathroom to change into shorts and a t-shirt. He hated leaving his work clothes on once he got home. They made him feel as stuffy at home as his cubicle made him feel at work.

Turning on the TV, he decided he would get caught up on CSI. He hadn’t watched the past few episodes, and it always made him chuckle as he watched. Sure, some of the methods they used in the lab were accurate, but Drew knew of some much easier ways of coming to the same conclusions. His favorite thing to say while watching was, If you guys only knew!

By the third episode, Drew had finished his salad and had also devoured both blueberry muffins. I will definitely need to work out after that treat, he