Get out of My Dreams

By Allan J. Lewis

Alice and John Timberlake lead a quiet life in the suburbs of California. John is a prison officer at the California State Prison, and Alice assists the Agony Aunt columnist, with big dreams of becoming a reporter. One morning they awaken to their lives turned upside down—John is on the couch with no recollection of how he got there, the front door lock is unbolted, and the alarm is disarmed. Alice’s underwear is neatly folded on top of her slippers––she knows she went to bed wearing them. Fearing they may have been victimized in their own home, they contact the authorities. John and Alice discover they have been the latest victims of “The Magic Man,” a rogue hypnotist that gets into people’s dreams, makes them do his bidding, and has them reveal their darkest secrets. The FBI considers him a threat to the country. Some departments within the Halls of Justice want him eliminated; others think his talents could help solve crimes. They ask John and Alice’s help to bring the Magic Man to heel. None of them realize that their intended target is manipulating them. Everyone has secrets, and the Magic Man knows them all. When a steamy fantasy shared between Alice and the Magic Man unveils a unique connection between them, it changes the rules of his game. All Alice and John had ever wanted was for the Magic Man to get out of their dreams––but now, they can never go back to the life they had before

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allan J. Lewis
• Release date: Aug 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463073476

Allan J. Lewis

ABOUT THE AUTHORAllan J Lewis was born in South Wales UK where he worked as a coal miner; he is married with two children and two grandchildren. Allan didn’t start writing until late in life and now he has nine books out, five in the “Joe the Magic Man Series” a Mystery/Thriller.Also four, Erotica/Romance/Adventure Novel’s that is what Allan is planning to be a series called, “Joe’s Forbidden Dreams”.Allan enjoyed the adventure novels of Wilbur Smith and the works of James Patterson and Lee Child.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Beep-beep. The alarm clock woke Alice out of her deep sleep. Beep-beep. It sounded again, by which time, normally, her husband John would have turned it off. Beep-beep. Alice threw her arm lazily behind her hoping to wake up her husband, but his side of the bed was empty. Beep-beep.

John? Alice rolled over and shut off the alarm. It was 6:45 a.m. John! she called louder. Are you in the bathroom? No answer. Are you all right, love? Still no answer.

She pulled the blankets off and dragged her legs out of bed, thinking he must have fallen asleep on the toilet, or that he could be ill. She stared, puzzled, at her panties lying on top of her slippers. She had gone to bed last night in a knee length satin nightdress and matching panties––she didn’t remember taking the panties off. She shook her head and shouted louder.

John, where are you? Panic started to mount in her as she slipped into her slippers and grabbed her dressing gown. I could swear I slept with my panties on, she thought as she went to the bathroom. We didn’t have sex, so why would I take them off?

Her husband wasn’t on the toilet. John? she called as she looked into the empty shower cubicle. Alice went back out to the hall landing and noticed the light at the top of the stairs was on. He’s got to be downstairs, she whispered. Why leave the light on when the summer sun is lighting up the house? It must have been dark when he got up, she reasoned as she ran down the stairs.

Alice heard a moan coming from the direction of the living room. Oh my God! John! Are you all right? she shouted as she ran into the living room, fearing the worst. Alice gave a big sigh of relief when she saw her husband stretched out on the sofa.

What the hell are you doing down here? she screamed, with one hand on her hip and the other one pointing upstairs. Her relief quickly turned to anger. The alarm clock went off, and you weren’t in bed, or in the bathroom; I thought you were ill or something!

All right … all right. Stop your shouting. John sat up and rubbed his eyes. I’m cold. He looked around. What the hell am I doing down here?

Alice noticed he was in the t-shirt and boxer shorts he had slept in. She saw the puzzled look on his face. How long have you been laying there? she asked, and where’s your housecoat? She had cooled down a little, and in a more concerned tone asked, Are you ill?

John had no idea why he was sleeping downstairs. He was cold and grumpy. What time is it? He stood up gingerly. Am I late? He stomped his feet to get the blood flowing.

Alice was trying to make sense out of it all. Were you hungry and came down for something to eat?

John paced for a moment, and then headed for the stairs. No, I wasn’t hungry, and I don’t remember getting up. He looked at his watch. It was 6:50 a.m. I’ve got to get ready for work. He hurried up to the bathroom, with Alice right behind him.

She watched as he applied his shaving foam. She gently put her hand on his shoulder. Are you saying, she hesitated, almost too afraid to ask him, that you walked in your sleep last night?

John stopped shaving and looked at her in the mirror; he’d been having the same thought. I’ve never done it before, but it looks as if I did, he shrugged. Doesn’t it?

Maybe it’s your job … are you worried about something?

No, it’s not the job. But then he remembered he did have a dream about work, and it had been terrible. A cold shiver ran through his body. Honey, seeing that you’re up, why don’t you make us breakfast?

~

John Timberlake was a prison officer and was known as J.T. to his work colleagues. John had come out of the military and gone straight into the prison service. He was thirty years old, five foot, ten inches tall, and a solid two hundred pounds. He worked out in the prison gym most days and still kept his dark hair short, like in his army days. He was at the California State Prison, in Los Angeles County, and although he’d been working there for nearly ten years, he wasn’t too keen on his job.

He and Alice had been married for five years. She was twenty-seven years old and five foot, six inches tall, with brown eyes and black hair that she sometimes wore in a ponytail, which, with her curvy figure, made her look more like a college girl. They didn’t plan on having any kids for another couple years. Alice’s goal was to become a reporter for the local newspaper, but the only job they had for her was helping their Agony Aunt columnist answer the mail, sort out the best stories, and research their authenticity. She could do most of her work from home. John and Alice were struggling to pay for their house, so John worked as much overtime as he possibly could. They lived in a three-bedroom house in a quiet residential area of Lancaster.

When John came downstairs, Alice had his breakfast of two eggs and bacon waiting for him. It was too early for her to have such a large breakfast, so she just buttered herself some toast. She was worried about her husband’s sleepwalking, and before he could sit at the table, she was nagging him.

John, I don’t think you should go to work today, you should call in sick. She was talking rapidly, so as not to let him get his say until she had hers. You haven’t had a day off for ages, and I think you should see a doctor about last night; maybe the stress of looking after all those criminals is getting to you.

I’m all right, honey, stop worrying. He smiled at her. I’m sure last night was just a fluke. If it happens again, I’ll go see the doc at work, okay?

They ate in silence. John was thinking about his dream; it had been so real and disturbing that he wondered if that’s what had made him walk in his sleep.

You’re looking pale. I wish you would take the day off. Alice watched John gather his belongings. He walked over and gave her a kiss.

Don’t worry, I’m all right … I’ll see you later. He walked to the door––What the… The two bolts were off. He turned around and looked at Alice. Honey, have you been outside this morning? John looked confused. I swear I put the bolts on last night.

Alice shook her head as she made her way over to the door. I haven’t been out, and you couldn’t have gone out either– –you had no slippers on. The cold path would have woken you, wouldn’t it?

I dunno. Maybe I went out to take a piss? He could see the look of concern on Alice’s face. Anyway, love, I’m late. He gave her another kiss. We’ll talk about it when I come home. You go back to bed.

Alice waved him off but couldn’t go back to sleep. She couldn’t stop thinking what would have happened if he had walked out, and into the traffic. She had never worried about him before. He was this tough military guy that didn’t care two hoots about anything or anybody, but this morning he hadn’t been his cheerful self; he had been pale, and quiet.

John couldn’t stop thinking about his dream as he drove to work. He had dreamed that three of his prisoners were raping him. He didn’t know the prisoners in his dream, yet they were as clear in his mind as if they were old friends. He even remembered the name of the leader––Horse, the others called him. John gripped the steering wheel tightly as the image came to his mind. Horse had stood, proud of his massive erection, and smiled at John as he whispered, We’ll be having you again tonight, so don’t be late. John heaved an enormous sigh, and then the image was gone. He told himself it was just a bad dream––a nightmare––and he tried to put it out of his mind. As if I would allow anyone to rape me; I would have hit him with my nightstick, and kicked him in the balls. But why didn’t I try to stop them last night? He thumped the steering wheel in frustration and tried to think about something else.

But he couldn’t. All morning that dream haunted him, and it disgusted him. How could I let them do that to me, even if it was a dream? He wondered if he had gotten up in the night to get away from his dream of being raped, not by one prisoner, but by three. He couldn’t tell anyone about his dreams, but the first chance he had to talk to two of his colleagues, Andy and Bob, he told them about the sleepwalking, and the bolts being off the door. Andy and Bob were more than just workmates. The three of them and their wives were close friends, and went tenpin bowling together on the weekends. They showed concern for John, at first, and asked if he’d had a few drinks. Bob told him that his brother- in-law used to get up in the night, open the wardrobe doors, and piss all over his wife’s dresses, after only a couple of drinks. Then he would go back to bed and not remember a thing in the morning. When John said no, he hadn’t, they put the sleepwalking down to John being overtired and laughed it off by making a joke of it. John laughed with them, and said the job must be starting to get to him.

John knew Alice would be worrying about him, so he phoned her to tell her what the boys thought––it’s just one of those incidents that happen. He tried to make a joke out of it by telling her she was lucky he didn’t pee all over her clothes.

Alice was still convinced it was his work that was getting to him, all those convicts shouting and arguing. Sometimes John had to help break up a fight, which could be quite a stressful situation. Not that he moaned about his job; he hardly talked about the negative side of his work, but before they settled down to their evening meal, Alice would tell him what had been on her mind all day. ~

John love, Alice smiled as she joined John in the living room, you’re working in a confined place in that prison, and it’s stressing you out. I think you should take a week off.

I’m all right. I think I did have a dream about work last night, and my job must have been on my mind when I went sleepwalking. I probably thought I was doing my rounds. He tried to laugh it off. Ha, if I did take the bolts off the door, maybe I thought I was opening one of the cells.

Alice stared back at him now, unsmiling. What kind of dream did you have, was it a bad one?

No, I can’t remember what it was now, it’s gone. And then, Horse’s words came to his mind: We’ll be having you again tonight, so don’t be late. John spun around, half expecting Horse to be there, his voice had been so clear in his head. He shuddered.

What’s the matter?

Nothing, just felt a draft, let’s change the subject or watch some TV. John was sure his past was coming back to haunt him. The one bad thing he had done in his life, which he had regretted ever since, could be returning to punish him through his subconscious mind. He knew he couldn’t tell Alice about it. He was too ashamed, even though it had happened before he met her.

John kept telling himself it was just a bad dream––what were the chances of him having the same dream again tonight? They watched some television and didn’t talk anymore about his sleepwalking until it was time for bed.

Honey, John said casually, you can lock up and set the intruder alarm to make sure it’s done right; if I get up in the night just tell me to get my ass back into bed.

You better not go sleepwalking again. There was a hint of fear in her voice. You’ll frighten the life out of me. You did set the alarm last night, and you bolted the door––I saw you. I remember those bolts being on when we went upstairs.

Come on, John said light-heartedly, we’ll both lock up. He walked to the front door, with Alice right behind him. He, too, was sure he’d locked up safely last night.

The bolts were just for additional security. Alice watched as John slid the bolts into place and armed the alarm. She noticed the worried look on his face. You did put them on last night, I saw you, she assured him again.

Then how come… Another question jumped to his mind. How come the alarm didn’t go off when I opened the door?

That same thought had been on Alice’s mind. You must have switched it off when you were sleepwalking. They looked at each other as they tried to fathom what was happening to him. You must have opened the door, felt the cold air, and came back in and fell asleep on the sofa.

A horrible thought hit him. Oh my God, you don’t think I went out sleepwalking in the neighborhood, do you?

No, love. Alice had wrestled with those thoughts all day, and she wondered why it had taken John so long to think he could go outside to take a pee, and not go for a walk. If you went for a walk, your feet would have been dirty or cut, she said halfheartedly.

Yeah, and my feet were clean. He looked at Alice, hoping she would agree with him. She nodded. Yeah, I wouldn’t go walk about in the middle of the night, John added.

Chapter 2

Beep-beep. John shot up in bed and shut off the alarm before it beeped a second time.

Alice didn’t roll over. She didn’t even open her eyes, she just spoke lazily: Did you sleep all right?

Yes, he lied, his dream still vivid in his mind. He shook his head to get the image of the prisoner, Horse, out of his head. I slept like a ba… He didn’t finish the sentence as he stared in bewilderment at his t-shirt and shorts in a pile on the floor. What the hell? He threw the blankets off and sat up in bed, naked. What’s happening? He stood and looked at Alice, confusion written across his face. Did I sleepwalk again?

Alice sat up, rubbing her eyes: What’s wrong?

John pointed to his clothes. I know I wore those to bed. He was shaking his head in disbelief. I know I didn’t take them off. He grabbed his t-shirt and shorts and put them on. Please tell me I didn’t walk in my sleep again, John muttered to himself, more than to Alice.

Alice could hear the panic in his voice and awoke instantly, afraid that John had gone sleepwalking naked outside. The bolts! Alice shouted as she swung her legs out of bed. John, check the door and the alarm. Before her feet touched the floor, she spotted her panties on top of her slippers, again. Oh my God, what’s happening to us?

John had already left the room. Alice tossed her panties to one side, put on her slippers and dressing gown, and hurried after him. The first thing she noticed was the landing light was on again, and when she caught up to John, he was standing by the front door with both his hands held out in front of him as if willing the bolts to close themselves.

I’ve done it again. He was shaking his head. I’ve been sleepwalking.

Alice stared in disbelief. That’s it, you are going to see the doctor––no work for you today, she said sternly.

Okay, okay … I’ll phone in and tell them… He gave Alice a confused look. Tell them what?

Alice shook her head. I don’t know … just tell them you’re sick.

I’ll phone and ask to see the doc, and we’ll see what he has to say. As John headed back upstairs, a voice in his head asked, Are you going to tell the doc about your dreams?

Alice was right behind him. She could sense his anguish as he spun around and looked at her, and then behind her as if he was expecting to see someone else. What’s the matter? she asked.

Nothing, I’m fine. He had wanted to ask if she’d heard someone talking.

Don’t worry, love, a couple of weeks off and you’ll be as right as rain again. She was trying to speak calmly to him, to get him to relax. She jovially added, I could tie you to the bed tonight. The humor left her voice when she saw him walk up to the bedside table and pick up an open condom packet.

John held it between his finger and thumb, and looked at it as if he had never seen one before. We didn’t, did we?

Alice looked from the condom packet to her panties that she had picked up off her slippers and tossed on a chair before running downstairs. Her blood ran cold. No … no we couldn’t have. She was shaking her head, her voice ringing with anxiety. You might have taken my panties off without waking me, she pointed to them. But no way did you do me last night without waking me up. No way!

I took your panties off? John flopped down on the bed. He was becoming more baffled by the minute. He had no memory of having sex with Alice during the night.

Yes, you must have; I didn’t take them off, and it seems you did the night before, too. I found my panties on top of my slippers yesterday, and forgot to mention it with all the confusion. She stared at the condom packet, and her voice dropped to a whisper. There’s no way we had sex. She looked pleadingly at John for an answer. Is the condom still in it?

It’s empty.

Part of John’s dream came clearly to his mind. He was in the cell with Horse and one of the other men––Vince––and Vince had said, I don’t ride bareback, get me a condom. Both nights Vince had asked John for a condom, and both nights he remembered giving him one. John shot back up off the bed and went to the bedside drawer where he kept the condoms. He pulled out another empty packet and showed it to Alice. What’s going on? John could feel his strength drain from him. I must be going nuts.

Alice was almost in tears. The packets are empty, so where are the condoms?

I guess I must have flushed them down the toilet.

Alice was shaking her head again. You didn’t use them with me. Tears started rolling down her cheeks. I would know.

John flopped back down on the bed and put his head in his hands. This is driving me mad, why can’t I remember?

Alice had no answers for him, other than to repeat herself again: No way did we have sex.

She was looking at her panties. If I were drunk it would be different, but we hadn’t had a drink. Then a thought hit her. Oh my God, you don’t think we’ve been drugged? She went and stood in front of John. You hear so much about the date rape drug... The thought of someone coming in and raping her in her sleep hit Alice hard. She caught hold of John’s shoulders and shook him. "That’s why the alarm was off, and the bolts open!

He couldn’t lock up and reset the alarm on his way out!"

What are you talking about? Alice was making no sense whatsoever to John. Who got out of what?

Alice was sobbing her heart out as she tried to tell her husband her dreaded thoughts. Somebody has drugged us, and made you open the door … he came up here and raped me … and … and … I don’t know! Oh John, I’m scared! Fresh sobs wracked her body.

No one has got into the house, and no one has raped you. If anyone was raped the last two nights, it was me––in my dreams––but he couldn’t tell her that. He couldn’t explain what had happened. John hugged Alice as she cried and sniffled. Come on, he soothed, let’s get dressed and have breakfast, and work out what we are going to do.

Phone the police … that’s what we’re going to do. She took one look at her panties, and the thought of a stranger taking them off her made her stomach turn over. The thought of someone touching her––being with her––without her knowledge or consent was almost too much for her to swallow. She choked back the urge to vomit as she staggered toward the bathroom: I’ve got to have a shower; this whole bizarre affair makes me feel disgusting.

By the time Alice came down for breakfast, John had phoned work to tell them he was taking the day off sick. He’d had time to relive his dream of being raped by the three prisoners. It was like no dream he’d ever had before; it was so real! He remembered all their names now––Horse, Vince, and Tony. They were so pronounced in his thoughts, yet he had never met them and they were definitely not on his wing of the prison. But the worst part of the dream was that he had let them take him without putting up a fight; he’d gone to them willingly. See you tomorrow night, J.T. You know what you guards tell us inmates–– you do the crime, you do the time. That was what Horse had said just before John had woken. Those words kept ringing in John’s head. What could it mean?––that he was having homosexual feelings? A shiver shot through him at the thought. Was he going mad, or was he just overworked? His head was in a spin, looking for answers. He knew that Horse was a nickname, but if Vince and Tony were prisoners in his prison, he would find them, and then he would try to figure out what the hell was going on. John laughed as he tried to gather his scattered thoughts. Find them … it’s only a friggin’ dream! What am I thinking?

Alice came downstairs in her dressing gown, with a towel wrapped around her head, and her eyes still full of tears. She sat down at the table and linked her hands around the cup of coffee that John had waiting for her. There were a dozen questions running around in her head. She didn’t look at John as she timidly asked, What’s happening to us?

Alice, sweetie, nothing is happening to you, it’s me and my stupid sleepwalking.

Just you? How did I not wake up to you taking off my panties and having your way with me? How do I not remember? And you say you don’t remember doing any of that either! So who’s to say that some … someone else didn’t come in here and fuck me? This isn’t just happening to you, John! She couldn’t bring herself to say that a stranger might have had sex with her. Alice grabbed a napkin, wiped her tears and blew her nose.

John shrugged his shoulders and answered her question with a question. You really don’t remember taking your panties off? I don’t think I took them off, and if I had of, why would I have put them on top of your slippers? He threw her a puzzled look as they both had the same idea––Then who did?

Well, I know it wasn’t me. Whoever took them off folded them and laid them on my slippers, I would never do that. Alice sniffed her tears back. I would have tossed them on a chair. And if you took them off, you would have thrown them anywhere. I’m starting to think I was drugged, somehow; how else can you explain it? The tears rolled down her cheeks: I don’t know who took them off, John, but I want to call the police.

You don’t think I drugged you, do you? John thought Alice made it sound as if she had been the only one who was drugged. You know I would never do something like that to you.

You? Oh god, no! Alice knew their sex life hadn’t been that active lately, but she had never refused him. She could never give him cause to do something so desperate and malicious. No, babe, I could never think that. But John?––if it wasn’t you, then who? I know this all sounds crazy, and calling the police sounds even crazier––really, what are we going to say? We woke up naked, Officer, with our doors unlocked and alarm disarmed, with an empty condom packet on the nightstand, but we have no recollection of having sex with each other or anyone else? It’s insane, but I don’t know what else to do! I don’t know how else to explain this! Alice choked back a sob as the words rushed out of her mouth. John knew they had to call the police; they had to consider all options.

It was Alice who phoned the police. She was in a bemused state and had difficulty explaining what had happened. However, when she mentioned John’s sleepwalking, the possibility they had been drugged, along with the fact that neither of them could remember what happened, the officer said he’d send someone over as soon as possible. Half an hour later, two detectives arrived at the house. Detective Miller and Detective White listened to Alice and John’s account of what had taken place over the past two nights, taking notes and asking questions as they walked from room to room checking the doors and windows for signs of a break in.

The house was a two-storey, with three bedrooms and a bathroom on the upper level. The first floor had a hallway leading to the kitchen. The living room was on the right, and a smaller room, which they used as a den, was on the left.

Alice and John were in a daze as they followed Miller and White around the house. The detectives asked their questions, with Alice nervously asking her own questions––was this possible?––had they ever heard of anything similar? The detectives just shrugged their shoulders. Detective White checked the slide bolts on the door and the alarm system in the hallway. They asked if anything had been stolen. Alice and John hadn’t given that a thought. Alice had only been thinking that she’d been drugged and raped because of the missing condom. John had been secretly thinking the condom was used on him. He was actually starting to wonder if the two dreams he’d had had actually happened here, in his bed. Of course, John kept those crazy thoughts to himself because they didn’t make sense. Both told the detectives there was nothing missing as far as they could see, other than the two condoms.

Detective Miller said they didn’t think it was a drug rape case, but told them both to go to their doctor and get a blood test to check for any trace of drugs in their systems, just to be certain. Neither detective seemed too bothered that nothing was stolen, and, in matter-of-fact tones, told Alice and John they would look into it. As he closed his notebook, Detective White suggested it might be a smart idea for Alice to change the alarm code, and not tell her husband what it was. That way, if he got up in his sleep again and punched in the old number, it would set off the alarm and wake her up. As they were leaving, Detective Miller told John they might get a call from another detective who handled cases such as this. They said their goodbyes, leaving Alice and John more confused than before. The detectives had said they didn’t think anyone had come into the house. It looked like a simple case of sleepwalking.

Alice and John sat in the living room, silently staring at the floor. It was John who spoke first. Did you see them look at each other when you said that I had been sleepwalking the last two nights?

Yes, and they more or less dismissed the drugs and burglary. Alice gave a big sigh. I wish I hadn’t mentioned the possibility of rape; it was so uncomfortable trying to explain what happened. I think they thought I made the whole thing up. I felt as if they were laughing at me.

No, honey, they weren’t laughing at you; it sounds as ridiculous to them as it does to us. We don’t know what happened; it doesn’t make sense to us. How can we expect it to make sense to them? He gave her a wan smile. At least they’re sending over another cop who handles such cases. Let’s try to explain it better next time. John gave another weak smile. I hope the next cop has answers for us.

Alice nodded and smiled back at him, but she could see he was putting on a brave face for her sake. John was not his happy-go-lucky self, where he could make a joke and see the funny side of most situations. He often came home from work with a funny story, and if something amusing had happened in Alice’s day, as well, they would joke about the day’s events–– they had the same sense of humor. But now this sleepwalking had sucked the humor out of their lives, literally, overnight. ~

When Detectives Miller and White made out their report, they decided to take it to their captain. The FBI had sent a memo to all police departments, asking that they be informed of any case where someone thought they’d been hypnotized, drugged, and made to do things they didn’t remember––or, cases where people claimed they had been sleepwalking and done strange things.

After listening to their report, the captain agreed with his detectives that the Timberlake case met all the criteria, and he contacted the FBI.

Chapter 3

Alice and John went that morning to the local clinic for their blood tests, and were told it would take a couple of days for the results. John also went in to see the prison doctor, and told him he