Blood Dreams

'Stairs. I saw them.' The weight on her shoulders felt like the world, so maybe that was what was pressing her down. Or…'And what I feel now… He's lower. He's underneath us.'

'Then we look for stairs.'

Dani coughed. She was trying to think, trying to remember. But dreams recalled were such dim, insubstantial things, even vision dreams sometimes, and there was no way for her to be sure she was remembering clearly.

But this is the vision-dream. I know it is. It's the vision-dream, and for the first time I know that's what it is even while I'm in the middle of it.

While I'm dreaming.

Because I am dreaming.

I have to be dreaming.

She was overwhelmingly conscious of precious time passing and looked at her wrist, at the shiny Rolex watch that told her it was 1:34 P.M. on Tuesday, October 28.

Wait. Why is the watch different? And why is the time different? More than an hour earlier. Why would it be earlier?

'Dani?'

She shook off the momentary confusion, or at least attempted to. 'The stairs. Not where you'd expect them to be,' she managed finally, coughing again. 'They're in a closet or something like that. A small office. Room. Not a hallway. Hallways-'

'What?'

The instant of certainty was fleeting but absolute. 'Shit. The basement is divided. By a solid wall. Two big rooms. And accessed from this main level by two different stairways, one at each side of the building, in the back.'

'What kind of crazy-ass design is that?' Hollis demanded.

'If we get out of this alive, you can ask the architect.' The smell of blood was almost overpowering, and Dani's head was beginning to hurt. Badly. She had never before pushed herself for so long without a break, especially with this level of intensity.

Marc appeared out of the smoke as abruptly as the other two had and took her hand in his free one. In his other hand was a big automatic handgun.

Wait. The sheriff's department personnel carry revolvers, don't they?

'Where to now?' he asked. 'I can't see shit for all this smoke.'

And why is that hugging me when Marc shouldn't even be here?

What the hell is Marc doing here?

Hollis replied to his question. 'Dani is guiding us.'

He looked down at her, his expression totally professional but his eyes worried and gentle. 'I always knew the beautiful assistant was the real magician,' he said. 'Like the man behind the wizard's curtain. Where to, Dani?'

She felt a wave of dizziness, of almost wild uncertainty. This was wrong, so wrong in so many ways.

This isn't the way it's supposed to happen!

It was Bishop who said, 'You don't know which side they're in.'

'No. I'm sorry.' She felt as if she'd been apologizing to this man since she met him. Hell, she had been.

Hollis was scowling. To Bishop, she said, 'Great. That's just great. You're psychically blind, the storm has all my senses scrambled, and we're in a huge burning building without a freakin' map.'

'Which is why Dani is here.' Those pale sentry eyes were fixed on her face.

Dani felt wholly inadequate and terribly confused. 'I-I don't-All I know is that he's down there somewhere.'

'And Miranda?'

The name caused her a queer little shock, and for no more than a heartbeat, Dani had the dizzy sense of something out of place, out of sync somehow.

How could it be Miranda? I warned her. I warned her, and she went back to Boston to be with Bishop. But he's here, he was always part of this. Only she shouldn't be.

And… where is Paris?

Where is Paris, and why do I have her abilities?

'Dani?' Bishop's face was even more strained.

Miranda. He asked about Miranda.

And she had an answer for him. Of sorts. 'She isn't-dead. Yet. She's bait, you know that. She was always bait, to lure you.'

'And you,' Bishop said.

Dani didn't want to think about that. Couldn't, for some reason she was unable to explain, think about that.

Why can't I think about it? What did I do to change so much-and all the wrong things?

'We have to go, now,' she heard herself say urgently. 'He won't wait, not this time.' And he's not the only one.

The conversation had taken only brief minutes, but even so the smoke was thicker, the crackling roar of the fire louder, and the heat growing ever more intense.

'We're running out of time on every level,' Marc said, his fingers tightening around Dani's. 'It's been dry as hell for weeks, and this place is going up like a match. I've called it in.'

Bishop swore under his breath. 'Marc-'

'Don't worry, they know it's a hostage situation, and they won't come in. But they can damn well aim their hoses outside and try to save the nearby buildings.' He paused, then added, 'Am I the only one who suspects this bastard planned out every last detail, including this place being a tinderbox?'

Bitterly, Hollis said, 'No, you aren't the only one. We're on his timetable, just like before, like always, doing everything he expects us to do like good little soldiers.'

Did she say that before? I don't think she said that before.

Bishop turned and started toward the rear of the building and the south corner. 'I'll go down on this side. You three head for the east corner.'

Dani wondered if instinct was guiding him as well, but all she said, to Hollis, was, 'He doesn't care whose timetable we're on, does he?'

'If fighting it means a minute lost in getting to Miranda? No way in hell. That alone would be enough, but on top of that he blames himself for this mess.'

It's not his fault.

Oh, God, I think it's mine.

'He couldn't have known-'

'Yes. He could have. Maybe he even did. That's why he believes it's his fault. Come on, let's go.'

Dani and Marc followed, but she had to ask, 'Do you believe it's his fault?'

Hollis paused for only an instant, looking back over her shoulder, and there was something hard and bright in her eyes. 'Yes. I do. He played God one time too many. And we're paying the price for his arrogance.'

But it's not his fault. I'm almost sure…

Dani held on to Marc's hand even tighter as they followed the other woman. She could hardly breathe, her throat tighter despite the fact that, as they reached the rear half of the building, the smoke wasn't nearly as thick. They very quickly discovered, in the back of what might once have been a small office, a door that opened smoothly and silently to reveal a stairwell.

The stairwell was already lighted.

'Bingo,' Hollis breathed.

But it's a trap. We all know it's a trap. Why are we just walking into it?

This doesn't make any sense!

Paris… where's Paris ?

Dani wanted to suggest that they wait, at least long enough for Bishop to check out the other side of the