Dreamscape: Saving Alex by Kirstin Pulioff Page A

explosion. The
first assailant regained his footing, and I found myself caught between the two
of them. The air tightened as they closed in on me.
    The bottles of
perfume in my palm gave me a new idea. I threw one on the ground in front of me
and skidded into the rose petal oil, slipping under the man’s legs. As I
stopped on the other side and glanced back, I saw him, bent over, looking
between his legs. The other man stumbled over him.
    Jumping to my feet,
I ran to the door and pulled against the metal lock. It didn’t budge. The
wooden door seemed cemented in place. My desperate attempts at escape
amplified.
    “Let me out! Help!”
I screamed, pulling on the decorative steel rings and banging the rectangular
window at the top of the door.
    A cackle grew
behind me.
    When I turned
around, evil intent radiated from their manic grins. They came closer, giving
me a better look at them. None of the
clothes in this shop would have fit them.
They stood taller than the average man, with much thicker arms. B rute strength was in their favor.
    My options for
fighting vanished. I had to outrun them. It was my only chance, and a slim one
at best. My hope for escape was the window on the opposite side of the shop.
    I juggled the
remaining perfume bottle and saw their steps falter. A plan burst into my mind.
I lobbed the bottle high in the air between them, smiling as one fumbled and
tried to catch it. The other tripped over his feet and slipped in the residual
oils.
    They grunted as I
ran around them, jumping over the fallen table, and dove through the window.
Shards of glass sliced into my forearm as I broke through and landed in the
middle of the pathway.
    The crowd outside
stopped. Their momentary confusion quickly turned to whispers as everyone
backed away from the broken window and huddled together. Their eyes darted
between me and the men now peeking through the shattered window. I heard Auntie
Quinn scream, and I bolted through the marketplace before someone caught me.
    “Stop her!” I heard
from behind me.
    I knocked over
carts, tossing apples, bread, and trinkets into the road, a nything to slow their pursuit. My chest burned before I even
made it out of the main square and around the corner. I scanned the wall for a
back gate and my heart sunk. The walls were solid. There wasn’t any way to
escape. My only chance lay with the two men hammering away on the stage. The
screams behind me grew.
    “Pipes, Deakon,
help!” I yelled, alerting them as they nailed the wooden planks back into
position.
    Pipes took one look
at me and dropped his board. A look of panic spread across his face as he waved
me to the back of the stage.
    “Hurry, quick,” he
said. “I’m guessing they found out about you?”
    “Ha,” I replied.
“Like you said, this place isn’t safe for me. Or you, either,” I added.
    “We know.”
    “You can come with
me,” I said.
    He shook his head
sadly. “We all have a part to play, and ours is here.”
    “But I don’t know
what I’m supposed to do! I’m no hero!”
    “We have faith
you’ll figure it out. But you won’t find it here.” He led me to the back of the
stage and pointed up the scaffolding. “You’ll have to climb out.”
    “You want me to
climb up there?” My voice cracked as I stared up the tangled web of planks
leading up to the sheer edges of the walls.
    “It’s the only way
out,” he said.
    “Hurry up, before
they come,” Deakon grunted. “They won’t stay back there for long. Your only
hope and ours is if you get out of here unseen.”
    I stared at him.
    “We’re in enough
danger as it is. Go!” he yelled, and then ran down the street with his juggling
knives in hand. “You’re early for the show. I’ll show you some stuff while you
wait,” he said, slowing the mob.
    I shook my head and
placed my hands on the planks. It was my only choice. I was beginning to hate
that. It seemed as if all my actions were spurred by the only available options.
When would I get