The Nightmare Sonata III

"I don't know, Luke."

"What can we do? Look at the chap. Look at him. He's miserable. Don't you want him to have what we have? Don't you want everyone to have what we have?"

"Yes, but.... It's so risky. How do we know the same trick will work twice? How do we know that either of us will be able to help him?"

"We have to try, Jess."

"Help me, please, mates. I want to sleep, you see. I've not slept for five days. My alarm clock stopped five days ago so I don't dare drop off."

"We understand, Steven. Don't we, Jessica? Look. We must have cracked it. We were in each other's dreams. We were both there and we stopped it. We can do it for other people too. We must be able to."

"How do you know? How can you be sure? What if we can't help anyone now? What if we get reinfected trying? And what's with this 'we' nonsense, anyway? You think we can all three of us fall asleep at once, heads touching like a wigwam frame?"

"No, of course not, but-"

"No, Luke, of course not. So one of us will be alone in his fucked-up head---no offence, Steven---and what if it doesn't work because we're both well now? If his dream gets me? Or you. I know you'd offer if I said it was going to be me. What if you or I end up crazy again?"

"We have to try, though, don't we?"

"... Please. If you think it'll help. Please try. I'm so tired. Sorry. But I am."

"... Yeah. Right. Let's get started, then."

"Yeah. How tired are you, Luke?"

"Not much. You?"

"Might be later. Steven, we'll keep you awake till I'm ready. Is that OK, Steven? In the mean time, you should tell us what you always dream. Who else is there, in your head?"