Read Online The Nightmare Man by Joseph Lidster - Free Book Online Page A

smiling down at her. Then he walked to the front of the school hall. ‘You may begin.’
    Rani turned the exam paper over and stared at the question. She gasped in surprise. It wasn’t in English! Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Time was running out. She started to panic, grabbing her pen and starting to write. If she could just write something, everything would be okay. Nothing happened! There was no ink in the pen! Her answers were blank! She put her hand up!
    ‘Dad!’
    Her dad had his back to her. Tick-tock, tick-tock…
    ‘Dad, please!’
    Slowly, he turned around. Tick-tock, tick-tock…Rani screamed! He had bright red, glowing eyes and was holding a red balloon! She jumped up and backed away!
    ‘What’s happened to you?’ she shouted.
    ‘I just want to play. Come and play with me. Come and be my friend,’ her dad said, smiling. He started to nod his head from side to side. Tick-tock, tick-tock…
    ‘Daddy!’ Rani screamed and turned around, ready to run and…a glimpse of a white hand, a pale mocking face…and it was gone and…
    ‘You were there!’ she stared up at the Nightmare Man, terrified. ‘You were there!’
    ‘ I’m in every dream! ’ The Nightmare Man took another step towards them. ‘ Every nightmare. ’
    Suddenly he reached out and placed his cold, dead hands on their faces, stroking their cheeks. ‘ So you see, I’m not just an alien. I’m your worst nightmare. Remember… ’
    Both Clyde and Rani gasped as they remembered. Their nightmares about the monsters they’d fought, about the end of the world, about bad things happening to their friends and families…and in each one the Nightmare Man, standing there, behind them, feeding on their fear.
    ‘ You see? Do you finally understand? ’ The Nightmare Man started to howl with laughter. ‘ You’re nothing. You’re pathetic children, scared of the dark. ’ He crouched down so their faces were level. ‘ Scared of me! ’ he hissed at them.
    Clyde and Rani both looked over at Luke. The Nightmare Man had separated them. Luke was alone.
    ‘Luke! Please!’ Rani called out to him. He’d met the Nightmare Man before. ‘What do we do?’
    But Luke was just staring, terrified. Behind Clyde and Rani, two of the red doors opened. Voices echoed out from the black voids.
    The Nightmare Man kept advancing and Clyde and Rani were forced back towards the open doors.
    ‘ You’re going back into your nightmares and you’re going to be locked in them forever! Trapped for eternity! ’
    Behind her, Rani heard a voice calling out. It was Louise Marlowe. ‘Breaking news, Rani. You’re coming back to me!’
    Behind him, Clyde also heard a voice. It was the twisted version of Sarah Jane. ‘Oh, Clyde, you’re so stupid!’
    They both stared up at the Nightmare Man. ‘Please, no!’
    But he just laughed and laughed. ‘ Night, night, kids. ’
    Clyde and Rani turned to look behind them. The black voids. The nightmares. Blue veins and red eyes and balloons and monsters and screaming and howling winds and thunder and noise! So much noise! Tick-tock, tick-tock! All of it, pulling them back! It was all over. They were going to be trapped in their nightmares forever! Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, ticktock ticktock ticktockticktockticktockticktocktick -
    ‘No!’ shouted a voice. It was Luke.
    The Nightmare Man, Clyde and Rani all stopped and turned to him.
    ‘ I beg your pardon? ’ whispered the Nightmare Man, with a smile.
    ‘I said, no!’ repeated Luke.
    ‘ Oh, your nightmares haven’t even begun. ’
    Luke stared at him, furious. ‘Just listen to me.’
    The Nightmare Man shrugged. ‘ Why should I? ’
    ‘Because you keep telling me about you and what you want, but you’ve never asked about me.’
    The Nightmare Man started to laugh. ‘ What? What are you talking about? I’m the Nightmare Man! ’
    Luke took a step towards them. He held his head high, no trace of fear in his eyes. ‘That’s what you call yourself, but