Chapter 3

At lunch, we sat in the far corner of the cafeteria, away from everyone. Don picked at his pizza, his eyes fixed on the table. I hadn't touched my tray.

"We can't sleep," I said, my voice low. "If we don't fall asleep, the Jester can't get us."

Don looked up, his face pale. "That's insane, Kyle. People need sleep. We'll crash eventually."

"Then we crash together. We'll stay up as long as we can. Maybe if we both stay awake, we can figure something out."

Don shook his head slowly. "And what do we do when our bodies give out? We can't run forever."

I didn't have an answer. The weight of exhaustion pressed down on me, making my thoughts sluggish. I'd been running on fumes for weeks, and now Don was in the same boat. The guilt churned in my stomach like a bad meal.

"We need help," Don said. "Maybe Dr. Sharma can prescribe something stronger, something that knocks you out without the dreams."

"And tell her what? That a clown from another dimension is torturing me in my sleep? She'd think I was having a psychotic break."

"Better than dying."

I stared at him. The word hung in the air, heavy and cold. Dying. The Jester had made it clear that the games were leading somewhere, and I didn't think it was a prize.

"We'll try to stay awake tonight," I said. "If one of us starts to nod off, the other wakes them up. Deal?"

Don hesitated, then nodded. "Deal."

• •* *

We went to my house after school. My mom was at work, so we had the place to ourselves. I made coffee—strong, black, bitter—and we sat in the living room with all the lights on, the TV playing some mindless sitcom in the background. Every few minutes, one of us would check the time, watching the hours crawl by.

By midnight, my eyelids felt like they had weights attached. Don was slumped on the couch, fighting to keep his eyes open. I nudged him with my foot.

"Hey. Stay with me."

"I'm here," he mumbled, sitting up straighter. "Just resting my eyes."

"No resting. We have to keep moving." I stood up and paced the room. "Talk to me. Tell me about that video game you were talking about."

Don started rambling about levels and bosses and strategies, his voice a low drone that almost put me to sleep standing up. I forced myself to listen, to focus on his words, but they slipped through my mind like water.

At 2 AM, Don stopped mid-sentence. His head drooped forward, and a soft snore escaped his lips.

"Don!" I shook his shoulder. "Wake up!"

He jerked awake, eyes wide. "What? What happened?"

"You fell asleep. Just for a second. Did you see anything?"

He shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "No. Just black. But I felt it—the pull. Like something was trying to drag me under."

My heart hammered. "We can't fall asleep. Not even for a second."

We made it to 4 AM before the exhaustion became unbearable. My limbs felt like lead, and my vision blurred at the edges. Don had stopped talking entirely, just staring at the wall with empty eyes. The coffee sat cold and untouched on the table.

"Maybe we should just take the pills," Don said, his voice barely a whisper. "At least then we'd have some control."

"Control? The Jester controls everything in that world."

"But we'd be together. We could face it together."

I wanted to argue, but I didn't have the energy. And deep down, I knew he was right. We couldn't stay awake forever. Eventually, sleep would claim us, and when it did, the Jester would be waiting.

"Okay," I said. "We take the pills. But we hold hands when we fall asleep. That way, if we end up in the same place, we'll know we're not alone."

Don nodded. We went to my room, and I shook two pills into my palm. We each took one, swallowing them with a sip of water. Then we lay down on my bed, side by side, and clasped hands.

"See you on the other side," Don said, trying to smile.

"Try not to die before I get there."

He laughed weakly, and I felt the darkness closing in. The last thing I saw was the ceiling fan spinning overhead, and then the world dissolved.

• •* *

I opened my eyes to a gray sky. I was lying on cold, hard ground, and the air smelled like wet stone and decay. I sat up slowly, my joints aching.

I was in a courtyard. The walls were crumbling brick, covered in ivy that moved as if alive. In the center stood a fountain, but instead of water, it flowed with a dark, oily liquid that bubbled and hissed. Shadows clung to the corners, deeper and darker than they should be.

"Don?" I called out, my voice echoing in the empty space.

"Over here."

I turned to see Don emerging from behind a pillar. He looked shaken, but relieved. "We're together. That's good, right?"

Before I could answer, a familiar laugh echoed through the courtyard. The Jester appeared on the edge of the fountain, their patchwork costume vivid against the gray stone. They bowed dramatically, their bells jingling.

"Welcome, welcome! Two little stars in one night. How delightful."

Don took a step back, his face pale. I moved in front of him, shielding him as best I could.

"Leave him alone," I said. "This is between you and me."

The Jester's painted grin spread wider. "Oh, but you brought him here, little star. He's part of the game now."

"What game?" Don asked, his voice trembling.

The Jester clapped their hands, and the courtyard shifted. The ground rippled, and a series of stone pillars rose up, forming a makeshift arena. Between the pillars, shadows pooled and writhed, forming shapes that made my skin crawl.

"Tonight's test is simple," the Jester said, their voice a sing-song melody. "One of you will walk through the shadow gate. The other will stay behind. Choose wisely, because the gate only opens for the one who truly wants to escape."

"Escape where?" I asked.

The Jester tilted their head. "Home, of course. Back to the waking world. But only one can go. The other stays with me."

Don and I exchanged glances. His eyes were wide with fear, but I saw something else there too—determination.

"I'll go," Don said quickly. "You've been dealing with this longer, Kyle. You deserve to get out."

"No. Don, you don't know what he'll do to you."

"And you do? He's been torturing you for weeks. It's my turn."

The Jester watched us, their grin never faltering. "Tick-tock, little stars. The gate won't stay open forever."

I looked at the shadow gate—a swirling vortex of darkness between two pillars. It called to me, promising escape, promising safety. But if I walked through, Don would be trapped.

"We don't even know if the gate is real," I said. "This could be another trick."

"Maybe," Don said. "But what if it's not? What if this is the only way out?"

I wanted to argue, but my mind was too tired. The Jester's laughter echoed in my ears, and the shadows pressed in from all sides. I thought about the nights of terror, the tests, the failures. I thought about Don, who had only gotten dragged into this because of me.

"I'm not leaving you," I said.

"Kyle—"

"No. We either both go, or neither of us goes."

The Jester's grin flickered, just for a moment. "How noble. But rules are rules. One gate, one traveler."

I looked at Don, and I saw the same thought in his eyes. We couldn't win. Not like this.

"Then we don't play," I said.

The Jester laughed, a high, piercing sound. "Oh, but you already are. And the game has only just begun."

They snapped their fingers, and the shadows surged. They wrapped around Don's ankles, pulling him toward the gate. He screamed, reaching for me, but I was too far away.

"Don!" I lunged forward, but the shadows grabbed me too, holding me in place.

"Choose, little star," the Jester said, their voice soft and cruel. "Save yourself, or save your friend. The gate will close in ten seconds."

I struggled against the shadows, but they held tight. Don was being dragged closer to the vortex, his face twisted in terror.

"Kyle! Do something!"

I didn't think. I just acted. I threw myself forward, breaking free of the shadows with a surge of adrenaline. I grabbed Don's hand and pulled him back, away from the gate. The vortex swirled, hungry, waiting.

"Go!" Don shouted. "Take the gate!"

"No!" I screamed back. "I won't let you—"

The gate exploded. A shockwave of darkness blasted outward, throwing us both to the ground. The Jester vanished, their laugh echoing as the world shattered around us.

• •* *

I woke up in a hospital bed. The fluorescent lights were blinding, and my throat felt raw. I turned my head and saw Don in the next bed, his eyes open, looking at me.

"We made it," he croaked.

I tried to smile, but my lips wouldn't move. The Jester's words echoed in my mind: The game has only just begun.

And I knew, with a cold certainty, that this was far from over.