The Nightmare Man Read Online Free PDF Page B

on, all of you together.’
    Rani joined the two boys and she and Clyde pulled faces.
    ‘Aw, nice smiles!’ said Sarah Jane.
    Clyde and Rani smiled properly and Luke tried to, but he just felt so overwhelmed by everything.
    ‘It’s going to be brilliant,’ Rani was still babbling.
    ‘He’ll forget about us!’ said Clyde, laughing. ‘I’m telling you!’
    Everyone was laughing. Except for Luke. He was just thinking about the Nightmare Man. The creature’s voice kept echoing in his mind.
    ‘ One more little nightmare from you, and I’ll be in your world. ’
    He needed to find a way to stop him. But how could he when he couldn’t even tell anyone about him?
    Later…
    Luke was sitting on his bed. Clyde and Rani were on beanbags on the floor. Empty crisp packets and chocolate bar wrappers were scattered around them. Clyde had fallen asleep and Rani was filming him.
    She yawned. ‘You’ll let me visit you in Oxford, won’t you?’
    ‘Of course I will,’ Luke replied.
    Rani smiled and yawned again. She snuggled deeper into the beanbag.
    ‘Don’t go to sleep.’ Luke’s voice was barely a whisper. ‘Please.’
    ‘I’m not,’ Rani muttered. ‘I’m just resting my eyes.’
    But, as Luke watched, she fell asleep. He was alone. He looked over at the clock as the display changed to 00:00. It was midnight. It was Friday. Today was the day he was meant to be leaving home. But he knew…he knew he wasn’t going to university. He knew that the Nightmare Man was waiting for him and that he was going to come to get his friends and his mum and everyone.
    And then Luke looked down at Rani. She was still holding the digital camera. He stared at the camera, an idea forming in his mind…

Chapter Eleven
    Luke’s message
    ‘Our world has always been full of nightmares. Creatures and aliens who want to destroy us. But we’ve always been protected. The Doctor. His friends. My mum. But tonight I don’t think anyone can save us.’
    Up in the attic, Luke had settled down on the sofa. He was holding the digital camera in front of him. The Nightmare Man had said that Luke couldn’t tell anyone about him. Well, talking to a camera wasn’t telling anyone. It was just a machine.
    Luke stared into the camera and continued talking. He told it about how the nightmares had begun. He spoke of what the Nightmare Man had told him. He told the camera everything. And as he was doing this, he heard the distant humming of Brahms’ Lullaby . The Nightmare Man was getting closer. He wanted Luke to fall asleep. Luke knew that if he did, the Nightmare Man would escape.
    ‘So, that’s what happened. That’s why I’m up here now, trying so hard to stay awake.’
    ‘ But you can’t. I’m coming, Luke. It’s time to go to sleep... ’
    ‘No...please...’ Luke begged. But he could already feel his eyes closing.
    ‘ Sweet dreams ,’ whispered the Nightmare Man.
    Finally, Luke’s eyes closed. For a moment, there was silence. Then, suddenly, Luke’s body started to convulse! His mouth fell open and what looked like black smoke started to pour out of him. The smoke was alive and it writhed around the attic before finally merging into a man-sized shape. There was a loud rumble of thunder as the smoke cleared and there, in the attic, appeared the Nightmare Man. Tall and pale and evil. He looked at his hands, as if seeing them for the first time.
    ‘I’m real!’ he said. ‘I’m here and I’m real!’
    He looked down at Luke’s body and he started to laugh.
    Elsewhere…
    Luke opened his eyes and he blinked. Where was he? For a moment, he couldn’t remember what had happened. He looked around, but everything was dark. He moved to try and find the light switch, but then he remembered…he’d seen this darkness before. Through the doorway in the corridor. It was where the Nightmare Man had been standing. It was his home. It was darkness. It was a black void. It was cold and terrifying and there was no way out.
    ‘Please! Can