Joey caught not even a trace of excitement or delight on Duke's face. Instead, he looked stunned and bewildered.
"You've been to that place too?"
"Too?" Joey turned toward Duke. That single word revealed a great deal.
"Shh." Duke nervously raised a finger to his lips.
He stood and slowly walked toward the door, signaling with his eyes for Joey to follow.
Outside, Nome stood blocking the doorway like a wall, sweeping an unfriendly gaze over them.
Joey shook his head lightly and followed Duke. The three of them left the house.
They walked straight ahead for five minutes without anyone speaking.
Joey appeared calm, but inwardly, he could barely contain his agitation.
The red moon, the enormous eyeball, and the Quadrupeds hunting people everywhere-everything in the Dreamscape hung over him like dark clouds, oppressive and suffocating.
He touched his chest, where his heart was pounding rapidly: thump, thump, thump.
If Joey's guess was right, and Duke had also entered the Dreamscape and escaped, then he must possess a vital clue: how to enter and leave freely.
At that thought, excitement flared within him.
The greatest obstacle to exploring the Dreamscape was his inability to fight the Quadrupeds. There were simply too many. Every time he tried to venture deeper, he was discovered before getting very far and forced to run for his life.
Just then, Duke stopped abruptly.
He let out a long breath and turned to look back at the old-fashioned Western-style house nestled among the hills, lingering fear in his eyes. From here, only its vague outline and a red chimney were visible.
"All right. We can talk here," he said quietly.
Nome, who had held his tongue the entire way, looked thoroughly displeased. He snorted, took an iron cigarette case from inside his coat, and pulled