Free The Oneiro Rangers: First Night by Erwin Blackthorn

I don’t want any part of that twisted cycle. We’d rather make our
living playing poker than go through that nonsense. At least then we can
remember how we got there, instead of being bossed around and being told to go
out and fight more monsters and have them clean out our brains because of it.”
    “Gee wiz,” Angelica said quietly, “is that really what happens to
the Oneiro Rangers? I had no idea — my morpheus said we were going to do it
next class. Well, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m going with you!”
    Roland and Errol jumped back in unison, surprised. “You are?!”
    “Me too,” Malory joined, jumping up and down as she waved her
hand. “I don’t want to be a potato!”
    Roland patted his sister’s head hesitantly. “Uhh… right.”
    Sova stepped forward from behind Angelica. “I’m going too.”
    Roland jumped back, pointing at him. “Dahh, where did you come
from?!”
    Angelica took a quick glance at Sova. “Oh right. This is Sova
Vanhala. I found him in the woods.”
    “Of all the terrible things you find in the woods and it had to be
a Gothnian,” Errol teased his sister, almost scowling.
    “Well that didn’t sound very welcoming,” Sova grumbled curtly.
    “It wasn’t meant to,” Errol retorted, refusing to look in his
direction.
    Sova ignored his comment, speaking to the rest of the group. “We
better hurry though,” he glanced up at the sky, “we only have a little more
than an hour before darktime.”
    “He’s right,” Roland agreed. “Once it’s midnight, everything’s
going to be too dark to see.”
    “We’ll be fine,” Errol said, already walking. “As long as this
flashlight doesn’t run out of battery, we’ll be able to find our way out with
ease.”
    Roland smacked his head, following the beam of light with everyone
else. “Why did you have to say that? Now the lights going to go out for sure!”
    “I just put in a fresh battery in this thing,” Errol countered. “There’s
no way it’s going to die already. You watch too many movies.”
    Just then, the forest floor filled with a choir of loud booming
howls, unlike any animal they’ve heard before. A flash of something shiny
skittered across the flashlight’s beam; Errol jumping back, barely noticing it.
Tree branches cracked and snapped as more of their attackers came in low and
quick. Within seconds, the teens were surrounded, the dog drones’ eyes glowing
red. One of them slid in front of the flashlight’s glow to stand in their way,
its legs bent and ready to strike.
    A prerecorded voice exploded out of its snout speaker. “Pubescent
life forms detected! Halt, you are surrounded. Resistance is futile.”
    Roland held up a fist, passing Errol while the rest of the teens
stayed frozen. “Oh yeah?! Resist this!”
    Reeling his arm all the way back and lifting a leg, he gave it his
best punch. The metal-skinned drone didn’t budge, letting Roland’s fist hit it
square in the nose. There was a pause. What followed was a cry of pain, loud enough
to spook the birds out of the nearby trees. Hopping around, Roland held his
aching hand, his knuckles pulsing.
    “There goes our fighting chance,” Angelica said flatly.
    “Please put your hands behind your backs and get on your knees,”
the main drone ordered. “Or else we will be obligated to use lethal force.”
    “Better do as they say, gang,” Roland said, rubbing his sore hand
as he got onto his knees. “These talking tin cans mean business.”
    “Summoning faculty personal.” The top of the dog’s head flipped up
and an antenna inched its way up. Morris code beeped out of the antenna’s bulb,
traveling to an adult’s receiver. “Awaiting faculty personal. Targets shall be
seized and secured until then.”
    Once the teens hit the dirt and held their hands back, a dog approached
each one and bit down on their wrists. From the bite came a pair of handcuffs,
the dogs snapping them on with their teeth. None of the teens tried to