There was a Mongrel hiding among the bushes, waiting for an opportunity to sneak up on Sam. He could feel its presence lurking behind him, an illicitly dark trepidation creeping over him, spreading over his every cell like a scourge.
Beads of sweat bordered his forehead, and an overwhelming feeling of dread seized him. He’d never felt this powerless before, his eyes seemed to glaze over, and he blinked hard and jerked them open in a violent shudder.
“Sam?” a small familiar voice greeted him, and he immediately felt secure as warm hands stroke his burning forehead fondly. It was just a nightmare. Everything was fine. He was lying on an alien bed with his head pounding like a jackhammer.
Opening his mouth to speak, he found to his horror that no word would come out. Panicked, he made an
