CHAPTER 6
In the dream, everything was bathed in an odd scarlet light, and I found myself lying on my back in shallow water—a tub perhaps?—an old, cracked and dingy ceiling above me, the tiny fractures in the plaster like veins traversing pale skin long dead.
I tried to move but couldn’t. Though I could make out no restraints or feel anyone holding me down, with the exception of my head and neck, my paralysis was complete. I couldn’t see anyone else, but knew I was not alone in the room. Others moved slowly in the shadows surrounding me.
Before I could react, a strange sound distracted me, and I let my head lull to the side. The water rose a bit along my left cheek, threatening to slip into my mouth. I clenched my lips, but not before a small amount sloshed up onto my tongue, leaving be
