Called

DARKNESS | 7

DARKNESS 7

Throat held by her attacker, feet dangling below, my dream-self grabs at the hand on her windpipe. Her eyes plead with him for release as the other four men observe. “You don’t understand,” she gasps.

The one who appears to be some kind of leader steps forward. “Understand what?”

Sean!

My dream-self’s eyes dart to the side, frustration within them.

Sean!

“Let ... me down.” She struggles to speak past her attacker’s compression, but gains no reprieve from the wolf-man. “Please.” Her weakened voice is panicked. “He’s ... coming.”

The leader takes a step forward. “Who’s coming?”

“Sean. It’s Sean—he’s coming.”

Although they all look toward the forest, my dream-self is not released.

Her body wriggles to no avail. ‘No, no, no,’ forms on her lips as she grips the arms of the wolf-man, and determination fills her eyes as she swings her right foot back.

From the forest, the leader turns toward her, but as his gaze lands upon her braced body, he points just as as my dream-self fires her foot forward, right for her attacker’s groin. “Look—”

The leader’s call coincides with contact, and the wolf-man turns toward the warning. In the next moment, an agonised crumbling overtakes his features. His grip loosens, and my dream-self drops to the ground. Breaths gasping from her, her eyes dart toward the forest.

A huge, chocolate-coloured wolf emerges from the trees.

She clambers to her feet, and her sights remain on the wolf as she breaks into a sprint across the lawn.

At a speed much greater, the wolf dashes after her.

“Sean!” the leader shouts.

Her step falters, but the wolf does not cease to run.

As though he intends to head off the wolf, the leader rushes forward. “Sean!”

The wolf darts to the side, and as my dream-self takes off again, all of the men begin to run across the lawn—chasing the wolf, as the wolf chases her.