Hunter awakened suddenly. Before his eyes had even adjusted to the dark, before his mind had even begun to make the transition from dreams to wakefulness, he was filled with unreasoning terror. His body tingled with it. Then there was the sound, barely audible, whispering, causing his muscles to tense beneath the sheets.
And there was, from somewhere not so far away, the alarming smell of smoke.
The laughter boomed suddenly, jolting Hunter upright with a scream.
Purple light danced around his bedroom. He stared at it, slack-jawed, nerves tingling. The odor of rotting flesh was so severe Hunter gagged. And beneath it was the even more disturbing smell of something burning.
But what?
Hunter stumbled from his bed, his heart rate doubled, the stink and sweat of fear surrounding him. He wa
