the slab of stone is cold. i lie shivering in the cool of night, looking at the stars and moon, and wondering if my predicament could have been avoided somehow. the chains around my wrists and ankles restrict my movement, as does the metal collar around my neck securing me to the altar. i can look maybe thirty degrees to each side, but all i see are the gravestones and tombs illuminated grey on black by the moonlight. my captor is nowhere to be seen nor heard; only the rustle of small night creatures in the leaves is apparent. my arms and chest still sting where my captor gripped me with talons and other cursed appendages, and i would have perhaps tried my escape if it was not wholly apparent how strong he was. and that i had discovered very quickly, for my captor had broken the door of my tomb with great destruction and crumbling stone, and had me in his terrifying grip before my eyes had fully opened. lumbering, thereafter, he dragged and carried my helpless form, wrapped in whipping and oily tentacles, to this place. i was then tossed abruptly upon this stone and bound to it, with apparent escape impossible. he bent low to my ear, his face in shadow (for which i am grateful), and whispered and clicked in a strange tongue i do not recognize, and was soon striding away with a destination unknown to me. it seems like perhaps hours have passed while i have waited, cold, aching and growing fearful with each passing moment. soon the beast reappears, now with a few others of likewise form, whispering and clicking and flailing limbs. as they approach, my terror grows a hundred-fold as i see for the first time their mutated faces in the moonlight. no words can describe the array of eyes, teeth and wiggling appendages on that grey leathery skin. needless to say, i let out a shriek of horror at the sight, which only seems to excite and aggravate them even more. now towering over me, i scream and writhe to no avail, the slimy tentacles enveloping me, gripping and stinging, their maws gaping and dripping a pungent mucous that makes me wretch between screams. shortly i have fallen into an echoing darkness where strange shapes twist and vibrate and a curious tingling sensation caresses my body. i awake suddenly, panting and dripping with sweat. i look around me at the familiar picture of my homely tomb. the door is intact, no crumbled stones litter the floor. the carcass of my last meal is fresh on the table. i stand uncertainly, then fall to the floor in agony. tears of pain streaking my cheeks, i tear off my shirt, revealing red and pussing circular welts, deep gashes and purple bruises. but to my horror the memory is disappearing with each gasp i take.