I couldn’t see the face of what was approaching me. An ominous shadow devoured the jet-black room, but I could feel it. I knew something; someone was there, watching me, waiting. The thing grew closer, and through the strands of light I could make out no distinct face. But so clearly I could feel it. I could feel the shiver crawl down my spine. I could feel its exhales growing sharper. I could feel its presence, its warmth; down to the very fiber of its soul it absorbed me. Spiraling, my mind raced. Everything sped around me, the shadows dancing on the surrounding walls. And the thing grew ever closer with each pound of my heart.

Something was wrong. Thunder pounded, but no lightning beat. Dizziness fell, but no sickness had struck. Darkness grew, but nothing had changed. Everything was out of place. The thing, the essence, the shadow had grown closer. It was hovering above me, surrounding me, in front of me, obscuring me in every way. Pounding, hissing, yelling, screaming, sounds flooded from nowhere. And then suddenly, everything was silent, cold, empty. I felt a thud in my heart, a thickness in the pit of my gut. Had I been sucked in? Had I absorbed it?

The sun rose murky yellow amidst a sea of gray. It was morning once again.