51

I tried again, and I hit the dream - I mean ground - running, and lucid. My heart raced in my chest as I sprinted through the shadowy streets of the abandoned city. The nightmarish creatures pursued me relentlessly, their grotesque forms moving with unnatural speed and agility. Their claws scraped against the pavement, sending shivers down my spine.

I had never seen them here before. Never, in the dozens of times I came here have I seen them.

Fear fueled my every step as I weaved through the labyrinthine alleys, desperately trying to put distance between myself and the pursuing horrors. My breath came in sharp gasps, my legs burning with exertion, but I pushed myself to keep going.

Mother's 'lobby' was part of the dream fabric, yes, but any fabric of the dream world altered by a dream walker often had weird rules pertaining to the physical world laid down. Knowing mother, I did not want to find out what dying here had in store for me.

The creatures' guttural growls and hisses echoed