Nestled among a field of flowers, she watched each one bloom before her eyes, swaying gently in the breeze. She reached for one—soft, delicate, bright—and just as her fingers brushed the petals, it withered in her palm, crumbling into dust. 

Suddenly, the clouds turned gray, the sky darkened, and the flowers slowly withered one by one. Standing in the middle of the road, she watched life die around her. Trees shriveled up, birds fell from the sky, and jackals stood at the edge of the forest in her line of sight.  

A snarling sound fell on her ears. Slowly, she turned to find—  

A creature so hideous, black as the night sky, with teeth made of silver and eyes alight with flames.  

A beastly tower—seven feet of monstrous, heaving flesh. Her legs. Her feet. Her body stood rooted to the ground. Terror crept up her spine; she couldn’t move.  

The creature stared her down as if she were its last meal. Five feet away, yet it appeared to be closer. Her breathing slowed to a halt. As her lungs emptied, the creature charged at her, and fear took over. Her hands flew to her face—a scream locked in her throat, silent as the grave. 

The creature lunged— 

Teeth bared— 

She woke. Panting. Drenched in sweat. Clawing at the sheets. 

Staring at her hands, dusted with ash, she wondered what part of her mind conjured such a dream—so vivid, so bleak, so full of meaning that ached like a wound she couldn’t trace.

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