A cold sweat runs down my back.

A threatening bark makes me jump in agitation.

The half dozen abyssal black dogs encroach on my position.

I've never felt such fear. But I know that there's no running from this conflict.

Back to a river I cannot cross, I raise my bat overhead and taunt the beasts.

My eyes meet the smoldering red eyes of the pack leader for but a moment before the assault begins.

My weapon swings down at the skull of a dog.

My wild strike proves ineffectual as the animal jumps back. My bat hits the air.

I don't have time to recover, and I feel a painful tear rip into my arm.

At this moment, I know that I'll experience death for a second time.

I want to cry as other dogs pounce on me.

Tooth and claws rip my skin.

But then, as soon as the attack begins, it ends.

I can barely tell the reason. But, I hear a distinct whistle resound through the air.

The dogs retreat for some unknown reason. And I am left with my life.

Agony tears through me when I move to stand up. My blood oozes from multiple wounds.

I scratch the back of my head with a bloody hand.

"Who was that?" I wonder aloud.

The intervention was the act of another human. What else could tame animals?

My path home is stressful in the extreme.

I haven't the ability to run. So, if something chooses this moment to attack me, I wouldn't stand a chance.

"Hah," I laugh with irony. Would I be able to fight? Would I win?

Fortunately, the path to my apartment is easy. As ever, the shadows move with their own will. I feel like they could swallow me whole if I let them.

My home is derelict like all the other buildings I've seen.

But, with the door locked behind me, I sigh with relief. And settle down on the floor.

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I don't know when, but I fell asleep.

In my dreams, I see a grand pyre of blue flame.

Countless lives are thrown into the fire. Their ends elicit agonized screams that join the melody of the other screaming souls.

I wake up in a cold sweat. My neck is stiff from sleeping without a pillow.

I've never experienced such a vivid dream. The only thing I can't recall is who was throwing people into the fire.

In these early moments, I remember my hunger. It has grown in degree since my ordeal began.

Examining my body, I find my wounds mostly healed.

I am confused about why my regeneration is so much higher than when I was alive. Given my experience before, I would be bedridden for weeks, if not months.

I can spare no further thought for the absurdity of my situation.

This is hell. I know it.

The hunger in my belly forces me to move.

The world's darkness is unchanged from when I first found myself here. The vortex in the sky is like a mouth ready to bite down on the world.

I steady my breathing.

Despite my bad experience at the river, I return for a drink of water.

The woman from before is gone, and I'm left to search this world alone.

As I draw closer to my university, I note a change in the atmosphere. The shadows are unusually excited.

It stirs my anxiety.

Vainly, I grip my bat. It didn't do much to help me with the dogs. But it's the best I've got.

I can hear creaking from the buildings that surround me. And whispers in the wind.

I'm being watched.

"Hello!" I yell out.

The whispers pause for a moment.

"Hello!" I hear return to me.

Excitement rises from within me.

"I-" I stutter. "I need help."

A moment's pause, and I hear, "Help."

I'm following the voice as I've found someone who can help me.

"I, uh..." I choose my words carefully. "I need someone who will explain to me what's going on.

"...Will explain." sounds out louder as I draw close.

Despite my anticipation for the meeting, the hair on the back of my neck rises.

My hand tightens like a rock around the handle of my bat.

"Who," I ask, "are you?"

Just as I turn around a building I took English lit in and hear a wet sound.

In front of me, a mess of translucent mud rises.

"Help... you..." it says.

By a narrow margin, I'm able to back away from the disgusting creature.

Despite nearly falling into the trap, I realize that this creature doesn't have good mobility. And I can back away safely.

"What the hell are you?" I ask, dumbfounded by the sight.

"Help... you..."

I click my tongue, "Yeah. Thanks, but no thanks."

I wonder if I can damage the monster with my weapon. I don't want to experience such a resounding defeat as I shared with the dogs.

My belly growls as I think about what to do next.

The slime inches closer and keeps repeating its last line.

As it moves, it reveals a corpse that looks to have been corroded by acid. All that's left are burnt tissue and blackened bone.

Was this someone who got trapped? Or maybe...

Since entering the afterlife, I've learned something about the shadows. I can tell when they've recently been agitated.

The path behind the monster shows the telltale signs of passage, lightening the load on my heart.

It is easy to navigate my way around the hostile. And, soon, I am chasing the wake of something.

I can only hope it's not another monster.

In the distance, I watch a pillar of light descend on the world from the focal point of the vortex above.

I can't tell from this distance what it is. But, memories stir in me of a blue flame that rose into the sky.

Feeling anxious from the memory, I focus on my hunt.

It takes some time, but I catch a scent in the air.

It's the pleasant aroma of cooked meat.

My mouth waters and my belly aches as I forget my caution and break into a half-run to find to source.

In my haste, I stumble on some unnoticed object.

I fall to the ground in a heap.

As I right myself, I hear the crackle of fire and the sizzling of meat.

"Who the hell are you?"

I look up to the old man who asked the question.

"I... uh... well..." I scratch my head uncomfortably. "I'm Will Cassidy."