I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was light streaming from the window in Simon’s room. I was laying down, in the same position that my body assumed when I had put Simon to sleep.

“Simon? Are you awake?” I asked as I got up to my feet.

Simon’s eyes were wide open. “Yeah I am, but…I can’t move anything! I’m paralyzed!”. I could hear his voice, but no movement came from his mouth.

I looked at where I was laying. My body in the real world was still lying down. A silver cord ran from my chest to my real body’s chest. This was the astral plane. Simon was having a lucid dream.

I could hear noises coming from the other side of the bedroom door. Something that sounded like a muffled growl and heavy breathing. For some reason, I could hear Simon’s heartbeat too, beating rapidly. “Zion! Please, don’t let it kill me!”

“It won’t”, I reassured, readying myself to a fighting stance. “It’ll have to go through me first!”

Suddenly, the door swung open, and in walked the dark figure. Its unmistakable red eyes lit up, as it licked his sharp teeth. The creature began to move closer to Simon, who was still unable to move an inch. He was in a state of total shock and utter terror as the creature prepared to kill him.

Immediately, I lurched toward the creature and tackled it to the floor. The creature roared at me, trying to swipe at my face with its claws. I wrestled with it, trying to pin it down. The monster grabbed a hold of my left arm and gripped it tight with its teeth. I screamed in pain, as it refused to let go.

With my other hand, I landed a blow right on its jaw. The monster stopped biting my arm. Then it picked me up, holding me by the throat, and threw me to the wall. I landed with a thud on the floor.

The demon made a guttural sound and then began to laugh. Poor Simon, terrified and helpless, was convinced this was his end. He closed his eyes and braced for the final blow.

I couldn’t let it kill Simon easily like that. I quickly got up and jumped right onto its back. I wrapped my arms around its throat, placing it in a chokehold. The monster screeched out loud. I poured every ounce of strength and pulled as hard and far back as I can. The creature tried to loosen my grip on its throat, but I held on, pulling harder and harder until finally, I heard a snap.

The creature went silent and fell onto the floor as I jumped off its back. It was finally dead. I watched as its body dissolved into nothingness.

Instantly, Simon was released from his paralysis and was free to move. He quickly got up, gasping for air. The dream had come to an end, As he woke up, the cord from my chest yanked me back into my real body. I woke up a few seconds after he got up, feeling dizzy.

Simon jumped out of bed and ran to where I was laying down. He grabbed my arm, assisting me in getting back up.

“Your arm!” He exclaimed and pointed at it. The scratches that the creature made in the dream world manifested themselves in the real world. I felt a burning sensation where it was. However, I was unfazed by the wound. “Don’t worry about it”, I grunted, as I stood up on my feet, “It’ll heal quickly.”

Simon shuffled back, and I held him by his shoulders. “You’re smiling.” He noted.

With a big grin, I declared, “You’re a free man now, Simon. No nightmare will ever haunt you again. You’re free”.

Simon was so dumbfounded that at first, he could only stare. Then he jumped up and down yelling, “I’m free! It’s finally gone!” He gave me a big bear hug, lifting me off the ground and setting me back down. “At long last, I…” his body began making spasms, jerking and twitching, as he completed his sentence in a slurred speech, “…am free”. He collapsed in a heap on the floor.

“Simon? Simon, are you okay?” I tried shaking him awake, but he just wouldn’t wake up. Both my hands clutched at my head. I started to feel panic rising in me. Could it be possible that the entire dreamverse experience had given him such a shock, that he ended up dying in my hands?

I heard a loud snort come out of him. I listened in closer. He exhaled warm air on my face, then he inhaled deeply, with each inhales sounding like a car trying to start. He was snoring.

A feeling of relief washed over me, and a smile grew on my face. He was finally having the peaceful sleep that he had desperately needed I got up from the floor, picked him up gently, and laid I’m onto his bed. Then, I made my silent exit.