A tunnel appears. I’m rushing toward it, flora and fauna blurring around me. My speed is increasing, my field of vision becoming narrower and narrower. The surrounding land suddenly disappears as I am plunged into the cold, dank stone passageway. My legs carry me, faster than the speed of light, away from the unseen danger at my back. I dare not look behind me, for fear that I might become paralyzed due to shock. Be it a giant wolf, a demon, or my high school English teacher, I shall never know. Suddenly, the world is spinning, I’m falling, tumbling into oblivion...

I hit water, legs burning, chest heaving. The g-forces crash into my body upon impact, crippling my frame, making me sink into the murky depths. A hand reaches out, latches onto my ankle. A scream escapes my raw throat. I brace for the inevitable choking on water, but it doesn’t come. Before I can register why, the realization hits me; I am tied to a icy metal table in an equally cold, low ceilinged cell. Light trickles through, under the impassable door and the tiny bar window high up in the corner.

Almost instantly, a chill sweeps through the room. A man steps through the door and lunges at me, knife gleaming. Subconsciously, my neck jerks around, trying not to get slashed. All the while, my hands are bound tightly to my sides. The table tilts forward, pivoting. My attacker cuts my bonds, causing me to tumble forwards and backwards, both sensations ripping me apart.

As I fall through the wormhole, I hear the man call down to me, “Wake up. Hey, you, wake up!”

My eyes pried open, twitching erratically in their sockets. Looking around, I realized: there was no one else in the room. My safe, familiar bedroom, empty.