Vicky has the strangest dream...

Vicky woke with a start in suffocating darkness, wheezing as though she’d been punched in the chest. Panicking, she tried to raise her arms to find the light, to find Brandon, but found every part of her body heavy and sluggish. Even her thoughts were muddled under weight of whatever sudden sickness had struck her, and all she could do was moan helplessly; alone and afraid.

A sudden light hit her face as a doorway opened and in the instant before her eyes screwed shut, she realised she wasn’t in her own bed or even in her own room. She heard the door close, saw the light fade, leaving stars against the darkness of her vision.

Over her own laboured breathing, she heard a pair of approaching footsteps, followed by a soft hand stroking her arm. Her skin felt strange, as though she had shrunk and it no longer fitted correctly.

She felt the warmth of the person bending down to her ear and in a familiar voice whispered, “It’s okay, just relax. It will all be over soon.”

Before she could respond at all, Vicky heard a mechanical hiss and felt a rushing sensation in her other arm. Like water being drained out of a tub, her consciousness faded away.