“Run! No!” . . . Bolting upright in bed and gasping for air, she was covered with sweat and her heart pounded in her ears. Several moments elapsed before she recognized the familiar surroundings of her bedroom and realized it had all been a nightmare. No matter how many times she had this nightmare, each of the harrowing details always remained unchanged. It was the same with the other nightmares that had haunted her sleep since childhood. The single common element in all of her night terrors was the faceless monster that always sought to kill her.

Experience had taught her there would be no more sleep tonight, even when she could bring her racing heart rate and rapid breathing back to normal levels. This was the second time in less than a week she had experienced this same nightmare. The dreams were occurring more frequently, and she was always left with the same lingering terror. Why the dreams always scared her so badly was a question she had never been able to answer. A hot shower would loosen the knots in her muscles. Afterward, she would go to the lab to see how much work could be accomplished before breakfast.