I

a state of paralysis
the senses made me ill
and the faceless men would not tolerate interference
lucid enough to feel and struggle but not to control
i watched his limbs snap and heard him howl
the captor was hate for he had been wronged
treachery too awful, even for a dream
a demon in the shadow, bloody sneakers in the crack of a closet door
i vomited in the dark
he was dead

II

the storm was coming and we armed ourselves
the sun died and great sick eyes were outside the door
i was stabbing downward trying to save kin
but i was the only one
the rest had transcended and the horde existed only for me

i felt peace when i woke