The monster smashed through the wall and pushed its terrible muzzle into my room. I rolled off the bed onto the floor and grabbed a shotgun and a pistol. Ordinary weapons won't kill it; they can only slow it down.
The monster struck several crushing blows and, scattering debris, burst into the room.
I fired several shots. It stumbled back. Black blood splattered across the furniture.
The monster recovered from the damage and stared at me with hatred. It opened its huge jaws full of long teeth and let out a wild, blood-curdling roar.
In the neighboring houses, people were waking up. They heard the shots and the monster's roar and prepared for terrible events. Nothing unusual for these parts.
And then I turned and ran away. The monster chased me right on my heels.
We ran down the corridor. Halfway down the corridor, I leapt over a dangerous spot.
Behind me came the clang of iron and the monster's scream. I turned and saw its leg caught in a trap I had set in advance around the house.
A few more shotgun blasts slowed it down, but it grabbed the trap with its claws and tore it apart. Then it lunged at me again.
I rushed into a room. There was only one exit: through the window to the roof. I jumped outside, and at that moment a terrible claw grabbed my leg. I hung helplessly from the window. The monster pulled me toward itself. Green slime dripped from its jaws. I aimed the shotgun at its head and fired. The terrible claw released me, and I slid down the slope of the roof. At the last moment I caught the edge with my hands and managed to stop the fall. I found myself on the ground in the shadow of the house.
Something terrible was happening in the area. Police sirens wailed, people ran in panic and fought with the monsters that had broken out into the streets. Gunshots rang out. Many people died, torn to pieces. None of them could understand what was really happening. But I knew. It was Bella's and my terrible secret.
Limping on one leg, I hurried to her house, shotgun in one hand, pistol in the other.
Bella was asleep in her bedroom. A dark-haired beauty in white pajamas, but with dark circles under her eyes and gloomy otherworldly dreams. I came up to her and woke her with a touch of my hand. She woke up, and the monsters on the streets disappeared.
"What happened, John?" she looked at me in horror. A dangerous realization dawned on her. "Did I fall asleep?"
"When was the last time you took your medicine, Bella?" I asked and looked at the nightstand with the pills.
"Three days ago."
"Too long, Bella. Much too long. You started dreaming, and the monsters came into them."
She hurriedly reached for the medicine. Swallowed several pills at once, washed down with water from a glass.
"Forgive me, John. Something came over me. Some kind of numbness."
"It's all right. Now you've taken the medicine, and they won't come anymore."
"Yes, you're right."
At that moment outside, the monsters' roars and people's screams rose again.
"How is that possible?"
"Someone else has fallen into the monsters' dream. A new Dreamer has appeared."
The doors of the room flew open, and two monsters emerged on the threshold. Bella and I jumped up and rushed to run. The monsters lunged after us.