The nightmares had come back, tainting my dreams and forcing me to wake in a cold sweat. This time I hadn’t been asleep for more than a few hours since it had just turned midnight. Feeling uneasy and a little frightened, I pulled myself from my bed and made my way downstairs so that I could get some water from the kitchen.

On my through the living room, I had tripped on something and tumbled down onto the hardwood floor with a crash. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the thing I had tripped on was the family dog, Gunner, a beast of a doberman that almost towered over me due to my small size.

I lied on the floor for a moment, waiting for the pain to subside. Gunner must have been pretty angered for he growled at me and got up from his rested position. He walked over to me, p