7
The Pop of the Mind
4:00 a.m.
Jana lay in bed with a sheet draped over her body. Her pupils darted from side to side as she entered the deepest stage of sleep, stage five, rapid eye movement. Her right hand trembled and goosebumps formed on her arms. She had descended into a dream and began to hear frightening voices, although she couldn’t tell where they were coming from. Her body was cold and all she could see was darkness. Fear built in the pit of her stomach, yet no matter how hard she tried, she could not pry her eyes open. It was as if they were draped in heavy sheets of lead.
Jana’s heart began to pound as the voices became clearer, and the clearer they became, the harder her heart pounded. She recognized them, yet there was something different this time, something that sounde
