Zack was running. He could hear growling behind him, and knew that they were quickly catching up to him, and would be upon him in a matter of seconds. The Strigoi could be pretty fast if they wanted to be, and this time around they were fast enough to keep up with him running as fast as his human body would allow him.

He turned a corner, and he discovered that he was out of breath, and his lungs burned something fierce. He was tempted to stop to catch his breath, but he knew that if he did, the Vampires would be on him immediately. So he kept moving, looking behind him every few seconds to make sure there was distance between himself and the Strigoi that were pursuing him.

He rounded another corner, expecting it to be clear, and skidded to a stop as he spotted dozens of Strigoi standing mere feet from him. He gasped audibly, attracting their attention. They turned and saw him. Zack looked around frantically, trying to find a way out of this. There was none. They were closing in on him from all sides. He was trapped. He screamed as the stingers came for him…

Zack awoke with a start, jolting awake in his bed with a yell. He scrambled out of his bed, whimpering and shaking, as he came to the realization that he was soaked in his own sweat. He heard soft growling and clicking noises near him, and fear gripped him as he reached over and turned on his bedside lamp, illuminating the room in the soft glow of light.

The bulb was very dim, however, and was nearly going out, so the light only reached as far as his bed, as the rest of the room was swallowed by pitch black darkness. The noises returned, and he glanced over to the source of them. His Feeler sat next to him in a chair, watching him curiously. Zack tried to get his breathing under control, telling himself that he was safe in his room, that his Feeler would always protect him from any possible threats.

He glanced at his Feeler again. She was still watching him, and Zack thought he saw a hint of concern in those blind, dull eyes of hers. He sighed and sat down on his bed, still shaking slightly. His protector continued to examine him from afar, noticing that he appeared to be distressed. She had been ordered by Kelly to keep Zack safe at all costs, from any and all threats.

Her job was to make Zack feel safe, she was told, and to keep him happy and secure. To protect him from danger, and she would carry out that order to the best of her ability. She would keep her human safe. She grew slightly more concerned as Zack continued shaking, muttering to himself, "Please don't let them hurt me. Please don't. They're coming to kill me. I.."

Now she knew that there was definitely something wrong with him. He wasn't happy now, he was scared. He was trembling and crying, and he was very clearly not okay in the slightest. The only problem was that she had no idea what was scaring him so badly. She scanned the room, sensing that there were no immediate threats to his safety at the moment. They were alone. Zack was safe. So what was causing him so much fear?

She got down from the chair and hopped up onto Zack's bed to examine him more closely and look him over for any possible injuries, and to maybe find out why he was so consumed by fright.

She put a clawed hand on his leg, as she crawled into his lap and stared into his eyes. Zack looked away from her, into the darkness that surrounded them. He still thought he saw the Strigoi that haunted his nightmares lurking in the dark, waiting to pounce on him and suck him dry until there was nothing left. They stood just outside the lights reach, staring at him with hunger in their demon-like eyes.

Zack hurriedly left the warmth and safety of his bed and backed up until he was against the wall, trying to get as far away from those monsters as he could. A part of him knew that this was all in his head, that none of this was real. But they seemed and looked very real, like he could reach out and touch them. He could even hear them moaning and growling. He covered his ears as he sat against the wall, desperately wishing them away. He began shivering again. He was so cold. So very cold.

The human gasped and wrapped his arms around his Feeler for comfort as the Strigoi stepped into the light, snarling and emitting low growls as they opened thier mouths and their stingers became visible. Zack whimpered in fright and pressed himself closer to the wall, the cold concrete doing little to soothe his nerves. "Please don't let them hurt me," he whispered, as he continued to lightly shiver from cold. His Feeler looked around again, attempting to locate the source of her humans fear, but again she found nothing.

Zack began to feel scared again, and sensing this, his Feeler raised an arm and gently cupped his chin in her hand, turning his head so as to continue examining him, as she searched his eyes once more. She cooed softly, the sound supposed to be soothing. She released her grip on him, finding no signs of any physical trauma. She waited, hoping that the human would tell her the issue. Eventually, he did.

"I'm fine. There's nothing physically wrong with me. I'm just afraid. I'm scared. I am so scared." He explained, his voice cracking, as if he was trying to stop himself from bursting into tears again. His Feeler tilted her head to the side and gazed at him thoughtfully. After a moment, she nuzzled him and put her forehead against the human's own, gently stroking his face with her hands, making soft clicking sounds.

Zack glanced around him, into the darkness. The Strigoi he had imagined were now gone, and they did not reappear. His pet Feeler crawled over to Zack's side of the bed and lay there, unmoving, staring up at Zack, waiting for him to return to his bed. The human was confused as to why she was doing all of this. He never told her to do this for him. He had not given her any commands.

After a moment of hesitation, Zack crawled over to lay his head against his pillows and cover himself with his blankets again. His Feeler lay next to him on the bed. Zack was still shivering from cold, so to keep him warm she put an arm around his waist and placed her head on his shoulder, growling quietly. She would remain here for as long as it took for Zack to feel safe again.

She could hear his breathing and heartbeat slow, and she could sense that he was struggling to stay awake. She pressed herself closer against his body and nuzzled the side of his throat, trying to persuade him to sleep. The human sighed. He felt so safe with her right now, and she was so very warm. The warmth spread throughout his body, chasing away the cold, consuming him, quelling his fears and leaving him with a feeling of immense comfort.

The Feeler usually slept next to Zack, curled up on the couch next to his bed, until he woke up each morning, at which point she would do her best to ensure that Zack did not feel lonely or scared at all.

But tonight was different. Tonight, she would stay by his side until he calmed down and returned to sleep. Zack needed her.

She did not move from her spot by her human's side as his eyes finally closed, and his breathing and heartbeat continued to slow as Zack surrendered to the comfort that she was offering, his fear now vanished, he allowed himself to relax and rest, safe in the embrace of his protector.