Ray sat idle on a chair in the far corner of the rec room with his bloodied arm wrapped up and the makeshift aura video-analyzer atop his head. The contraption built crudely from an old colander, wires and circuits had proven itself invaluable when it came to gaining in depth information to the human psyche, brain activity and any unusual levels of psychokinetic energy that could be affecting the brain itself.

Egon checked analyzer to ensure that it was functioning properly before attacking EKG leads to Ray's chest. "I'm going to run a few tests and compare the results to your baseline readings. I'm curious about the current functionality of your circadian rhythm, as well as the levels of the chemical melatonin your body is naturally producing."

"Egon," Peter casually strolled over to the corner with his arms folded and eyebrow arched. "nightmares aren't unusual. And when you consider the type of material that Ray had been recently reading before his little nighttime escapade it isn't too surprising that he would end up suffering a vivid nightmare."

Ray shook his head. "This wasn't just some routine nightmare Venkman." Ray sat upright as Egon attached addition leads to his temples to measure an EEG reading. Ray put his hand over his bandaged arm and flinched at the pain that still lingered in the fresh wounds. "This was... This was real. I know that doesn't make any sense but it's the only way I can describe it: Real."

"So were the twisted psychos you were reading about!" Peter defended his remark earnestly. "You said the man who attacked you was disfigured and armed with an unusual weapon. Sounds like the starter park for a boogieman and serial killer nightmare to me. There's no mystery here, you just have an overactive imagination and need a manicure."

Egon had placed the bell of his stethoscope on Ray's back and was listening to the shaken man's breaths. "You forget Venkman that Ray has suffered nightmares that had real world ramifications before."

"You mean Gozer?" Peter sounded completely indifferent to the situation. "I had Gozer nightmares myself and nothing happened. I'm pretty sure everyone in New York City did."

Winston walked into the rec room having heard the tail end of Peter's comment. "I know I did." Winston confirmed. "Okay, so when I took care of those bloodied sheets I looked around for anything sharp that could've cut Ray's arm and found nothing. No knife, razor, broken glass... Nothing. And before you say anything else," Winston shushed Peter before he had the chance to keep complaining. "there was no blood under Ray's own fingernails so there's no way he could have scratched himself that deeply."

Peter let out annoyed sigh. "Oh come on Zed! Don't tell me you think that some nightmarish burn victim attacked Ray in his dream and cut him up in real life! Please tell me you think it's all in his head too, you're supposed to be the rational one in the group!"

"I've seen some pretty strange things." Winston replied honestly and with a calm tone. "If the ghosts we've encountered have found a way to get revenge on us through dreams I wouldn't be surprised at all."

"Watch what you say," Peter waved his hand dismissively as he walked out of the rec room and toward the bunk room. "you'll just encourage them."

Egon finished noting Ray's current vitals and then proceeded to check the settings on the analyzer. "Okay Ray, I'm going to watch the monitor as you tell us exactly what it was you dreamt. Don't hold back on any details."

"Okay, I'll do my best." Ray put his hand on the colander on his head and took a deep breath. "I fell asleep and loud scratching noise, metal scraping against metal lured me to the basement. You guys were all there as well but none of you heard the noise or woke up."

Winston took a seat at the desk and listened intently to Ray's story. "Sounds pretty routine to me."

"I went down into the basement except it wasn't OUR basement." Ray's heart rate picked up a little and was evident on the cardiac monitor next to Egon. "It was like a massive boiler room in an old factory. There were long pipes everywhere along the walls, they were steaming and hissing and there was a massive furnace against the far wall."

Egon had a clipboard in his hands and was writing down the details in Ray's recollection.

"I kept hearing the scratches and finally saw the source. It was a man dragging a long razor over a pipe."

Winston sat up a little straighter in his chair. "A razor? I know that'd scare me."

"Well, he had four razors. And there were either a part of his hand or attached to his hand at the fingers. It's like he had a metal claw for a hand."

"Clawed hand?" Egon repeated curiously as he continued to document Ray's nightmare. "Tell me about the man. Did you see his face? Did he say anything?"

"He didn't say a word," Ray replied firmly as he pictured the horrifying memory in his mind. "but he did get really close to me. One second he was standing in front of the furnace and the next second he was behind me and cutting into my arm." His hand subconsciously rubbed at his bandaged arm in response. "I could see his face but I really couldn't make out any details."

"What did you see?" Winston pressed as he was thoroughly intrigued by the nightmare.

"He was burned. Burned into a disfigured mess with large scars and porous wounds all over his face." Ray's heart began beating faster, the beeping on the monitor becoming more frantic. "I think he was bald, I'm not sure. He may have been wearing a hat and his shirt... It was a long sweater and I think it had stripes."

Egon suddenly stopped writing and went pale. "Perhaps Venkman is correct." Egon quickly stated as he turned his face from his colleagues and turned off all of the monitors. "A nightmare can be a very powerful thing."

Winston could sense that Egon was upset. "You okay Egon? Did he say something that-"

"It's fine." Egon persisted sternly as he uncomfortably strolled out of the rec room and down the stairs. "It'd just be best for Ray to cease his research into serial killers for some time, it'll keep the nightmares at bay."

Ray slipped the analyzer from his head and began carefully peeling the leads from his head and chest. "That was strange." He ran his hand over his hair casually and set the equipment aside.

"Strange?" Peter's voice rang out as he returned to the bunk room. "Strange and Egon are practically synonymous. What's so special about now?"

"You were listening?" Winston shot Peter an amused, if not impish glance.

"Couldn't help it," Peter answered swiftly without breaking stride. "I love hearing about Ray's little fantasies. I just don't care for all the science stuff involved."

Ray walked over to the edge of the staircase and watched as Egon hastily locked himself away in his private lab on the first floor. "I wonder what's bothering him? I've never seen Egon get so spooked before."

"Hmm... Interesting. "Peter folded his arms defiantly and marched down the stairs with his head held high. "Don't you worry about it Ray, I'll take care of Egon."

...to be continued...