Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women

The weight of it was unbearable.

Jude staggered, barely catching himself on one of the pillars. His breath came sharp, ragged. The sensation threatened to drown him, to unravel his very existence ,

Then, suddenly, it stopped.

A presence snapped back into place. A force pushed against whatever had been reaching into him, cutting it off like a blade severing a thread.

Jude gasped, vision clearing, and found the man standing beside him, his hand raised slightly.

Jude’s chest heaved. "What ,"

"It’s trying to see you," the man said. "But you don’t want it to."

Jude wiped at his face, only now realizing his skin was damp with cold sweat. "That thing ,"

"It’s not a thing." The man’s voice was quiet. "It is what waits. "