Night had come to the island, as it want to do. There was nothing particularly odd about this night at first glance. No doubt some poor girl was being raped this very second in the basement or the forest or even in their own room, but for Shokushu, that could hardly be considered odd. It was more of the norm really. At first glance.

A closer look at the dorms, and room 300 in particular, would cause a definite ping in an observers odd-o-meter. The first thing that was odd about the room was that it's beds currently held only one occupant, instead of the usual mass of intertwined shapely feminine legs and naked chests. The second thing was the noticeable lack of the scent of sex in the air. Third, and most important to this story was the fact the desk lamps were still on, bathing the room in light even at this late hour.

The lamp cast just enough illumination to outline the body of Kathleen Lay, the famed porn star turned college student. She was asleep, but it her brow was furrowed in a frown, and her head twas tossing this way and that, her breathing quick and uneven. Despite all this activity and unease, she at least was asleep. Until the bulb in the lamp blew, and the room was plunged into darkness.

Kitty woke up at once, screaming for a full thirty seconds before she had enough presence of mind to clap her hands over her mouth. She sat up, the spaghetti strap of her pink, silk cami top falling off one shoulder as she did so, almost causing massive chest to spill out of her top entirely. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, standing up on her bare feet and all but flew to the main light switch on the other end of the room. She flipped it, but nothing happened, and she remembered that it had blown yesterday, and she had forgotten to get a replacement bulb.

The darkness of the room seemed to pressing on her from all sides. She finally lowered her hand from her mouth, but her breath was coming in strained wheezes, as though she was being strangled by the lack of light. Without a second (for a first, really) thought, Kathleen opened her front door and sprinted from her room in dead run, clad only in that pink cami and matching pair of lace boy-shorts panties.

The hallway lights greeted her and made her feel slightly better, but she didn't stop her panicked, silent flight until she reached the third floor common room. Once there, she turned on every lamp she could find, then grabbed the TV remote and turned it on too. Muting it, she collapsed on the couch in the center of the room, brought her knees to her chin and warped her arms around her legs.

Safe in her little fortress of light keeping the darkness of the night back, Kathleen began to rock back and forth on the couch, staring at the TV without really seeing the images. She didn't even notice it was one of her DVD's again, her awarding-winning role in Big Busty Lesbians 10, to be specific. If she had, the difference between the Kitty Lay on the screen and the Kathleen Lay on the could before it would have been striking. The former's eyes were shinning with excitement, their salon perfect hair bouncing about their head as they impaled themselves on their partner's strap on, every inch of their skin tanned to perfection. The latter's eyes were blood shot with lack of sleep, their hair dissolved and tangled, their skin more pale than it had ever been in her adult life.

The Kathleen on the screen was loving her life.

The one on the couch was seriously beginning to consider ending it.

Sleep... I remember sleep... I slept a long time ago. I don't anymore though not since I learned to meditate as a form of regaining my energy, something only a member of the dreamwalker clan of humans can accomplish. I remained in room 300 still; in my usual place in my room of the largest line of dorms. I had been enjoying the pleasent dream of a student named Erica when I heard a familiar voice scream in what sounded like terror. at first I did nothing but, when I heard frantic footsteps my mind shifted from it's wandering to reality. I stood and buttoned the black blouse I wore to sleep over my chest; as best I could anyway before walking out of my dorm wearing the long shirt and deep purple boyshort panties following the footsteps as best I could.

The dim hall lights openned up into the brightly lit commonroom of the third floor where I spotted her. Kathreen lay... my friend, one that lived a life similar to my own though hers was more in the spotlight than my sordid carnal adventures as the demon of dallas. I approached cautiously yet worried about her in the pose she was in... even moreso when I noticed the TV muted and playing one of her own videos.

I moved to her and sat beside her legs crossed.
"Kitty? I heard you scream. Is everything okay... what am I saying you're alone in the commonroom after midnight, of course you're not alright! don't you remember what happens to students that go out alone this late?"

I'd had more experiences than I'd like to admit with the island denizens and not all of them physical... many a time as they attacked me in their or another student's dreams. It felt worse than being raped in the physical world if anything.

If Kathleen heard her roommate and friend, she gave no sign of it at first. She just kept rocking on the couch, staring at the TV without really seeing it. She hardly blinked. Blinking menat a half second of darkness, and her nerves were to frayed to tolerate even that.

"I-I'm out of pills," she said finally. She spoke slowly, but her voice was higher than normal. It was an impossible mix of soul-dead clam and white-hot panic. "The Ambein. Been out for weeks. The nurse's office doesn't have anymore. Or they wont give me any, I don't know. But I can't sleep." Her voice broke, but her face remained blank, eyes looking straight ahead even as they began to water. "I'm so tired, Amazon." she said. "I'm so tired. But I cant sleep. I close my eyes, and...and the Darkness is there. I try to keep it away with light, but it doesn't help anymore."

Her rocking suddenly stopped. Her eyes finally focused on the movie infront of her. When she spoke again, he voice was even softer, barely a whisper. "It was always dark when HE came," she said, "to crawl into bed with me. I was only a kid. I've been afraid of the dark ever since. I'm a grown woman," and her she began to sob in earnest. "And I'm afraid of the dark!"

I looked at Kitty with tears nearly in my eyes. empathy for another was always strong with me. I hated looking in her eyes and seeing the unending sadness and fear... and anger...

"Kitty... I.... I don't have a clue what to say..."

I really didn't... learning what I did about my dear friend... that she'd been... well... I don't even want to say the word. but, what she went through was something I'd never understand.

"I mean... I don't know what I could do... all I can do is wander dreams and make fires... I want to help please hun tell me what I can do for you."