Jack's face went pale with fear. He tugged a little more against the shackles but the only result was making them dig in more against his arms, painful as they cut into the skin.

"No" he said.

He couldn't go through this again. Not like this. Not in such vivid reality. "This is just a dream," he repeated again, parroting his own words. "Just a dream."

What could it be, this creature, to reach into his mind and pluck the image so perfectly? He didn't know of anything that could do this.

"Wake up. Wake up. Wake up," he whispered the words under his breath, behind closed eyes. He just needed to force himself to wake up and the nightmare would end.

"You've got no control over me. You're just a dream."