She woke up with a start, panting and in a cold sweat. The sheets were thrown off during the night, and now rested on the floor in a damp pile, along with a teddy bear and a pair of socks. She’d been having nightmares all night, in which she was forced to leap into the mouth of a volcano, or let Mort die. She couldn’t phase through the lava, and the closest pumpkin patch to respawn in was in a cloud above the volcano, which she would just fall through again. It was terrible, and made her really not want to visit any volcanoes any time soon.

The doppelganger gladly lifted her person from the bed and threw herself into the shower to wash away the sweat and the memories in a lathery waterfall of lavender body soap, honey shampoo, and wonderfully cold water. The luxuries one could afford when they didn’t have to pay rent and only drank coffee were quite amazing, she mused, as she dried off with a towel made of spider demon silk. A rather breezy dress would be the attire of the day, and the day would be a good one. She had plans to take Mort out for coffee once again, do a little bit of flirting, and maybe steal a kiss somewhere in there. Okay, more like definitely. She put her hair in a simple pony tail, put on a simple pair of shoes, and flitted off to the Undead dorms to fetch her date.

They arrived at the Maul in high spirits, laughing and flirting and kissing each other on the cheek, the ear, the nose, basically everywhere but the lips. They’d agreed not to kiss on the lips until they were an “official” couple, whatever the Jack that meant. She was content for now, though it wouldn’t last long. Oh how she craved those undead, probably salty sweet lips. She’d just tie herself over with a vanilla frappe with sea salt, though. He ordered a double espresso, and took his place by her at the waiting counter. Their hands locked and their fingers began to play with each other, looks of deep love being exchanged. They were the perfect couple- absolutely perfect. A strange hum was coming from the background, but it didn’t bother them. He started to lean in; she followed the gesture. Was this going to make them official? For a fleeting moment they both smiled, lips centimeters from lips, when the flash came. There were shrieks, screams, and cries of agony. She had phased out of instinct, and hit the ground as soon as she was back in existence. When her vision and head cleared, she saw him there, lying motionless on the floor, body burnt and turning into ash. She opened her moth to scream-

She woke up with a start, panting and in a cold sweat. The sheets were thrown off during the night, and now rested on the floor in a damp pile, along with a teddy bear and a pair of socks. She’d been having nightmares all night, in which she was forced to leap into the mouth of a volcano, or let Mort die. She couldn’t phase through the lava, and the closest pumpkin patch to respawn in was in a cloud above the volcano, which she would just fall through again. It was terrible, and made her really not want to visit any volcanoes any time soon.

The doppelganger gladly lifted her person from the bed and threw herself into the shower to wash away the sweat and the memories in a lathery waterfall of lavender body soap, honey shampoo, and wonderfully cold water. It hit her quite suddenly when she walked out and began to dry herself off with a towel made of spider demon silk: a sudden sense of déjà vu and an inkling that something terrible was going to happen. She went about the rest of her routine, until she stepped onto the threshold of the Undead dorms. This wasn’t déjà vu; this was a replay of the day. She’d taken Mort to Bloodbucks, and he’d been killed by a freak espresso machine explosion. Gasping at the revelation, she fretted and flitted about, wondering what to do. Not go to Bloodbucks? Yes, that was it. They would go to some corner café with little scones and cute placemats. Perfect.

They arrived at the street café, all kisses and cuddles, with fleeting looks of terror and worry in her eyes whenever he wasn’t looking. Were they going to be safe? She’d made sure that he wouldn’t get killed in some freak accident, so… They would be fine. Yes, totally and completely fine. They ordered little scones, talked sweet to each other, and flirted back and forth with their feet. He began to lean forward, and she followed just like the last time. His breath was salty and hot, just the way she liked it. There was a crash and a crackle, and she phased out of reaction, just like the last time. When she opened her eyes, he was no longer in the chair. The lamp overhead had exploded and sent a million volts into him, overcharging his brain and causing his body to be broken into a thousand little chunks that were starting to disintegrate. She opened her mouth to scream-

She woke up with a start, panting and in a cold sweat. The sheets were thrown off during the night, and now rested on the floor in a damp pile, along with a teddy bear and a pair of socks. She’d been having nightmares all night, in which she was forced to leap into the mouth of a volcano, or let Mort die. She couldn’t phase through the lava, and the closest pumpkin patch to respawn in was in a cloud above the volcano, which she would just fall through again. It was terrible, and made her really not want to visit any volcanoes any time soon. Jack, not this day again. She rushed through the routine of showering and drying, put on a pair of jeans and a simple shirt, and rushed off to the Undead dormitories. They’d go to the lake – no tech there to randomly freak out and kill the boil. It was perfect, absolutely perfect.

It was absolutely perfect. They laid out on the brown grass, brushing hands over the skin of the other, sharing looks intimacy and delight. She was at peace, sure that nothing could possibly go wrong now that they were in the wilds. He mouthed the three words she’d been dying to hear, and inched his face closer towards hers. He puckered his, and she puckered hers – and then the sound of a great sloshing permeated the air, and he was suddenly in the air, held up by a hand made entirely of water. He screamed and kicked, but no amount of defiance could save him from being plunged headlong into the lake, which was then electrocuted. He thrashed about, becoming a mess of bluish foam and ooze. She opened her mouth to scream-

She woke up with a start, panting and in a cold sweat. The sheets were thrown off during the night, and now rested on the floor in a damp pile, along with a teddy bear and a pair of socks. She’d been having nightmares all night, in which she was forced to leap into the mouth of a volcano, or let Mort die. She couldn’t phase through the lava, and the closest pumpkin patch to respawn in was in a cloud above the volcano, which she would just fall through again. No! Not this day again! The same dream, the same sheets in the same position, the same date on her phone. No! No, no, no, no, no! It couldn’t – it wouldn’t – happen again. She blew through her morning ritual, donned the simplest apparel possible, rushed to get her zomboil, and launched them into a classroom. Amity was a safe haven. Amity was impenetrable. Amity was-

Infested with Hunters. Scores of Hunters were in the room, all eyeing them hungrily. They took him first, impaling him on a cruel spear that reminded her of another student. She opened her mouth to scream-

She woke up with a start, and screamed. She ran out of the room, screaming. When she jumped off the ledge, she was screaming.

She woke up with a start,screaming and covered in a cold sweat.