It was unusual for him to dream at all, now that he really thought about it. Zach's usual bedtime routine would be to wash his a**, brush his teeth and throw himself into bed to wake up the next morning and not have a clue what happened. Zach, if he did dream, never remembered them. Sleep was simply a cycle for him without anything good or bad. No strange, bad food-induced monstrosities and not even a hot dream about a sexy lady (sadly).

So to have a dream at all, let alone the same one for several nights in a row was... concerning, to say the least.

Zach was becoming anxious about sleeping and wondered if these strange dreams had anything to do with his becoming a senshi. Strange things always seemed to be afoot now, from tentacle rape to talking cats and things he hadn't even discovered yet. The teen was still wrapping his mind around high school, for goodness' sake! Dealing with awful dreams and anxiety were the stuff of older folk, people in their thirties! Not teenage boys! Zach firmly believed the only anxiety he should have in his life right now was that about tests and who to ask as a date to Prom.

Despite his misgivings, Zach performed his nightly ritual as if nothing was bothering him. His body felt heavy and his head was made of cotton as he mumbled a goodnight to his father before shuffling into bed. It was probably just a fluke, right? No big deal. It would go away on its own. And so, he closed his eyes.

Big mistake.

He woke up in the gymnasium of Meadowview High School, flat on the floor and staring up at the high, vaulted ceiling. But something was off - the world outside was a misty grey but it was summer now, wasn't it? Fog didn't roll in until at least the middle of autumn. Zach realized his body didn't hurt. Did he fall asleep here? Did he get socked in the face with a dodgeball? Sitting up, he realized he wasn't in gym clothes, but his senshi outfit. How the hell!? Scrambling to his feet, Zach -- no, Themisto -- tried to remember how he got here. A palm was pressed to his forehead as he thought, turning slowly in place to get a feel for the lay of the land. Did someone attack him? Was there a youma nearby?

Sense it... try to sense it... Closing his eyes and reaching out with his newfound mental powers did nothing. He was all alone in the gym. Noisily did the boy make his way to the emergency exit door and only a few steps away, he saw the ashy light of the outside world suddenly peel away from the windows. It was torn, like cling wrap or shreds of paper, pulled away at light speed towards oblivion. Zach's heart jumped into his throat, realizing he couldn't hear a thing. What if there were monsters outside? He could no longer see through the plethora of windows lining the entire side wall of the gymnasium. The lights indoors barely gave off a weak yellow glow. Themisto backed away from the emergency exit and his feet no longer found solid ground. The sensation of falling only lasted for a second before the boy yelped and flailed, falling straight out of bed and onto the carpeted floor.

Zach whimpered and clutched the blankets close, all at once wishing he'd never seen Horatio if this was what he had to endure...