Prologue

  Little Alex wasn’t like other children. You see, when other children say there’s a monster in their closet or under their bed it’s simply their imagination running wild. Not so for Alex. His monsters were not figments of his imagination, and he knew it. 

  “Mom!” Alex shouted for the third time that night. 

  “Oh, not again...” Alex’s father grumbled. He looked down at his wife sleeping soundly beside him and wondered when she got back to bed the last time. She was beautiful and even asleep it was clear how kind she was. It wasn’t her fault that Alex was such a difficult child but he couldn’t help but slightly resent her for it anyway. Alex’s father knew this wasn’t a fair line of thought so he shifted focus to his wife’s breathing. It was ragged and he knew how exhausted she was but he also knew she would never forgive him if he didn’t wake her. It was nearly three forty five a.m. and Alex never went back to sleep easily, he better get her up. He gently shook his wife. “Honey, honey he’s calling you again.”

  Alex’s mother groaned and pushed her husband’s hand away. “Wake up, Alex is calling for you.” 

  She jerked upright as if pulled by an invisible string. “Okay, okay I’m up.” She yawned.

  Alex’s father sat up and put an arm around his wife. “Sorry, I wish I could help more.”

  She looked at him intently for a moment before patting his leg. “It’s okay, just go back to sleep.” She yawned again then left the room. 

  Alex’s mother shuffled down the hall to find her son sitting up and slumped forward awkwardly in bed with his covers wrapped tightly around him. She sat down and pulled him close. He was trembling and drenched in sweat. 

  “Shh, it’s okay Alex.”

  “But there’s even more of them.” Alex stared at a group of vaguely opaque reptilian looking beings huddled in the middle of his room.

  “I know, I’m sorry baby, I’m sorry. Can you see through them?” She asked as she always did. 

  “Yes,” It was barely a whisper. 

  “Then they can’t hurt you baby.”

  Alex noticed that his mother was trembling too.