It felt like only minutes had passed when I woke up with a start. I glanced over at the digital clock I had placed on the nightstand; it read 3:19 a.m. I had been fast asleep for hours — what had woken me up? I raised my head to look around the room, and my heart leaped into my throat.

There, standing at the foot of my bed, was a figure, looming in the darkness.