From the introduction: Light and fire and sound filled the warehouse as the flare went off in the portal. Whatever was inside of it screamed, shaking the warehouse to its foundation and causing several crates to fall from their stacks. John reached into his bag and found a knife, and then another. His hands were covered in cuts from rummaging through the knife filled bag, but he didn’t care. Tendrils advanced toward him and he swung wildly, hacking away at the darkness. The knives were sharp, that much was certain, but they may as well have been wet newspaper when compared to the living shadow that attacked him. John dropped his weapons and grabbed Marcus, slinging him over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. His heart was pounding and his entire consciousness was focused on one task, escape. Fire roared behind him, filling the warehouse with smoke and distracting whatever horror lived in the portal. Within seconds, he reached the door again. He shut it and kept running. He wasn’t about to wait to see if anything else was following him. By the time he reached his car, Marcus’ body had grown too heavy to carry. He set him down on the ground and looked at him. His head was full of holes, and his lower jaw was missing. His tongue hung out of the bottom of his exposed skull. Christ, it didn’t even look like Marcus anymore. Standing there, alone in the darkness, John’s tears finally came.