There...there was just no way, no way Reginald was seeing what he was seeing. Couldn't be. In the alley below, barely lit by the marquis light and the dull street lamp, stood a --<br/><br/><em>'Don't say it, do not even fucking think it, it's not real, things like that don't <strong>exist</strong>, it's a hallucination, trick of the light, freak in a costume, monster, giant rat thing, demon from hell aw dammit I <span class="bbc_u">said</span> don't think that!'</em><br/><br/>Reggy gripped the book tighter to his chest like a shield, an anchor to reality, and paid absolutely no attention to the ridiculous irony of using a book of purported magic spells as a tie to normalcy. His mouth felt dry, drier than when he argued with his mother, drier than when he took the abuse from those bullies earlier, drier than the damn dust on the street below as the...<em>thing</em>, the --<br/><br/><em>'Don't say it!'</em><br/><br/>--<em><strong>giant rat monster</strong></em>--<br/><br/>swung its massive upper body around and stared up at him. He almost didn't notice the dog's corpse; the sight of the beast had stormed through his brain and demanded every spare iota of attention, leaving the mangled remains of Fido as only an afterthought. Reggy's entire body shook under the weight of the creature's glare and his head shook compulsively, an unconscious, fundamental rejection of the thing's existence. As he rocked back and forth on his feet, his arms started to feel warm. The book was starting to get hot in his grip, unnaturally hot, and the bizarre sensation was enough to break his attention away from the rat beast (partially, at least). Reg's eyes flicked back and forth between the creature in the alley and the book in his hands, and he backed a few steps away from the roof's edge. He had no idea what the thing below would do, but he was more than certain he didn't want to find out.<br/>