--------One Week Later--------

Henry was at home and had just finished a simple dinner, microwaved from frozen. Not the most fantastic meal he had ever eaten, but he really didn’t feel like cooking a real meal that night.

Whilst eating, and afterwards, Henry had decided to watch some videos online. Tonight he had ended up watching some professional players go head to head in a competitive game known as table top warriors. It was a bizarre game to say the least. In fact, despite having watched most of the current series, Henry still had no idea how the rules worked. Neither was he the only one. Fortunately, this didn’t really hinder the enjoyment of the game, and it was actually unlikely that anything could.

That was because the real draw of the game was the participants themselves, their attire, and the tasks they performed. Each team of participants consisted of six young women who wore outfits matching a certain theme. This week, the ‘innocent schoolgirl’ and ‘sexy librarian’ teams were going head to head. The main portion of the game involved each team mounting a large wooden table, that was then periodically slammed into the opponent’s table, all the while trying not to fall off. Naturally, the tables were covered in slippery oil, and full contact was encouraged.

But, even this titillating action couldn’t hold his attention for ever. It was just after the end of round five, where the ‘sexy librarian’ team had scored a flawless victory with a textbook costume assassination on the opposing team, when Henry dozed off.

Shortly after falling asleep, Henry found himself once more staring out over the spontaneously remembered bloody wasteland he had dreamed of just last week. The massive black sphere in the sky caught his eye.

Is it just my imagination, or does it look bigger than before?

After tearing his eyes away from the looming monstrosity, Henry turned round and was not particularly surprised to see the same sinister looking figure seated upon his equally sinister looking throne.

What was his name again? Lord something… Gobbo? Gax? Gukhur? Gyxr? Ah, yeah, that was it. Probably.

"Greetings, Human."

The voice of the imaginary being that was probably named Lord Gyxr was as unpleasant as he remembered.

This again, huh. Look, my dear subconscious mind, how about we drop this dream and swap to something else. How about that one with that news reporter we had a few nights back. You know Sarah, from channel 14… No?... Oh, come on…

Sighing, Henry decided he would give Lord Gyxr a proper greeting.

“Great to see you, Lord Gyxr! My old pal! How have you been? You know, you should really get those wounds treated, blood is supposed to stay inside your body! Not cascade down your skin 24/7!”

A cold silence stretched out before him. Lord Gyxr eventually broke it with a roar.

“Human! I will not tolerate this foolishness!”

Unafraid of some rowdy dream denizen, Henry ignored the threat.

"Look, Gyxr, buddy, I’ve got an important date with a news reporter coming up, so how about we drop this for now? You can bug me with this some other time.”

Henry felt his spine turn ice cold. The sudden drop in temperature caused Henry to immediately try and wrap his arms around his chest, in an effort to keep warm. Except, his arms weren’t responding to his thoughts. It seemed he could no longer move, in fact he could no longer even blink or breathe. He was stuck there, staring directly at the horrific visage of the sinister being before him.

"Do not push me Human, I am not here for your amusement! I am here to offer you great power! All you must do is agree to my deal and pledge yourself to me."

"Soon your world will be invaded. Your civilisation has no chance without the assistance of one such as I. I am offering you a chance to survive!"

The bodily paralysation was gradually fading. As soon as he was able to do so, Henry quickly interjected.

"Okay, yeah, an invasion sounds like it could be fun. But, as I said before, I’ve got an appointment already. So, let’s reschedule, alright?"

Lord Gyxr ignored him.

“Will you hear my deal or not Human? Time is short!”

Henry was unimpressed with the self proclaimed Lord’s imperative tone.

Eh, I suppose I can indulge in this fantasy for a bit. Doesn’t look like I’m going anywhere.

Henry sighed.

So, let’s see, a recurring dream where a sinister looking guy on a throne made of spikes, obsessed with blood, tells me my world is doomed and I must accept his deal to be saved!

Henry directed his disbelief at his subconscious mind once more.

You really expect me to believe this, huh? Just like you made me believe that one from a couple of months ago where I had to save the world from a rogue AI, hell bent on turning the world to metal using electronically brainwashed human slaves. I was all ready to become the saviour of the world! But, no. In the end you didn’t deliver! Well, this time, forget it!

Looking back at the figure, Henry intended to tell the prickly pariah where he could shove his deal. But, before he could open his mouth to speak, he was snapped awake by a sharp stabbing pain in his left hand.

Rapidly regaining his sense of reality, he found the source of the pain. It seemed the lightbulb in his room had exploded, sending razor sharp shards everywhere. One such shard had embedded itself in his hand, which was now bleeding profusely.

Henry managed to escape from the glass covered room without further injury. He spent a few painful minutes searching through drawers and cupboards, before finding his misplaced first aid supplies.

Inspecting the shard in his hand, he found that it was not particularly deep, and therefore not beyond his basic first aid skills. With his hand tightly wrapped in a fresh bandage, he began the task of cleaning up the shattered bulb. Just as he was removing the last shards, there came a knock at his door.

Henry lived in an apartment building that restricted access to non residents. This therefore drastically narrowed down the number of people that could be knocking at his door. A quick glance through the peep hole showed him it was Barry from two floors up. He had met Barry, or Baz as he preferred to be called, shortly after moving into his apartment. It was his first of not-as-many-as-he-would-like visits to a local gym. Baz had wandered over and given him a few tips on proper gym etiquette, clearly concerned by his equipment misusage. They had gotten on pretty well, and after a few such meet-ups found out they lived in the same apartment complex.

He opened the door.

"Yo dude, I brought that DVD you wanted. You know the one with the twins, Tess and Jess."

What!? Oh... right that...

"Hey Baz, thanks. That's great."

"No worries my man, just let me know if you need anything else. Well can't stay, time to hit the gym! You coming?"

"Can't today, I've been attacked by a lightbulb."

Henry showed off his injured hand, wrapped in a slightly bloody bandage.

"Oh damn dude, that sucks. Well you better recover soon, you missed last week's sessh as well!"

"Yeah, sorry about that. It was a busy week. Next time though, I promise."

"For the sake of your poor neglected body, I sure hope so! Well, see ya later dude. Hope you enjoy the vid. Heh."

"See ya."

Henry closed the door and went back to watching the final rounds of the table top warriors video. He had decided to save the DVD for later. As usual in table top warrior matches, by the final rounds most of the contestants costumes were severely damaged, further adding to the excitement. Henry was quickly enthralled, memories of his recurring dream rapidly fading into the dark recesses of his mind.