It was cold. Not a piercing cold, but enough for someone who hadn’t eaten in two days. I opened my eyes. It was early in the morning, and the overcast sky and gently falling snow gave the pale light a uniformity that eradicated shadows.

I stood and looked around. I was still in the train yard where I had collapsed last night. There were no footprints other than mine. Hadn’t I been carried? Had I hallucinated that? I still had the rubby’s coat so that incident was real.

Keep calm, please. I can’t help you if you get too excited.

My voice, unmistakably, but not me.

Who are you? I asked.

You did yourself quite an injury last night. I’ve been able to reverse most of the damage.

I glanced inward at the mind-wound and was surprised to see that the chasm had been narrowed, and a couple of tentative lines had been drawn across the gap. The infection was nearly gone.

You use the wound for self defense. We need to leave it open until you’ve found a safe haven. Do that. I’ll be there.