When Sean returned to consciousness, he smelled frying eggs.

He slowly opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. He looked up and saw an older brunette woman cooking eggs in her frying pan. She was wearing what looked like 1950s fashion: a plain white apron over a pink striped dress that was pleated below the waist. Without looking back she said, "About time, sleepyhead!"

Sean sat up slowly and looked around. His first thought was where is Annemarie?

"Oh, she's fine. She's resting upstairs," the woman replied.

"Good. Where are we, exactly?" Sean asked the woman.

"Why in my humble abode, of course!" The woman turned back and smiled at Sean with unnaturally white teeth.

"And you are...?"

"Oh, how rude of me!" She brushed her hands on the apron and held one out to Sean. "My name's Mrs. Susie Queen! But you can call me 'Your Majesty'." Mrs. Queen chuckled at her own joke.

Sean reached out and shook Mrs. Queen's hand. "Nice to meet you, 'Your Majesty'. I'm-"

"Sean Willis, of course!"

"Right... how did you-?"

"Miss Annemarie told me, of course!"

As if on cue, Annemarie walked downstairs. Her head looked like it was on fire- her red hair was poofed out all over the place.

"Nice bedhead," Sean pointed out.

Annemarie looked up at Sean. "Hey, I know you!"

Sean gave her a puzzled look. "Yeah, I saved you from that Slyveth in the alley."

"No, no- it was a forest."

She doesn't remember what happened in the real world? Sean wondered. "No, I saved you a second time. We talked in a restaurant, your friend had a fashion emergency, and a Slyveth grabbed you on the way out!"

"I only count once."

"But- there was-" Sean remembered the cut on Annemarie's leg. "Look at your right leg! It cut you..."

Annemarie examined her right leg. It was untouched.

"My leg's fine. Enough questions," Annemarie turned to Mrs. Queen. "I see you're making scrambled eggs. You mind if I have some? I'm-"

"Starving, I'm sure!" Mrs. Queen interrupted. She turned down the burner and said "I'll fetch us some plates," before walking into her pantry.

Sean walked over to the window by Mrs. Queen's dining room table. Something's not adding up. He reached for the curtains and pulled them open, revealing... a purple sky? It all hit Sean at once. I'm in the dream world. Which means there's a nightmare close by. And if it's not Annemarie, then it must be- He abruptly turned and grabbed Annemarie, who was attempting to smooth down her hair in a spoon's reflection, by the arm.

"You need to hide," he said, trying to drag her into what appeared to be a hall closet. She shook her arm loose of his grip. "And why would I do that?" she asked him sharply.

"Yes, dear, why would you do that?" Mrs. Queen had reentered the kitchen with three plates in her hands. "You haven't even had breakfast yet."

"You." Sean pointed an accusing finger at Mrs. Queen. "How did you know my name?"

"Why your girlfriend here told me! I-"

Sean held up his hand, ignoring the girlfriend comment. "I never told her my name."

"Oh, silly thing, have you forgotten about the patio?" Mrs. Queen stepped toward the stove. "Here, let's just sit down have have some nice eggs, shall we?" She began reaching for the spatula.

"Stop." Sean commanded. Mrs. Queen froze. "You forgot something-"

"Annemarie doesn't remember that talk."

Mrs. Queen's smile changed slightly- now it more resembled a sneer.

"And I never asked you where she was; I only thought it."

"Oh darling," Mrs. Queen said, disappointed. "I wish you hadn't of said anything."

The lights in the house all flickered as Mrs. Queen's sneer became impossibly wide, her teeth too sharp to be human. There were six sharp tears as tentacles sprouted through the back of her pink dress. Her feet left the floor as she began to levitate.

"Go," Sean told Annemarie softly. She didn't move, paralyzed with fright. "GO!"

She turned and ran as Mrs. Queen flew towards Sean. Sean lunged forward, hoping to stop Mrs. Queen in her tracks, but he fazed through her and fell face-first instead.

Sean was quickly on his feet, running after Mrs. Queen. She was moving much faster than he, floating down a long hallway. Sean was just about on her when he was yanked into a room. His startled shout was muffled by a hand over his mouth.

"Shh," Annemarie whispered. He nodded and she removed her hand. Sean turned to face her and saw she was shaking with fear. "Hey, stay with me. I won't let her hurt you," he told Annemarie, but it was an empty promise. He had no clue how to end this nightmare.

"She- she looks like my grammie," Annemarie stuttered. "From old pictures I've seen."

Why would this nightmare look like her grandma? Sean wondered. He pushed the thought aside. There were more important questions to ask. "Do you know if your grandma had any allergies?"

Annemarie shook her head. "Maybe something with shrimp, but..." Her green eyes sparkled with tears.

"It's okay, it's okay," Sean reassured her. "Shrimp, shrimp. Okay, maybe we can try to sneak back to the kitchen and-"

"Shrimp for breakfast? Now what silly dream is that?"

Sean whirled around and saw Mrs. Queen hovering through the doorway. Her tentacles, seemingly too wide to make it through, simply passed through the wall as if it wasn't there.

"It's a real shame, what's happened," Mrs. Queen mused. "I was only trying to serve you breakfast, but now..." She bared her fangs in a horrible grin. "I guess you'll have to be the breakfast instead."

A tentacle lashed out at Sean, and before he could react, it wrapped around his ankle. He pulled back, trying to free himself, but a second tentacle grabbed his other ankle. They pulled him off his feet and into the air, where he dangled upside down above Mrs. Queen's maw. His heartbeat was thumping in his own ears. He kicked and thrashed, but the tentacles held strong. His blood was rushing to his head as he closed his eyes. This is the end.

And Annemarie screamed.