To stop her, I had to destroy her trophies, but each time I projected to one of her victim’s bodies I had to work quickly, because she would show up immediately when I touched a trophy and begin darting through me repeatedly, erasing parts of me.

At the last body I couldn’t remember my name, or anything at all, just the task. And she was already there, frantic and weeping.

I wasted no time destroying the last of her trophies and made my escape. Bud she grabbed me, somehow, as I vanished. She embraced me, cohabiting my projection, and I instantly knew her story, and understood why she killed all those people.

But I woke myself shouting the deprojection command. My cat, startled, just blinked at me. My body and memories were intact. It was just a weird dream.

My eyes felt hot, though, as if I had been weeping.