I took off after it. Something inside compelled me to chase it down. What I was going to do once I caught it was anybody’s guess. I just knew that I had to catch it.

We moved fast. I’ve seen creatures in the astral plane move so fast, they make the X-15 look like a rubber band plane. And that was nothing compared to us.

“You will not escape us!” I yelled. If I’d had a split second to focus on something other than catching it, I’m sure I would have wondered about the ‘us’ part.

Suddenly, I felt a horrendous pain in my shoulders. I was disoriented for a moment, as my vision in the real world shifted. My physical body convulsed. That should not have happened! It’s possible to feel physical sensation in your astral body, but sensations should not travel back to your physical form. It’s just not possible!

And, yet, it was happening!

I stopped, pitched forward onto the path, and screamed. Not just because of what was happening to me, but because my physical form pitched forward, too. Right into the fire!