Charlie Chump was almost finished. Charlie had very bad problems. His skull had a calcium deposit growing internally, and it was digging into an area of his brain that controlled certain pain receptors. Since he was 16, Charlie would drift to sleep and immediately fall into a paralysis that would last until morning. Due to the calcium deposit, his dreams (which had only been nightmares since he was 16) would give him physical, unending, intolerable pain. Even when he’d awaken from the nightmare, he would still feel the physical pain of whatever ailed him in his sleep, and the misery would last until the paralysis wore off at sunrise.

Many doctors, psychiatrists, neurosurgeons, and every other type of holistic witch had tried to help Charlie, but grew bored when they couldn’t immediately help him, and would stop returning his calls. Eventually all of the people who tried to help would move their practices out of state, so Charlie couldn’t show up unexpectedly for help. The deposit was impossible to remove, and there was no way to stop the physical sensations.

Since that fateful year when the deposit had grown large enough to scratch the surface of his brain, Charlie had only dreamt one nightmare, and it was taking a toll on his life. The nightmare took place in his room, during the night, and he’d watch the door, trembling while hiding under the covers. His vision would zoom in towards the door, and he’d hear hideous howling laughter just beyond the wooden barrier. Then the pounding would begin, along with screams of joyous hatred, until the frame would splinter and the door would fall. Foaming hyenas, eyes bulged and blood red with hunger, would dart into the room at full speed, slipping and slamming into Charlie’s things as they came at him teeth sharp and mouth’s wide.

He was also paralyzed in the dream, unable to do anything but watch and feel the fear and pain of the situation. Once they hyenas reached his bed, the sick howling laughter would be unbearable, Charlie’s entire body tense with terror. They would dive at him and start feasting on him, each bite vigorously and greedily taken. The agony was nearly enough to kill him in his sleep. He felt each tooth sink in, the skin rip, the organs below being shredded… All the while the hyenas were crying with joy at his suffering as they feasted on his living corpse.

Charlie would wake up in a freezing sweat, but little did it matter, he never knew if the dream was beginning again until he could hear the vicious howls . He could still feel the pain from the nightmare, as if he was freshly chewed and shredded, feeling the burning pain of the carnage throughout the night until the sun would rise and bring dismal relief. Morning would come, Charlie would stare at the ceiling, phantom pains slowly fading, but eyes and mind truly crisped from the sheer hellishness of the situation.

After one of these long nights, Charlie decided he couldn’t handle another one. He called up Heather and asked if she could meet him for dinner later that evening; his treat. She had always known how to calm him down and lend perspective, and he really needed that right now. Heather agreed and suggested one of their old haunts, The Sopping Hog, a classic bbq joint they’d worked at together as teenagers.

...

“I’m just devastated for you, Charlie. I can’t believe you are still suffering through this every night,” said Heather as she reached for her lemonade. It almost slipped out her hand due the high amounts of condensation on the glass. Delmer, the same owner who hired them 25 years ago, loved chilling the glasses before serving them to customers.

Charlie poked his corn on the cob at the salt shaker, careful not to tip it but absentmindedly trying to avoid thinking of the nightmare. “You know-”

“Everything okay here, young bucks?” Delmer slapped Charlie hard on the back, it was a sign of affection but it nearly killed Charlie. “Look alive, Chuck!” Delmer laughed and was already on his way to the next table.

Heather looked at Charlie with a tilted head and wry grin. “He’s just showing love the only way he knows how, don’t be upset.”

Charlie looked into Heathers eyes and slowly his contorted face turned into a soft smile. It was rare these days, but there were a few things that could bring him warmth. “You’re so kind, Heather. Thanks again for letting me vent. I’m just not sure how much longer I can put up with this. The howling… I’m starting to hear it during the day.”

Heather tilted her head, and looked genuinely heartbroken for him. She put her hand on his and affectionately squeezed, two tears simultaneously falling from her eyes. This was almost as hard for her as it was for Charlie, she cared for him dearly and had suggested so many fixes over the years, yet nothing brought peaceful sleep. It was a very disheartening situation.

“Wait. Charlie...” Heather said in a loud whisper. Her face had completely changed. It was something Charlie hadn’t seen from her in a very long time… Hope.

“Heather?”

“I was listening to a podcast last week. There was this guy… Listen, I know we’ve tried a lot, but this might actually make a dent, a dent! For the first time in years! I could scream… Charlie!” Heather was beaming. For the first time since his mid-30s, Charlie felt a twinge of hope.

...

Today was the day, Charlie was finally going to confront his fears. After two weeks of meditating in the evenings with Heather, reading a few books, and taking nootropics (an experimental brain enhancement system that Doctor Cruff had developed), Heather had decided he was ready to face the nightmare head on. Through the many years of nightmares, Charlie had developed a crippling fear of hyenas. The site, sound, thought, smell… Anything related to hyenas would send Charlie spiraling, hackles raised, hair graying, and purple rings under his eyes. Heather thought the best option would be to physically face the hyenas head on, and a trip to the zoo was her bright idea to end the nightmare.

Dr. Cruff explained on the podcast that facing your fears could rewire your brain chemistry, even to the point where it brings healing. Things that seemed impossible were possible, according to the good doctor. If Heather believed him, Charlie figured that he could trust the method and give it a shot. He took a deep breath, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car.

“I’m so proud of you, Charlie. I know how hard this is. Thank you so much for giving this a shot, I just know we are going to beat this. And of course, I’ll buy you a penguin pretzel,” Heather said, smiling ear to ear, a single tear of joy running down her cheek. She wrapped her arms around Charlie and hugged him very tightly, resting her head in his chest. “You’ve got this, Chuck.”

Charlie looked down, kissed the top of her head, and rested his lips there, smiling and feeling better than he had in years. Then he opened his eyes and slowly brought them to the zoo, a large bead of sweat forming on his brow.

...

The hyenas went about their business and inspected rocks, yipped at each other, and ran around the pen. It was a very average day in terms of hyena. The man brought the food, they ate the food, and they played. Something changed, though. New thoughts developed in their heads. They all looked towards the entrance of the zoo in unison, mouths gaping and tongues loosely flopped out. They sensed the strongest, purest fear they’d ever felt. Flashes of a man went through their heads, thousands of years of evolution streaming into their minds. It was Charlie they were seeing. And never had a beast of the Earth felt such a hunger.

...

As soon as Charlie had crossed the threshold of the zoo, a deep dread settled over him, enough to make him projectile vomit into a planter when Heather was busy asking a janitor where the hyena cage was. He had never felt anything like this presence of doom, his vision going gray like he was in an old tv show from the 40s. He looked in every direction, no longer having any sense of himself, only the truest purpose of humanity; survival.

“This way, Charlie!” Heather exclaimed, excitedly tugging at his sleeve as she pulled him in the direction of the hyena exhibit. She was too excited to notice that Charlie’s eyes were pouring tears. She pulled him along the path towards the rapidly evolving hyenas.

...

The hyenas were losing their minds with red hot anger and starvation, tormented with the strong desire to devour Charlie slowly. The hyenas were going through a mental metamorphosis, and quickly became ashamed of their nakedness. They problem solved and easily climbed out of the pen that had held them for so long. One of the hyenas stood on hind legs and began to walk, sparking bipedal thoughts into the minds of the other hyenas as well. Desmond, the hyena had embraced the name his captors had given him, walked towards a tourist in a trench coat. The tourist roared with fear and was about to run, but the hyena was clearly empathetic and intelligent, so he stopped and waited to see what would happen.

Because the hyena’s vocal chords weren’t evolving along with the all encompassing aptitude, it couldn’t speak to the tourist, but instead pantomimed with its paws that it wanted to borrow the jacket. The tourist happily lent the obviously friendly and talented hyena his coat. Desmond brought a paw to his brow, and slightly bowed to the tourist. The hyena gang met back up, all wearing borrowed clothing from the generous human beings, and set to laying their trap for the chosen one’s capture.

...

Charlie was vibrating in fear. He shook, tears still streaming from his eyes, his neck so tense that his muscles could bear the same weight as the Golden Gate bridge. Heather’s voice sounded like deep muffled noises, as if he’d lost his hearing to a nearby explosion. He couldn’t keep going, so he planted his feet and Heather turned around to see why he’d stopped. She was saying something, but he couldn’t hear. He turned around and looked like he was about to run for his life, but he stopped.

In the middle of the pathway, Desmond stood with one paw facing Charlie in a motion to stay where he was. Charlie let out a guttural grunt and turned back the other way, but the other two hyenas were standing there as well. Charlie never questioned why they were standing, or why they were wearing clothes. He just fell to his knees, and then fell flat on his face with a dull plop.

And that was that. Heather watched in horror as the hyenas approached Charlie’s unconscious body, but they did not devour him. Desmond took Heather aside and held her as the other two hyenas performed surgery on his brain. They removed the calcium deposit from his skull, and when it exited the incision, it was brighter than the midday sun. Every leaf, flower, vine and weed in the zoo faced and pulled towards the calcium deposit.

Penelope, the female hyena that was cradling the glowing gift in her hand, looked towards Desmond and nodded. He hugged Heather tighter, and then pointed his paw towards Charlie's corpse. He was lying on the dirt path still, however a beautiful bouquet of flowers rested on his chest. He was finally free of this torment. Heather ran over to the body and held it’s head in her hands as her tears dampened the front of what used to be Charlie’s shirt.

The hyenas then gathered around Penelope and the glowing calcium, closed their eyes, and began to howl as hyenas do. The howling laughter sounded methodical, however, and the calcium deposit began to grow into a large sphere. By the time they had finished their howling, it was the size of a phonebooth. Desmond graciously bowed to Heather, looked at Charlie’s corpse, and then sighed as he and the others walked into the glowing white calcium. As soon as the last of them entered, the large glowing deposit faded away.

...

After four and a half years, the hyenas returned to Earth and called for a meeting with the UN. They had settled on a new world that was powered by the calcium, and had brought the Earth new technologies that greatly advanced the well-being of all who dwelled on the planet. They had machines that completely reversed global warming, disintegrated the large bodies of trash in the ocean, and brought the Earth back to its lushest state. Hyena scientists taught human engineers how to achieve faster than lightspeed travel, which opened up the first known intergalactic trade economy, and both planets benefited heavily from the trade.

While peace resounded throughout the galaxy, Heather had slowly fallen in love with Desmond and travelled to his world to live out the remainder of her life. Charlie was remembered as a very small statue in a bad part of town in the hyena’s capitol, but nobody on Earth would ever know that he paved the way for a better tomorrow.