Conor wakes up from a nightmare about a monster at 12:07, the same time as always.
After the nightmare, he awoke to the sound of someone addressing him as Conor. He searched around but was unable to locate anyone. Then, he discovers that the monster outside his window is not from his nightmare. This monster is a yew tree that has come to life. That is located in a graveyard
“Mum?” Conor asked, stepping into the kitchen.
He could not hear the kettle boiling, which she typically did the first thing, so he knew she wouldn't be in there. Yet, he had been calling for her frequently lately whenever he entered a room in the house. He didn't want to wake her up in case she had unintentionally fallen asleep somewhere.
Some bread in the toaster, some cereal in a bowl, some juice in a glass, and he was ready to go, sitting down at the little table in the kitchen to eat.
He could already taste the blood in his mouth as he got up. He had bitten the inside of his lip when he hit the ground, and it was what he focussed on now as he stood, the strange metallic flavour that made you want to spit it out immediately like you’d eaten something that wasn’t food at all.