A massive, grotesque creature with glowing orange bulbs on its body stands in a dark, grimy alley facing a small human.

Roughly human-shaped, though at least a couple of feet taller than anyone around Thomas, its body was naked and thick, pockmarked and wrinkled. Most disturbing were more of those bulbous growths, maybe two dozen total, spread over the thing’s body and glowing with brilliant orange light. Several on its chest and back. One on each elbow and knee—the bulb on the right knee had busted in a flurry of sparks when the creature landed on the ground—and several sticking out of a big lump of … what had to be a head, though it didn’t have any eyes, nose, mouth or ears. No hair, either. See more