Coming home to Niki having attacks wasn’t rare. But you’ve never seen it so bad.

As soon as you walked in, you knew something was up. Niki didn’t run up to greet you like he did everyday. You called his name to no response. Following the sobs, you went over to the bedroom.

He was a sight to see, standing in the far corner, naked. His arms, legs, neck, and chest were scattered with angry red blotches from his vigorous scratching. In some places, he had scratched himself hard enough to draw blood.

As you rushed to him, he screamed and turned away.

“Stay away from me! Don’t come closer!”