Asleep in Armageddon

by Ray Bradbury

In "Asleep in Armageddon," astronaut Leonard Sale crashes on a barren asteroid. He soon realizes he cannot safely sleep. The planet is haunted by the telepathic minds of two ancient, warring alien factions. Whenever Sale drifts off, these rival spirits invade his consciousness, using his brain as a battlefield to continue their endless, agonizing war. Driven to madness by exhaustion and violent mental torment, Sale is trapped in a fatal psychological struggle. The story explores the horrifying dilemma of a man whose very dreams become a weapon against him, ending in his tragic demise.