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I had a nightmare. Usually, I enjoy nightmares more than normal dreams, because their memory stays with me longer after I wake up, and they are often more entertaining. But once in a while, I have one that I don't wake up unaffected by. The one I want to talk about today happened recently, and it made me aware of a horror trope that I could not find a name for, except in psychology research.

My dream started in my childhood home. I was in the bathroom with my little brother, when the boiler suddenly exploded, splashing us both with boiling water. Our skin had started to melt when my mother called the emergency service. The three of us were rushed into an ambulance but, instead of arriving at a hospital, we were dropped off in a strange indoor place with sand on the ground where there were already fifty or so people. A voice announced "The Battle Royale will start in 30 seconds". Some participants tried to leave but couldn't find an exit. I panicked and started to explain to my mother what a Battle Royale was, but she was confused and terrified, refusing to let go of the handbags, purses and shopping bags she always carries everywhere.

I woke up to that image of my mother holding on to her useless belongings, seconds before I would have to protect her and my brother from people trying to kill us.

That dream made me realize that I have encountered this specific kind of horror in fiction, thought I have never seen it named. It's a scenario in which you — or the protagonist of a fiction work — cannot die, not because you want to live, but because your death would mean the death of people you want to protect.

It's especially common in disaster movies like 2012, in front of which you catch yourself thinking "How would I save all my family members from an apocalyptic deluge?"; or in zombie stories in which you project yourself looting abandoned shops and smashing zombie skulls, until you remember you have a grandpa who can't walk, or a baby nephew whose cries would attract a horde. I also think of the manga Gantz, where elederly people, infants and even animals are sent to fight dangerous aliens, and you end up caring more about them than about the protagonist.

"Burden horror"? "Burdened empathy"? I'm not sure what to call it. All I know is that, if I had been alone in that Battle Royale arena, it would have been a nice and fun dream.