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(Asher’s POV)

“I wish I were Heather…”

Those sad, lonely lyric was the only thing that got registered in my mind, before I stood stiff on the top floor of one of an unknown apartment building, facing my fears.

In front of me, just a few steps away, was a person soaked in the heavy rain—her eyes that were shielded with a thick pair of glasses wore a lifeless spark as if giving up life.

My fist tightened, the sharp end of my nail clawed my palm while my mind spun for thoughts; for ways, for initiative to save this girl who looked like she could be blown away by the raging storm at any moment.

Thunderstorms were never my favorite. If I should be honest they’re my worst nightmare. A thunderstorm also happened the moment I saw my father cross the river to the other side, the night where this young pair of eyes first saw blood, that came from none other than his beloved ones’ body.

I shuddered when the thought of my father’s scrambled head appeared in front of my eyes after he was shot down by a random killer a few years ago.

No, I must not think of something useless right now. The most important thing is to save this person in front of me.

Too late, when my emerald eyes darted to the spot where he stood, her slender figure already disappeard from my peripheral view, sending numerous amount of chill inside my body, as well as sense of alarm.

Without thinking much, I stomped to the low wall and climbed it to jump down with her. Yes, I admit that I’m a bit impulsive, everyone said that my body moved on it’s own if it’s about saving someone, but the breathtaking view in front of me stopped this impulse of mine from going haywire—the view of her falling down, her glasses had already separated from her face.

Then, as if time slowed for us, I saw those eyes. Those dull violet eyes which indicated a lost hope glinted for the first time, and it’s directed just for me.

“Help me…”

The voice in her eyes screams, in anguish, and in denial.

I immediately jumped down, although I knew full well the consequences of my action for jumping down a 10 storey building without any safety equipments would bring myself to get hurt pretty badly. Or the worst possibility is that l might die, which I strongly hoped it didn’t happen.

She saw me jumping down to her, and I again witnessed a moment that rendered me to fall speechless—it was the moment where her supposedly dull face gleamed brightly the moment the thunder roared. Her pale face looks porcelain—free from any unwanted organisms. Apart from the severe eyebag that she tried to hide with some makeup—which, got washed away by th heavy droplets—the features of her face is perfect. As if, she’s someone non-existent.

“Heather…”

A word inadvertently escaped my still lips, unknowingly admired her beauty the time where she looked the most alive—in the moment where she almost ended her life.

The image of me grabbing her into my arms were the last information that got send into my brain before all of a sudden, I blacked out.

***

I managed to retrieve my consciousness only after a few seconds, but I know I’m not falling down anymore, and I’m not even in the neighborhood of Maplewood anymore.

I was in a whole different place, a different situation, and a different atmosphere. The sickening stench of rotten flesh greeted my nose as the first sign of the situation I’m in, telling me that I’m not dreaming.

All throughout the vast surrounding, what I saw is only red—dark red, murky red, soft red almost like pink, and generic red—all gathered in one place that looked like an inside of a human body mixed with the inside of a cave. Out of curiosity, I stepped near the red wall and made a contact with the wet, squishy and slippery surface.

Judging from how realistic the wall is, I’m really not at home anymore, huh? But…

Where am I?

“Help me…”

The voice that I heard from the girl’s eyes vibrated through the walls, inadvertently sending shivers down my spine. I tried to discern it’s whereabouts by darting my eyes around, but all I see is red, membrane like place and also… living beings?

In a distance not too far from me, the murky blood which was on the floor started to accumulate in one place and grew as if forming a creature.

“Please, save me…”

The voice became louder.

I groaned in pain when the high frequency of that voice rung pass my eardrums, almost breaking it’s thin layer.

Suddenly, a huge blob of walking blood trudged to me—or more like, it scooted near me like a slime—and the ringing became louder every moment. At that time I saw it—tentacles portruding from the blob’s grotesque body—and grappled my head at a fast rate straight to my neck before I heard a loud SNAP!

***

I gasped for air while I ripped myself off from my bed. My breath was shallow, I could feel my chest went up and down as I gazed at the mirror that was located across my bed.

“…What…?”

I rubbed my sweaty neck.

Why am I still alive? I’m convinced that I’m already dead the moment those flesh-looking monsters snapped my neck into two.

Yet here I am, on my bed still wearing my yesterday’s jeans while sleeping half naked.

Wait… Yesterday jeans?

I sprung up from the bed and grabbed the calendar to my view.

“What the hell…”

I gazed at the calendar in shock.

This is still 18^th of July, it’s the same day before I meet that violet eyed girl who tried to kill herself.

I suddenly burst out into an uncontrollable laughter.

Am I perhaps dreaming? If I did that was some weird BS.

But what if all of that was the reality?

I kept on pondering those words like they don’t want to escape from my mind, but one thing is for sure is that those were all my mental playing tricks with me.

Yeah, I’m sure of it.

I shrugged, shaking off those nightmares as just a mere nightmare. I mean, everyone has their own bad dreams once in a while, right?

With that in mind, I started my daily routine. First after waking up, I’ll make the bed and stretch, then I’ll take a cold bath and wash my face, and after that, I’ll wear my usual outfits which I choose for going to school; a pair of denim jeans, white t-shirt, and lastly, my team’s designated sweater or in colder season, I’ll have a leather jacket on.

After my routine in the bedroom, I would go to the kitchen and make some ham sandwich and milk coffee while I called my mother.

“-And you know what? Mister Steward can go screw himself with his incomplete proposals and tantrums…” My mother’s voice filled the medium sized space of the kitchen through my phone which I placed on the dinner table nearby the kitchen counter where I’m preparing the sandwich on. I paused and stared at my phone. She would oftentimes told me the stories about her clients alongside some rants, and strangely enough, the topic she told me were the same as yesterday as if foretelling that the dream wasn’t a dream. I still couldn’t shake off this alien feeling that I got for having the same thing happening inside the dream into real life. Then, just like yesterday, the memory of my father’s dead body came back to me, causing me to shudder.

“Son?” My mother managed to snap me back to reality. Which, I’m not even sure was a true reality or not anymore.

“Sorry, was making something.” I brought the sandwich and the coffee mug to the table and took a seat. “Have some breakfast, mom.”

I heard a distant chuckling from the end of the line. “You go on, son.”

The kitchen went silent while I took the first few bites of the sandwich. “Anyway, son. Anything interesting happened in school?” My mother asked. Her questions were the same as always—even yesterday— yet this time, I’m itching but hesitant at the same time to tell her about the dream that I had.

If I tell her about it, will it change anything?