A Nightmare

Nightmare.

It all began with a nightmare.

"Mom! Dad! Please! I don't want to be here! Let's leave for someplace else! I don't like it here! We should leave! I saw it! It was all burning and burning and getting destroyed and destroyed! No one was moving and it was all red and red!"

"Oh dear, I know, it must have been scary but don't worry. It was just a nightmare. You will forget it soon. You will be fine. We will all be fine. Mother's here with you." She embraced me tightly, letting her warmth flow through me.

That day, I woke up with my clothes drenched in sweat as my body trembled, and my throat groggy, it felt as if someone filled my mouth with sand and my parents, my parents were trying their best to soothe my 9-year-old self.

"Aqua, look at me. Breathe in in in and out out out. Follow me." I looked at my father and followed him, breathing in in in, and out out out.

Once they had confirmed that I had calmed down and returned to normal, they resumed their activities, that is, getting prepared to leave for their job while they left me at the school and my little sister who was only a few months old in daycare.

I entered the classroom and was greeted by my friends and I greeted them back.

Like always, Angela told us about how her dad had bought her this new smartphone. Her dad always brings her expensive things. Everyone hated Angela for always bragging but her dad is a big man or that's what I have heard. No one dares say anything back to her because we are all afraid of making her dad angry at us.

"It's really pretty!" Brandon said, he always said sweet things to Angela and agreed with everything she said, everyone in the class made jokes about him being a puppy of Angela but Angela never really talked much with Brandon.

"What do you think about it Aqua!" She closed in on me and I stepped back. Brandon shot me a glare.

Brandon hated it whenever Angela talked energetically with anyone except him because she never talked energetically with him.

"Hm? Aqua, are you okay? You seem to be sweating" Angela asked worried.

"I am fine, so about the phone, what will you do with it when you already have one?" I asked and she frowned, her eyebrow furrowed and she closed her eyes as she let out a voice like hmmm, trying to think very hard but then she gave up

"I don't know!" She shouted and stomped her leg on the ground and then her face suddenly lit up as she spoke "Oh, I know! I will give my previous phone to Athy! With this, I can always get in touch with her whenever I want to!" Angela smiled, pleased with her idea as she puffed out her chest some students looked away, and some were uncomfortable with her idea but Angela remained ignorant of it.

Athy, no one calls her by that name, everyone only ever calls her Creepy Mummy or simply never calls her name. Whenever Angela finds someone calling Athy with that name she gets angry on her behalf, so no one says anything, at least not in front of her.

Athy always comes with white bandages covering her hands, legs, neck, all, always covered in white bandages, her clothes are dirty, and they smell like she smells, dirty.

Her hair is a color of white, pure white, like the stars in the night sky, no one has seen her face because her face too is always covered with bandages but the thing that makes her most defining is her eyes, they are like red orbs which had lost all it's shininess. They are dull and cloudy.

Looking at her gives me a weird feeling, like she is there but not there.

But despite all that Angela alone talks with her, she talks with her even more happily than she does with anyone else.

And many don't like it, so they beat Athy where Angela can't see it. I have seen it. I asked Athy why wouldn't she just tell Angela about it but she just ignored me and asked me to not tell Angela anything about it. I told the teacher but it didn't do anything. They said they had to do something but they didn't.

I don't like them. I hate them but I too am no different. Because I don't help her. Because I don't know how to help her.

"I wonder when she is going to come! I am sure she would be surprised and happy!" Angela hummed.

We talked a bit more and soon after, Ms. Percy entered the room. She was everyone's favorite.

"Morning to you all. Take your seats, everyone!" She said with a smile and we moved towards our seat.

I sat down on my seat at the far back right next to the window and looked outside of it. The clouds were gathering up in the sky.

The day was proceeding like any other ...and my anxiety, I was slowly but surely drowning in it.

Mom had lied. I thought.

She had said I will forget the nightmare but all that seemed to be happening was it becoming more and more clear. 

It was replaying itself in my head, again and again. I tightly clenched my hands as the fear kept growing inside of me

...until it ate me.

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I woke up and found myself staring at the ceiling as I slowly pushed the blanket away from me only to find Angela sleeping and Athy playing with Angela's hair.

"What are you doing ...what happened?" I asked.

Athy looked at me and spoke "You lost your consciousness and then you were brought to the nurse's office. The school already ended but Angela said she wanted to stay until you woke up or at least your parents came here to take you away."

Ah, right!

I stood up from the bed and went towards the window to see the sky, it was turning darker and darker. Just like in my dream, in my nightmare, the sky was darkening and clouds were gathering.

"The weather forecast says it will be stormy tonight," Athy said, I looked at her surprised, she doesn't take the initiative to talk with others, she only ever responds, so I was surprised when she spoke.

"We ...need to run away," I said

"Hm?"

"Listen, I- I had this really bad dream and everything's happening just like it happened in the dream, we need to run. Run far far away!"

Athy looked at me in silence for a few seconds and then she spoke up "Sure, let's run away"

I was shocked by her answer. I thought she, like my parents, would say it was just a bad dream, a nightmare, something I would forget but her agreeing with me left me shocked.

"...You will run away with me? Do you believe in my dream?" I asked once again to be sure, stupidly, I hadn't even told her what I saw in my dream, my nightmare.

"I don't know about your dream and all that shit but sure, let's run away. I don't wanna spend the night in the rain so I am up for it. Let's go someplace where it won't rain." She replied once again affirming her answer to me.

"I don't get it much but it feels like you are afraid of this place, don't you want to take your parents along with you?" Athy asked.

"I do! I don't think they will listen to me so I am planning on running away and then calling them and asking them to pick me up, that way, I will be able to get them out of here!" I replied.

"...Fuck, those grades of yours aren't for decorations, are they? Well, let's run away." Athy said. She is foul-mouthed as ever, another reason why no one likes her.

"Hmgh... we are running away?" Angela asked as she slowly woke up, rubbing her eyes. I flinched back afraid that she would try to stop us.

"Yup, we are. Wanna join?" Athy asked.

Angela stared at Athy without saying anything but then she suddenly hugged her.

"Woah! You seem excited about it! It's the first time I have seen you like this! Alright! I don't get what this is about running away but if that's what my Athy wants then so be it! Let's run away!" Angela still hugging Athy said, cheerfully.

We are running away, what is so cheerful about it?

Sometimes, I just don't get them.

Thud!

The door opened and I felt my heart throbbing faster and faster as I wondered if someone had heard us.

Athy and Angela were also silent.

"Hm? You woke up" It was none other than our infirmary teacher who entered the room and looked at us. "Hm? Why are you all tense? Was I not supposed to come here?"

"Yes! You weren't! We are in the middle of our secret talk! Go away!" Angela said sticking her tongue out.

Stupid Angela.

"Oh, okay, I will just leave then" And she left closing the door "Enjoy yourself"

"Hmph!" Angela let out a huff.

Angela, sometimes, you are just fucking awesome.

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There were many problems that we faced but we were able to run away. I had my baby sister in my arms as we all kept walking farther and farther away.

"See? I told ya, kidnapping your sis is gonna be easy"

"That was awesome Athy! You are a genius!"

Unable to keep it down, I ended up shouting

"You hung a kid upside down on the top of the building! What is wrong with you!"

"Hey, it diverted the attention of everyone else inside. You were able to get her because of me. Your ungrateful ass should be thanking me instead" Athy shrugged.

Athy had run directly inside the daycare, took off with a kid, and hung that kid upside down while everyone else tried to catch her and save the kid she had taken off with while Angela and I took my sister out of the daycare.

"Anyways, let me ask you, do you really think it's not good to go back?" Athy asked me, her red eyes were cloudy and hazy but I could still sense them looking at me seriously. 

I gulped, I had never seen Athy giving such an intense look.

"Yes. I don't want to go back and I want my parents to come out of the town. I want my family to be safe" I replied looking at her in the eye as I kept running.

"Alright, gotcha." Saying so Athy suddenly changed her direction, and she ran into the thin alley.

"W-what!? Athy!" Angela shouted

"You will get caught if you try to catch her Angela!" 

"I know! I am not dumb!" 

We were being chased by men in black suits. They were Angela's guards. The only reason they hadn't caught us yet was because we were in a place filled with people, and various people, and the place was congested by people.

We are small and that's why we can run but it was different for those guards Angela, they couldn't run like us.

Athy was the one who had suggested us to take this route but now she was gone.

Why did she suddenly change direction? Was she using us as a bait?

While I shook my head trying to get rid of such thoughts Athy emerged from the next street and joined us.

"Athy!" Angela shouted and went near her giving her a fist bump.

"Why did you change the route back then and why do you have a basket with you!?" I asked 

"Put your baby sis down in the basket, there's a church nearby. I will drop her there" Athy replied, huffing, blood leaking from her lips. 

"What! What the hell are you saying!? Why would I!?"

"Look, at the rate things are going they will catch up to us, so honestly, you only have 2 choices here. You go back alone or go back along with your sister. Just know, you can always find your sister back. The people at the church are good. They are fucking too good. She will be safe. I already thought it through. We are going to get caught even if do decide to run inside the sewer. For fuck's sake, those guards are way higher ranked than us. Of course, we will get caught. So decide, which will it be?"

I-

I-

"Damn it all!"

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We were caught, just like Athy had predicted.

"Aqua! What the hell were you thinking!? Why would you do such a thing!?" Mom asked me, she was crying as she hugged me and my father was standing behind my mother with an expression I didn't know what to call but he was angry, sad, worried, and relieved. I could tell.

"Oh dear, why would you run away? Did I do something wrong?" It was Angela's father, he too seemed to be worried about Angela just like my parents are for me.

The only one whose parents weren't here was Athy. She was standing behind us, looking at us.

"Mom, Dad! We need to run away! Please! Just listen to me! We don't have time!" I shouted the clouds were cackling, and there was no light passing through those thick, dark clouds.

We need to hurry!

My heart was beating loudly against my chest.

"Fine dear, we will go wherever you want to just ...just don't run away ever again. Please." My mom pleaded with tears in her, I couldn't help but cry seeing her like that as I nodded.

Finally, we can leave! We are leaving this place!

"...Aqua, where's your sister?" My dad asked and my body froze.

My mom looked at me waiting for me to reply. I couldn't look her in the eye so I averted my eyes. My body trembled. Words stuck in my throat. It felt as if I had forgotten how to speak. I tried to speak but I couldn't bring the words out.

"I left her at the church. You know, it's hard to run around with a newborn chick" It was Athy who replied casually as she came forward.

"You left her...?" My dad muttered with a bit of disbelief in his voice.

"Yup. That I did." Athy reaffirmed looking directly at my dad.

"Y-you, you are the one who lead Aqua about where to go ...weren't you?" My dad asked, his voice oozing with anger.

"Yeah, I was one the who helped them run away. I mean, do you really think these two chicks are capable of running away anywhere, duh, I helped them" Athy shrugged.

My dad's expression was wrapped with anger, he was about to step towards her as panic started to fill me but before he could, a sound reverberated around us.

Slap!

"Don't you ever get anywhere near my daughter again"

It was Angela's dad who had slapped Athy as his eyes bore onto her. Silence filled around us. Athy's face remained downcast before she spat out as she looked directly at Angela's dad.

"All you fucking good-for-nothing adults know is how to beat kids up when you get angry, isn't it? How fucking pathetic"

Without even looking at us Athy started to walk away.

"Athy! Athy!" Angela shouted and tried to run towards her but she was held by the guards. "Let me go! Say sorry to Athy, Dad! Do it now!" 

Angela's cries were the only thing filling the silence.

When Athy reached far away, she turned towards us.

"Athy!" Angela called out her name once more.

"By the way, I am the one who knows the church's address, dumbfucks!!" Saying so Athy started to run away as she showed us all the middle finger until she was no longer visible to any of us.

"...."

"T-that brat!" My dad shouted as he tried to run in her direction but Angela's dad stopped him.

"Don't worry, I will ask my men to get your daughter. It won't be hard"

"Huh, uh... that would be really helpful" My dad replied a little surprised by the sudden offer of help from Angela's Dad.

"Hm. Don't mi-huh..."

Angela's dad's words stopped in the middle as red ...red liquid started coming out of his mouth. 

Everyone around us took a step back instinctively. 

"My, oh my, humans are so fragile" 

He had a malicious smile on his face, his sclera was black, and he ...was a demon.

Crackle!

The sky roared. The lightning thundered. 

It was burning and burning and getting destroyed and destroyed. No one was moving and it was becoming red and red.

That day, my nightmare came true.