Every midnight, Christine experiences strange, vivid dreams-dreams that feel more like hidden messages than illusions. As she, Nathan, Mickey and Ford navigate the complexities of their friendships and unspoken emotions, they begin to realize that t...
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I was walking when I saw a man ahead. He looked familiar. When he turned around, tears instantly welled up in my eyes.
He was holding an axe, ready to kill me—but before he could strike, someone stopped him.
I turned around.
It was… Christine?
She seized the axe, prepared to strike, but I stopped her just in time.
(Christine P.O.V)
I had been following Nathan when I saw a man standing before him, poised to attack. Before he could, I intervened, seizing the axe from his hands. I never wanted to kill anyone—I knew it was wrong—but if it was the only way to save Nathan, I would do it.
I raised the axe, ready to strike. But Nathan stopped me.
He wrestled the axe from my grasp and placed it on the ground.
“He’ll disappear,” he said, his eyes locked on the man.
And just like that, the man vanished into thin air.
I turned to Nathan and saw tears trailing down his cheeks. His shoulders slumped, his eyes filled with sorrow.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” I asked, my voice laced with concern.
He looked at me, silent.
“Don’t cry,” I said softly, wiping his tears away.
Our eyes met, holding each other’s gaze for what felt like an eternity—until he suddenly stepped back, picked up some firewood, and walked away, heading back to where Mickey and the others were.
“Be careful,” I called after him.
Then, I gathered more firewood and followed him.
(Nathan P.O.V)
I was kicking small stones absentmindedly.
Looking around, I caught Christine staring at me.
I expected her to look away, but instead, she smiled.
I just rolled my eyes.
---
(Christine P.O.V)
Even though I had returned to the real world, my mind lingered on what happened earlier.
Why did Ford cry?
Was he hurt? But when I asked, he said he wasn’t. Was he scared? I couldn’t imagine him being afraid, but… maybe?
Mallow and I were on our way home when I spotted Ford and Mickey together.
Wait… why were they together?
Since they also noticed me, they approached.
“Hello,” Mickey greeted.
“Why are you two together? Were you supposed to meet today? I don’t recall hearing anything about that.”
“No, no,” Mickey replied, shaking his head. “I just ran into Ford in front of the convenience store, so I came over to talk to him.”
“Oh… I see.” I nodded.
“Are you headed somewhere?” I asked.
“No, we’re heading home,” Mickey said.
“Alright then, I’ll go ahead. Bye.”
***
<Forest>
The rain poured relentlessly, echoing inside the cave where we sought shelter.
“Whew, it’s freezing! We need to start a fire to keep warm,” Mickey said.
Ford and Mickey started gathering materials for the fire, but since Nathan showed no intention of moving, I volunteered to collect firewood.
The path was muddy, and the rain had intensified. It was difficult to see in the darkness.
As I walked, I heard rustling.
“Please… not now,” I whispered, pleading with fate.
The sound stopped.
But then—a hand grabbed my shoulder!
I screamed, thinking someone had come to take me again.
I turned around—only to see Ford.
“Christine, it’s just me,” he said, his voice gentle, as if trying to calm me down.
I let out a deep sigh. “You scared me! Why do you always appear out of nowhere?”
“Sorry,” he said. “I followed you. You shouldn’t be out here alone. It’s dangerous.”
“You’re getting drenched too. You should’ve brought something to cover your head,” he added, taking off his hood and placing it over me.
I pushed it back toward him. “No need. My hair’s already soaked. You keep it.”
But he insisted.
I was just as stubborn.
In the end, he gave up.
We returned to the cave with the firewood.
“Finally!” Mickey said, taking the wood from my hands. Ford carried the rest toward the fire pit.
“Where’s Nathan?” Mickey asked.
“Huh?” Ford and I said in unison.
“He was here just before I left,” Ford said.
“Yeah, but when someone screamed earlier, he ran off to find Christine. He was worried you two might’ve missed each other.”
“Wait… I’ll go look for him,” I said, but Ford held my wrist.
“No… I’ll go.”
---
(Christine P.O.V)
Mickey sighed. “Can you stop pacing? You’re making me dizzy.”
“Why are they taking so long? It’s been over an hour,” I said, anxiety creeping into my voice.
Mickey exhaled but didn’t say anything.
Then, we heard Ford’s voice.
I turned toward the sound and saw him approaching. He was drenched, but Nathan was even worse.
I immediately ran to Nathan.
“Are you okay? What happened? Where did you go?” I bombarded him with questions.
Ford cut in. “Not now. Nathan’s freezing. He needs warmth.”
He helped Nathan sit by the fire.
“So? What happened?” I pressed.
“We got lost,” Ford admitted. “Nathan found something that helped us figure out the right path. I don’t know how he found it—it was way past the wooded area. He was looking for you.”
