This Walk of Life

Chapter 10: Nightmares

Ethan's POV

My eyelids opened slowly, and I was greeted by the grey sky that was being fed columns of smoke. Rolling to my side, I realized I was lying in the middle of the street with abandoned cars everywhere and ash falling from the sky. Standing up, I felt lightheaded and used the closest car for support getting a better view of the area around me. Many of the buildings that lined the street were wrecked by a force of destruction I did not know, the streetlights and crosswalk lights still changed colors, and the little trees that were around rustled against the wind creating an eerie shushing sound.

Hold on this street looks familiar...

Wait! This is my street!

Whipping my head around I spotted my apartment building in the distance, with a rush of adrenaline I darted through the abandoned cars towards my apartment all the while stumbling against the cars. I needed to get to Angie and quickly to know that she is fine.

Like a nightmare, a rocket darting at the speed of light struck the building... my floor specifically. Feeling my heart drop like it was 15 tons I sprinted towards the building and could not help but watch the entire floor burn, all the windows for the individual rooms had flames lashing out from them. Above a Russian built Su-57 screamed past me at tree top level.

I stumbled towards the front of the building, my legs quivering from the shock, getting there I froze upon seeing multiple bodies lying on the ground.

My mom and dad

My brother and sister

My nieces and nephews

My dog

And there was Angie lying amongst them

Forcing myself to move, I ended up on my knees going through them all, gently shaking them to know. Getting to Angie, I held back tears when she did not move. Scooping up the woman I love, I held her tightly and brushed her blonde hair. This was my fault; this is what I get for killing those Iranians I stripped someone of their loved one and so in return I have too. From behind, I heard a machine sputtering looking back I saw a firefighter holding a saw and approaching me in a menacing way. I could not see their face since it was blacked out by an endless void, the saw started creating a buzzing sound that sent chills up my spine. I could not move away from them before they swung the spinning blade towards my head.

Bolting up right in bed, my eyes searched wildly looking for the firefighter but there was nothing, just an empty bedroom. Just then Angie walked in holding a plate of eggs and bacon, her blue eyes locked with mine and there I knew she knew I had one of my nightmares. Setting down the plate of food she got onto her side of the bed and hugged me tightly, without delay I started uncontrollably crying. "I'm not going anywhere, none of us are going anywhere" she said to me warmly, I wanted to believe her, but my mind kept nagging me about it all being a lie.

These nightmares are old and have been around for years since I was a teenager, they are always the same images of my family and friends all dead. Either it was my childhood home in Oregon ablaze or leveled to the soil or now living alone my apartment building is on fire. Every time it always made me feel useless and powerless in defending my family. But the firefighter was a new addition to my nightmares, it had to be Nick. I do not know any other firefighter that would appear in my dreams... but why Nick?

After a while, I calmed down and tried to eat my breakfast but found the meal to be untasteful. I apologized to Angie for not eating the food she made, but it did not matter to her. For a while we sat there just talking back and forth about the most random topics ever, then she suggested I get up and enjoy my last day before I went. Taking her word for it, I changed into new clothes and tidied myself up before heading out of the apartment building with Angie by my side. Getting to my mustang I quickly put on a pair of sunglasses since I left my aviators behind in the bar last night.