Lost and found: A journey of time

IV

"Let's just focus on enjoying the open day today, okay?" she said with a smile. Everyone nodded in agreement and finished up their breakfast. As they got ready to leave, William couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. Everything was becoming blurry and dizzy.

William blinked and rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his vision. And then he heard it. A desperate cry for help. "Help someone, please!" A voice echoed through the haze. William's heart skipped a beat as he searched for the source of the voice. What he found was unbelievable. He saw a young woman lying on the ground, bleeding to death.

Her trembling gaze met his. "Run, run," she whispered, her voice filled with fear.

Without hesitation, William darted towards the injured woman, his mind racing, unsure of what to do. But as he reached out to grab her arm, her body turned into stone. William gasped in shock, stumbling back from the cold, unmoving figure before him. Fear and confusion gripped his heart. What had just happened? Was this some kind of hallucination? It couldn't possibly be real.

A wet, sticky sensation crawled up into his legs and William looked down in horror a river of blood flowing everywhere and it was soaking his shoe crawling to his skin like a living thing. His breath became shallow and he  panicked, but his body refused to move. He was trapped, surrounded by stone faces frozen in terror. As he glanced around, the world had transformed into a scene of gore and destruction. The sky turned a sickly brown-red, and the air reeked of death and decay. And when he turned around, his blood froze in his veins.

People, once vibrant and alive, had turned to stone. Panic consumed him as he tried to run, but his legs refused to cooperate. It was as if his own body had become as motionless as the statues around him. And then a voice whispered in his ear, sending shivers down his spine. 'You guys must find the one who can save them. But you must be careful. The voice warned that an ancient evil lurks in the shadows and will stop at nothing to fulfill its desires, leaving William trembling in terror. He was trapped in this nightmare world. Suddenly, he heard a voice calling out to him. "William, wake up!" It was Elizabeth's voice. He could hear the urgency in her tone.

He opened his eyes, and he found himself lying on the couch. "What happened?" Will asked, sitting up gingerly. He saw Andrew and Elliot. Elizabeth stared at him, worry etched on their faces.

Elizabeth kneeled beside him, her hands fluttering anxiously. "You just went all weird, and then you collapsed," she explained.

William took a shuddering breath, the gravity of his nightmare still clinging to him. As he regained his strength, one thought seeped into his mind: the voice's warning meant battle against unseen darkness, and William was thrust into the heart of it. The mom walks in. "Are you okay? Do you want to stay home instead?" Mom asked in a worried tone.

"No, no... I'm fine. I just need a minute," William responded, his voice slightly shaky. He forced a smile-one he knew looked weak-and tried to push himself up from the couch.

"Maybe you should sit for a bit longer," Beth suggested, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

William let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "Nah, I'm all right. Really." He managed to stand on his feet and straighten out his clothes. He did a mental check to see if there was any blood, and thankfully, there was none.

"Boy, you sure are alright," Elizabeth said.

"Never been better," William replied. He ruffled Elizabeth's hair and decided to play the incident off as no big deal. He didn't want to worry about his family more than he already had.

"Alright, but if you feel dizzy again, let us know," Andrew warned, pointing a stern finger at him as they started to head towards the front door.

Heading out to the car. Alicia clung to their mother's hand as they all piled into the family minivan.

William hopped in the back seat, staring out the window. His nightmare still haunted him. He couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered inside him. He couldn't stop thinking about the stone woman and the river of blood. It all felt so real. It felt like someone was warning him about something.