The Dream

Chapter 7

I shot up.

Another nightmare. I attempted to stifle a sob as it tore through me, leaving my body hunched over, my arms wrapped around my stomach. It's just a nightmare.

Luckily for the both of us, Evan was still sleeping. I didn't want to be the cause of him losing his sleep. I checked the time on my alarm clock: four o'clock.

It was still pitch black outside because it was winter, and I knew that it would take another four hours until the sun had risen properly. This fact didn't stop me from realising I wouldn't be able to sleep after that nightmare. I rubbed my eyes furiously with the heel of my hand, trying to rid the sleep - and the tears - from them.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, slipping my feet into my most comfortable sneakers and pulling on my thickest jumper. I cursed, then shoved off my sneakers to change my pyjama shorts into a pair of jeans.

Yes, I wear shorts to sleep in the middle of winter. Don't judge.

I opened my door silently, glancing down at Evan again. He looked so carefree, with a faint smile gracing his lips. This alone made me smile as well.

I tiptoed out my room, grabbing my phone and keys. Better safe than sorry. I walked down the stairs carefully, avoiding the third step from the bottom - it creaked extremely loudly if trodden on, and I had been awoken many a time when my mother got up to go to work early in the morning.

I unlocked the front door, slipped out and locked it behind me.

I walked with no aim, but ended up near the forest. The sweet smell of the pine drew me towards it, calling out to me with unspoken voices.

I meandered my way through the trees, grinning when my breath came out as clouds of moisture, tainting the clear air. The forest was silent, excluding the one bird that could be heard chirping cheerfully from the trees. Well, they do say early bird gets the worm, but I doubt any bird would be able to get a worm since the ground was frozen solid.

The nightmare was soon forgotten.

It wasn't long before the path disappeared and I found myself in an area of the forest that was less trodden and had much more wild flowers. I stopped and stared at the hidden beauty of the place. I thought I knew the woods quite well, but obviously not since I had never seen this place before.

It was then that I heard the voices.

They were quiet, yet distinguishable. They spoke in low tones, clearly not wanting to be heard. I should have left at that point. It would have saved me a lot of trouble that came from that single conversation. But I didn't leave; instead I put my phone on silent.

"...should've expected it. People want to know how the virus escaped."

Another man snorted. "The government aren't about to tell them it was let out on purpose, is it?"

As soon as I heard him say that, I whipped my phone out of my pocket and started to record the conversation.

"No, I guess not. Why was it released?"

"I heard that they need people for a war. The people who are affected are strong enough to feel it so they are strong enough to fight as well. Apparently the effects of the virus become more obvious as well. You know, higher metabolism, stronger, that sort of thing. They say some of the pairings will be able to speak into each others minds."

"Wow."

"Yep. C'mon, lets get back to the tent."

The sound of their footsteps faded away slowly and I let out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding.

This virus wasn't an accident.

What the hell was happening?

>>>>>

'"C'mon, lets get back to the tent."'

We sat there, staring at my phone in silence.

"So..." I said, trying to break the awkward silence. "What do we do now?"

"We go back and find the tent. We need to find out more," Evan said in a low voice.

My eyes widened. "Are you crazy?! We could get arrested!"

"The government is going to use us in a war, and you're worried about getting arrested?" He laughed. "Classic."

"And the government is probably in charge of the police. I would rather stay away from them and avoid the war!" I snapped.

"Excuse me, but neither of you are going anywhere that involves danger," my mum said, folding her arms and standing up. "If anyone is going, it's me."

"No, Mum, I don't want you getting involved-", "No, it's mine and Katherine's lives-", me and Evan blurted at the same time.

We all stared at each other as if sizing each other up.

"Why don't we all go?" I suggested.

"We don't want to risk everyone going in case something does go wrong," said Evan, shooting down my idea.

"Well, I have to go, I know where it is," I said. I needed to find out more about this, and I wanted to find out these things myself.

"I'll go as well, we need an adult at home that will be taken more seriously," Evan reasoned. "The police don't trust me because of who my parents are."

"Are you sure you two will be okay out there?" my mum questioned.

"Mum, we'll be fine."

"Okay, let's go," Evan said, determined.

I stared at him. "Now?"

"Why not?'

I shrugged.

"Lets go then."

I stared down the street, wondering what we were going to find out. Hopefully we would find out what was going on.

I just didn't want to find out about the war, because I had a feeling it would tear me and Evan apart.

>>>>>

This is a shorter one than usual. I wanted to save their 'quest' till my the next part and I also wanted to get this out to you guys.

Sorry for the wait! I promise I'll be writing more because I don't have anymore school for six weeks! However for two of those I'm in Germany.

Hope you all have a good summer!

Honey xx