A passing grade for two major subjects was hard enough... but with serial eyes watching closely in every turn and corners? It was never about school and graduation anymore.
Mitch tossed her last smoke grenade, obscuring the figures in black's line o...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Why can't secrets stay secret?" Mitch thought as she sprinted through the maze of alleys, her breath coming in short, painful gasps. "Why do I always make such stupid decisions?!"
She could hear footsteps behind her, quick and relentless, echoing through the twisting alleyways. Mitch glanced over her shoulder, but the shadows warped to keep hiding whoever or whatever was chasing her.
All she could see were the faint outlines of faceless figures in the dark. A cold shiver ran down her spine. She had no idea who they were, only that she had to keep running.
"Please tell me this is a dream. Please tell me this is just a dream!" She exclaimed, hoping she could wake up at will.
She turned a corner, her shoes skidding on the slick cobblestones, but she kept her balance. Her heart pounded in her chest as she glanced behind her again, catching a glimpse of their shadowy, spindly arms moving impossibly fast. They didn't have faces—just empty sockets, where eyes should be, staring at her.
"Mom..." she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own labored breathing.
She could feel them getting closer, the air around her growing colder and heavier. Mitch looked ahead, hoping for a way out, but the alley ended in a high brick wall of crawling raven vines studded with thorns, dripping a void substance. The wall was adorned with uncanny letters...
vz'Z Ohrel fher lbh'er jbeyqvat ubzr V nz
...forming a cryptic, unsettling mural. She spun around, her back against the wall, eyes wide with fear. The figures closed in, their shapes shifting and blending with the shadows.
Mitch's breath hitched, opening her eyes at the same time, just to find herself on her bed, she was in a deep slumber all this time. The morning light filtering through the curtains. Her heart was still racing, her skin clammy with sweat. She gasped constantly for air, blinking in confusion.
"What in Fallentin was that...?" she muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes. She could still feel the remnants of the fear from her dream, the vague, faceless pursuers. Mitch shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.
"It's over now," she whispered, but something about the dream felt unsettlingly real, a shadow she couldn't quite shake.
- - -
Luna
The morning school bell rings, followed by the itching footsteps of students echoing in the room as it fades away in the halls. Luna sprawled on her seat, having her limbs and tissues all lax as if every part of her body needs a breather.
Oh, sweet air! I did not understand a single thing about geometric sequences.
She regained her composure and reached down to her onyx N-fashion backpack-short term for Nyurean fashion. She scoured the small section of her back, pulling out her wristlet wallet of moon phases.
