𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐊

19. 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲

SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT. Eszter was lost in the woods, far from civilization. She didn't know where she was or how she found herself there, but it felt like Eszter had woken up from her slumber. She knows she's asleep and never woke up, trusting that she hadn't teleported somewhere else, but everything felt remarkably realistic.

A scream in the starry night caused Eszter to jump in her skin, panicking as she spun around, trying to locate the strained cry. She blinks feverishly, wondering where she's supposed to go, but as she spins once more, the scenery changes before her eyes. It took Eszter a second to register the scene, but once she sees it, her law slacks ajar as her hand hovers over her mouth.

Staring in horror, the tears fill Eszter's eyes as they slowly blurred her vision, but all she could stare at was Tony lying across from her. Limp and lifeless.

Eszter stumbles back, afraid to face Tony's corpse laying in front of her, confused as to why she would dream something like that? Why would Tony be dead? But with each step she took, Eszter was greeted with more bodies of her friends and family laying around her, dead. Eszter's hand drops from her face, but then she noticed something.

Crismon liquid painted her hands, and she was certain it wasn't her blood.

When did that get there? Why is it there? Did she--no.

"Oh, God," Eszter exhales in disbelief, glancing down from her hands and at her body, seeing blood staining her familiar suit. She shakes her head, squeezing her eyes closed. "No. No, no, no!"

The air became thick and harder for Eszter to breathe, closing her lung as she struggles to gasp for air. Her chest heaves up and down before Eszter gets lightheaded. She stumbles on her feet.

This isn't real. Eszter would never hurt the people she loves, and the enhanced had always vowed to protect her family.

Eszter spins around with each glance, seeming to find someone new each time, but the enhanced was silently begging herself to wake up. Eszter continues to escape, trying to avoid the bodies that were collecting around her feet, but the enhanced didn't notice the one in front of her; tripping over the body, Eszter yelps as she quickly catches herself before she could crash on her face.

Whimpering softly, Eszter inspects what had tripped her, but the enhanced weeps at the sight of familiar red hair.

"Wanda," Eszter whimpers, crawling to her sister's side as she grips the red jacket, flipping her over. Upon seeing Wanda's bloody face, Eszter gasps as she pulls away. She stared in horror, crying at the sight of her sister. "Wanda, no, no. Please, say something!"

But Wanda's eyes were closed and would stay like that forever. They'll never open again, and that's what hurt Eszter the most. She killed her--Eszter killed her own sister but has no memory of it.

This isn't real.

Squeezing her eyes close, the tears rush down her face. "Please don't leave me alone," Eszter sobs, slowly pulling Wanda onto her lap before cradling her sister closer to her chest. "You can't leave me. Not now."

But it didn't matter how much she begs because no matter what, Wanda was gone, and it was all her fault.

"Help!" Eszter screams with all her chest, but then it began to rain--as if it felt her emotions--drowning out her voice. Still, Eszter continues. "Someone! Please, help . . ."

When Eszter glances around, her wet hair whips around and wraps around her face, but the enhanced couldn't bother to care. Beside her, Eszter recognized another figure laying a few feet away, wearing the familiar suit that was torn. Eszter lifts her gaze away from the figure, staring up into the rain as she tries to burn the memory of his body out of her mind.