WiFi

Chapter 5

The hairs on my arms are raised in the chill of the mist fogging up my skin. I'm in a street with expensive looking mansions; large white balconies cloak the fronts of three story buildings. Everything in this street is modern and new and I bet that if I walked around to the backyards, there would be the brand new style Board in electric blue parked in the air.

I walk past a house with a burst of brightly coloured flowers sprouting from a flower bed, the house has a twisted rope-like vine reaching up to the top window; I recognise it as honeysuckle.

The wind picks up and I shiver, feebly rubbing my hands over my biceps in an effort to shield myself against the cold. A gnawing feeling of unease builds in my gut and I spin around, hair whipping back,

There's no one there.

I shake off my feeling my of unease and carry on walking down the uneven cement road.

"Hello."

My heart jumps to my throat and my hands form fists. I turn around.

Still no one.

"Who's there? Whatever you're doing it's not funny." I try to sound menacing but my voice breaks.

The silence laughs, "Silly boy- use your eyes."

I look up from the video simulator game and take my goggles off with a gasp, "What-"

She pushes an old finger against my lips, "Shh. Listen. We don't have much time. Things are about to change. You have to listen carefully to what I'm about to say, you can't forget okay?" her hands move to my cheeks and a pleading look takes over her eyes, "Promise me that you'll warn the Government: things will be much worse than they expected."

I nod and take in the sight of her leathered face; sunken dark eyes with pockets beneath them and lips so thin you can't see them unless you look hard, "Listen to me Milo. Promise."

"How do you-" but she cuts me off again, her dark eyes boring into mine.

"Milo. People will die. People close to you will die if you don't warn the Government."

I swallow the bile in my throat at the thought of Myla's lifeless body.

"Okay, I promise."

The old woman nods and smiles, "Milo!"

Her face starts to change, "Milo, wake up!"

Curly brown hair starts to sprout from her scalp, "Milo!"

The creases on her face started to run smooth and, like water, they drip off her face, "Wake up!"

I woke with a start to Myla's hand shaking my shoulder and a thin sheen of something wet on my skin. I looked around and heard the breathy sound of my own panting. I was still on Myla's balcony.

I looked up at her cross face; the skin between her eyebrows had creased in confusion and her lips were pursed, "What the hell are you doing out here?"

It took a moment for it all to come back, but when it did, it came like rushing water out of my mouth, "I had a dream and there was this woman and I was walking except I wasn't because I playing a simulator and the Government has to be warned because people-"

"Woah, slow down I can't understand what you're saying." she slumped down onto the balcony floor and took my hand.

I sucked a deep breath of air and willed my heart to stop sprinting so fast, "There was this dream." I sat up to face Myla, "I met this old woman and she told me that bad things were going to happen if the Government wasn't warned in time. It's all going to go wrong."

Myla's grip on my hand tightened, "How? What's going to happen? Milo?" Her eyes looked worried.

I rubbed my temples and looked past the balcony wall at the twinkling lights of the city beyond, looking like man-made stars.

"What time is it?" I drew my eyes away from the city and attempted to change the subject.

Myla noticed my change of tone immediately, "Milo-"

I shook my head, "Please Myla, don't make me say it. What's the time?"

She didn't drop it, "Milo- tell me." she moved closer and a steely look replaced the usual softness of her eyes.

I sighed as I realised I had to tell her; she was too stubborn for her own good.

"Fine." I stood up and pulled her with me, letting go of her hand before dusting myself off, "But let me have a shower first."

She smiled, "You need it- why the hell are you sleeping out here anyway? The mattress is inside."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah I know, I fell asleep looking at the stars." a small blush spread across my cheeks and I look down at the floor, expecting Myla to laugh.

But she doesn't, "I do that too sometimes, it's nice to look at something other than my Screen." she squeezed my hand and kissed me on the cheek before heading back into her room.

I stood there for a minute, heart beating where she kissed me, eyes wide. Then, I started laughing.

It felt good to laugh, to let everything bubble out of me and into the early morning air where it disguised itself as my evaporating breath. I hadn't laughed hysterically like that in a long time. It made my cheeks ache.

Still chuckling gently to myself I headed back indoors and to Myla's en-suite. I grabbed a towel and peeled my wet clothes off me before stepping in the shower.

I let the water run into my eyes as I thought of the dream; warn them. Promise me. People close to you will die.

I wanted to know how the old woman knew my name; and how she even got into my head at all. Maybe she was just a dream, a figment of my imagination.

It didn't seem made up though.

It seemed awfully real.

I let the water clean my thoughts until the water underneath me ran as clean and empty as I felt.

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Chapter 5, comment vote etc... if you liked this chapter.