CHAPTER ONE: DREAM

"Wake up honey, wake up"...

"Ahhhhh!!".. screams Maria. As she was rise to sit down on the bed, her vision becoming clear from the blur of sleep, then standing in front of her was her husband , Ethan. Looking stalled as if she was still living in her dream.

"What is it honey?" asked Ethan. Slowly Maria turns at him at the she was now conscious of her surrounding, she said.

"Sorry… It was just a.."

"Just what.. a nightmare?"

"Yh but it felt so so real, didn't seem like a dream"

"Hmm what was the dream about"

"Well it was like we were still fighting the.."

Christopher, their first child still an infant barely about 6 months old, cries from downstairs.

"The baby, it looks like he's awake," says Maria. Chuckles Ethan "yh it looks so".

They went downstairs to the baby, calming and singing Lullaby the baby boy , but Chris still keep crying.

"Fuck here we go again" Ethan said

"Hmmmm language"

"Ha" laughs Ethan "like he could understand it"

Maria smiled, though she couldn't shake off the lingering feeling from her dream. It wasn't just the intensity of it, but the vividness, the way every detail seemed to burn into her memory. She felt like she had been there, like it was more than just a figment of her imagination.

As Ethan swayed gently, trying to soothe Christopher, Maria found herself lost in thought. The dream had started off innocently enough, but then it had spiraled into something far darker. She and Ethan had been dressed in old military uniforms, the kind you only see in history books or movies about World War II. There was the sound of gunfire, the smell of gunpowder, and the cold bite of fear in the air. But the strangest part was that they weren't on the same side. They were fighting against each other, neither one aware of the other's presence in the midst of the chaos.

"Maria, you okay?" Ethan's voice snapped her back to the present. Christopher had finally quieted down, his little eyes heavy with sleep.

Maria hesitated. "Ethan, it was so strange... That dream. It was like we were really there, in the middle of a war. You and me, fighting—but on opposite sides. We didn't know each other, but somehow we were connected. It felt like more than just a dream. It felt like a memory."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on his lips. "You and I? On opposite sides of a war? Sounds like something out of a movie. Maybe we're watching too much late-night TV."

Maria couldn't help but chuckle. "Maybe, but it was so intense. We were both soldiers, fighting our own battles. And there was this one moment where we were so close to each other, without even knowing it. I remember feeling this strange pull, like I was searching for someone—like I was searching for you."

Ethan smirked and leaned in, brushing his lips lightly against hers. "Like this?"

Maria smiled, feeling the warmth of his lips on hers, but it wasn't the same. There was something different about that dream kiss, something that made her heart race even now. "Kind of," she said softly, "but it was... more desperate, more... intense."

Ethan's playful expression faded as he noticed the seriousness in her eyes. He placed Christopher back in his crib, making sure the baby was fast asleep, and then turned back to Maria, taking her hand. "Maybe it's just stress," he suggested gently. "You've been juggling a lot lately. The baby, work, everything. Sometimes our minds play tricks on us when we're exhausted."

"Maybe," Maria conceded, but deep down, she wasn't so sure. The dream had felt too real, too detailed. And there was something else—something she hadn't mentioned to Ethan. In the dream, there was a moment where she thought she was going to lose him, even though they didn't know each other. The thought had terrified her, and even now, thinking about it made her feel sick.

They made their way back upstairs, Ethan's arm around her waist. He was warm and solid, a comforting presence that contrasted with the cold fear still lingering in her mind. As they settled back into bed, Maria couldn't help but glance at the window, half-expecting to see the flicker of bomb blasts on the horizon. But there was nothing—just the quiet night, the peaceful hum of crickets outside, and the rhythmic breathing of her husband beside her.

Maria turned to Ethan, studying his face in the dim light. "Do you ever feel like you've lived another life?" she asked quietly.

Ethan chuckled softly. "What, like reincarnation? I don't know. I guess I've never really thought about it. Why? Do you?"

Maria hesitated. "I don't know. But sometimes... sometimes I get this feeling, like there's something just out of reach. Something important that I can't remember."

Ethan pulled her closer, his hand running soothingly down her back. "Hey, whatever it is, it's just a dream. We're here now, and that's what matters."

Maria nodded, resting her head on his chest. His heartbeat was steady, a reassuring rhythm that began to lull her back to sleep. But just as she was about to drift off, a thought crossed her mind, making her eyes snap open.

In the dream, they had been fighting not just any enemy, but something ancient, something dark. And it wasn't just about winning a war—it was about surviving something far worse.

Maria squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the thought away. But it clung to her, a shadow in the back of her mind that wouldn't let go.

The next few days passed uneventfully, though the memory of the dream stayed with Maria, creeping into her thoughts at odd moments. She found herself watching Ethan more closely, looking for signs—of what, she wasn't sure. But there was something nagging at her, something about the way he moved, the way he spoke. It was almost as if she was seeing him in a new light, one that was both familiar and foreign at the same time.

One evening, as they were sitting on the couch after putting Christopher to bed, Maria decided to bring it up again. "Ethan, do you remember your dreams?"

Ethan glanced at her, surprised by the sudden question. "Not really, no. Why?"

"Just curious," Maria said, trying to sound casual. "I've been having some weird ones lately. About us, in different times, different places."

Ethan laughed. "Like time travel? Are we in a sci-fi movie now?"

"Something like that," Maria said, though her tone was more serious than his. "But these dreams... they feel different. Almost like memories."

Ethan paused, his smile fading as he looked at her. "Maria, are you okay? You've been acting... I don't know, a little off since that night."

Maria took a deep breath. "I'm fine, really. It's just... I can't shake the feeling that there's something we're missing. Something important."

Ethan reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Maybe you just need a break. We could go away for a weekend, just the two of us. Get some rest, clear our heads."

Maria smiled at the suggestion, but deep down, she knew that a vacation wouldn't solve what was bothering her. Still, she nodded, not wanting to worry him any more than she already had. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

But as they sat there, hand in hand, Maria couldn't help but feel that somethiang was coming. Something that would change everything. She didn't know what it was, or when it would happen, but she could feel it—like the calm before a storm.

And as she leaned her head against Ethan's shoulder, she wondered if he felt it too. If he, like her, was just waiting for the past to catch up with them.