A Dream

"AHHH!" I screamed in panic as I abruptly got up from my bed.

Was that a dream? I thought. It felt so real...

I removed my blanket and noticed that I was drenched in sweat from fear.

"I need a shower..." I muttered into the void.

I got out of bed, grabbed my things, left my room, and entered the bathroom. I took a ten-minute shower before stepping out. After drying off and getting changed, I went downstairs to join my family for breakfast.

"Good morning, Dad. Good morning, Mom," I said.

"Good morning," they replied in unison.

My sister was there too, but I didn't greet her... because, well, she's my sister. No need for a reason.

"Are your classes going well?" my mom asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah," I nodded. "They're pretty easy, so I'm keeping up just fine."

"That's great," my dad said with a smile.

My parents were pretty strict when it came to education since they had both achieved great success in life. My mother managed two famous law firms from home, and my father was a businessman with five or six companies in different industries. As a result, they were often away on business trips—my dad for his companies and my mom as his personal lawyer.

And me? In the middle of all that, I lived peacefully with their money. I never complained because I knew how hard they had worked and the privilege of being raised by them.

Once they had left, my sister turned to me and said:

"Why did you shower so early in the morning? Were you too excited and ended up dreaming about those things?"

My sister had no filter with me, so she was always straightforward. I spoke up and replied:

"No, I just sweated a lot last night, so I needed to get changed."

"I see," she said.

"You're easy to convince," I replied.

"Not usually, but it's almost time to leave, so I don't have time to bother you."

"Do you want me to walk with you?"

"Yes!!!"

My sister was in her final year of middle school. She was pretty, just like me, actually. Not to brag, but I wasn't ugly at all. Still, I wasn't very popular in high school. Not that I wanted to be. I was perfectly fine reading web novels in my own little world without anyone disturbing me.

On the way to her school, I spotted my sister's friend, and leaving them to walk together, I continued toward my own school.

Once I got to class, I sat at my assigned seat and started reading web novels on my phone.

After school, I stopped by the supermarket before heading home.

As the sun set, a cool breeze picked up. I quickened my pace to get home faster.

By the time I reached my street, night had already fallen. It was dark.

I glanced up at the sky and didn't see the speeding car heading straight for me.

Before I could even process what was happening, I was already flying through the air. A second later, I crashed onto the ground, my body shattered into pieces.

I didn't even have time to understand what had happened before I woke up screaming.

But this time, I stopped screaming more quickly and started questioning myself. The same dream twice? And inside a dream? That's impossible... I muttered to myself, rubbing my temples in frustration.

I was usually calm and rational, so I told myself that I would just go through my day and see what happened, rather than jumping to conclusions.

Still covered in sweat, I took a shower. But this time, when I came out, it was my parents who greeted me first.

"Good morning," they said with warm smiles.

"Good morning," I replied, my voice slightly hesitant.

This day is starting the same way as yesterday… but some details are different. Ugh, I don't know what's going on... I thought, feeling unsettled. This is really weird. Too weird to ignore.

My parents, noticing the doubt and unreadable expression on my face, found my behavior strange. My father was the first to speak.

"Is something wrong, son? What's happening to you?"

"Oh, that's true," my mother added, tilting her head in concern. "You can talk to us about anything, you know."

"Don't worry, it's nothing," I said, forcing a small smile to reassure them.

But my sister, always the one to add fuel to the fire, spoke up with her usual teasing tone.

"Leave him alone, poor thing. Maybe it's something… personal. He's a grown-up now, don't you think?" She smirked at me, clearly enjoying my discomfort.

"Oh, that's true..." my mother said, suddenly looking sad. She apologized, clearly embarrassed. My father chuckled, and I felt like dying from shame.

"Don't worry, it's not that," I hurriedly clarified, shaking my head. "I've just been overthinking a lot lately, and sometimes, I get lost in my own thoughts. It's nothing serious."

"I see," they said. "As long as that's all it is."

"Yeah," I replied, hoping the topic would end there.

Then my sister stretched her arms and said, "Alright, I'm heading out. I have school."

This time, I didn't walk her there. It was a deliberate choice, of course. I wanted some time alone to think.

Since I had more time at home, I stayed back and read web novels as usual, never getting tired of them. The stories always helped me escape reality, even if only for a while.

When it was finally time for class, everything happened exactly as it had yesterday.

That's when I started wondering if these past two days were real after all.

That thought sent a shiver down my spine.

The day passed. On my way home, as usual, the cool breeze blew at dusk, rustling the leaves.

And as night fell, I reached the entrance of my street, staring up at the darkening sky.

At that moment, a car sped toward me at full speed.

And then—no more doubt.

Yesterday had been real.

Realizing this, I tried to move, to get out of the way, to survive.

But paralyzed by the revelation, I couldn't move. My heart pounded in my chest, my breathing grew rapid. Move! I screamed in my head, but my body refused to obey.

The car hit me head-on.

I was sent flying through the air before crashing down violently onto the pavement.

My body lay broken, torn apart.

Agonizing pain flooded my senses. I gasped for air, my vision growing hazy.

And then—only darkness.

***

thanks for read this chapter