Crash!
A sound like the world splitting apart ripped through the air as cracks spread across the ground.
Shards rains on the streets as buildings began to fall one after another.
Boots pounded hastily on the ruined asphalt as people ran in every direction, their screams like chained souls.
Dust surged upward until it swallowed everything, shrinking sight to almost nothing.
At the center of the collapsed world, Elia staggered as a man with shredded arms slammed into his left side. Then a lady with her shoulders split in two shoved him two steps forward.
Just as Elia caught himself from falling, he saw Zeno lying in his own pool of blood across the road.
"Elia," chilled breath escaped from Zeno's trembling, pale lips as he managed to stretch his hands in Elia's direction.
Boots slammed into his head as Elia dashed forward, pushing the fleeing people aside, ready to save the little energy left in the boy.
"NO!" A scream tore out of Elia when he saw the boy's own eyes get plucked out as jagged, crooked feet pierced through the boy's skull.
Blood lines rolled Elia's eyes as he stood there, watching the all-knowing boy get torn into countless pieces.
As if a joke, the winged humanoid creature with a scorpion tail raised its head from the boy's neck, then grinned at the frozen man.
Elia saw his reflection in the beads of blood dripping from the creature's jagged teeth, despite the fact that he stood a little far from Zeno.
Just as he broke free from his stillness, he saw Sophia standing a few feet away, blood shedding down her face like sweat.
Her hands stretched toward Elia as he moved two steps forward. "Run…"
Another creature with a blood dripping from its jagged teeth jumped on Sophia before her words could fully exit her lips.
Two massive wings erupted from the creature's back and folded tightly against Sophia's body chaining her arms.
An invisible force dragged both her and the creature into the darkness looming behind them at full speed.
When her helpless scream muffled, sharp claws gleamed and pierced through both of them, slicing in her throat with ease and split her face in half.
The separated parts of Sophia rolled to a stop in front of Elia, followed by the tapping sound of claws.
The creature locked eyes with Elia, snarled, and stretched one of its blood-dripping claws toward him, then spoke in a voice that was easily understood.
"You are next."
Elia lurched up, gasping heavily for air, sweat dripping down his bare chest.
For a fleeting second, he locked his gaze on the curtains that kept bounced on the open window.
The moment he shifted his gaze from the wall, he pressed the palm of his right hand at the center of his chest.
His skin prickled as the speeding pulse of his heart seeped into his fingers, sending the hair on his hand on end.
After his heartbeat calmed, he cupped his face in his palms, then exhaled sharply, his chest rising higher and falling slowly.
Everything in the room felt silent as Elia's head remained hidden in his palms, almost as if the chaos he had dreamt of hadn't ended and was waiting for him to place his foot on the chilled floor.
He dragged his hands down his face and looked at his fingers. "Damn."
A rustling sound echoed from the space behind him, pulling the sheet he sat on backward.
"You're awake already?" Aria's sleepy voice bounced on Elia's back.
She lay half-covered by the dark bedsheet, her long hair spilling across the white pillow. She shifted, propped on one elbow, then began studying Elia.
"Why is your face like that?" She squinted. "You look as if you have looked death in the eye."
Elia turned to her, then shook his head.
"You don't need to speak. I can see it in your eyes." Aria gave a subtle smile, then began brushing her fingers on Elia's back.
"Stay with me. Whatever you dreamt of today won't dare come near you." The words escaped her as if she already knew what bothered Elia.
Usually, those words and actions would have stirred something in Elia. But this time, he remained calm, staring at Aria's light-brown eyes.
Deep down, the dream kept replaying itself in his head. When the creature's face surfaced in Aria's eyes, Elia shoved his legs off the bed and stood up.
"I have to get going."
"You're serious."
Elia walked to the washroom without giving her a glance or even answering her. He pushed the door open, then closed it as he stepped inside.
The showerhead coughed twice before the drops of water began to whip his skin.
At first, he felt cold, then later began to feel the warmth in the water as the dream began to dissipate in his head while he foamed himself with the soap.
Elia swung the tap to the left, then moved out from the shower and dried himself. He padded back into the room and went straight to his wardrobe.
In a quick glance, Elia picked up a dark polo shirt and fitted trousers and wore them with ease.
Aria stood by the window when he turned toward the table at the side of the bed for his keys.
She turned, folded her arms under her unwrapped breasts, then squinted at him. "You still have that face."
Elia straightened, holding his keys, then turned to her. "I'm just tired."
A subtle laugh escaped Aria, then stopped when she sharpened her gaze. "You're lying."
She stepped forward, close enough for him to smell her natural perfume, then pressed two fingers lightly at the center of Elia's chest. "Did I scare you last night?"
Her lustful eyes lingered on Elia's, awaiting a response.
Elia looked down at her fingers, then slowly moved his gaze to her face. "Nah. You can never scare me."
Aria's gaze intensified, then she closed the gap, her breasts softly tapping Elia's shirt. "Then stay one more hour."
She leaned in by his left side, her lips brushing on his ear. "I promise you won't remember having that dream."
Elia laughed softly, then slowly pulled himself away from her.
"There you are," Aria said, then bit her lower lip.
Elia placed a hand on her shoulder, then giggled slightly. "Another time." He loosened his grip on her, then walked past her to the door.
"Elia."
He stopped, one arm holding the already opened door, then glanced back. He blew her a kiss, then walked out, shutting the door behind him.
Deep silence that could crash stone loomed in the Baker Street Apartment when Elia began to descend the stairs slowly, one hand trailing the wall, the other in the pocket of his trousers.
The sputter of a tricycle engine, birdsong, and car horns all hit him the moment he pushed the front door open, stepping into the street.
Children ran past him, their voices drifting over everything like a love song.
He stopped opposite the KSS restaurant, closed his eyes, then inhaled the sweet fragrance deeply.
"Average earners' apartment," he sighed as the thought ramped through his mind, looking up at the building.
More gasps escaped him when he began to change his gaze from the peeling paint to the second-floor railing, which someone had patched with wire.
Just as his shoulders lowered, a palm-clapping sound echoed from behind him, followed by a thudding sound.
"Uncle Elia!"
Elia swallowed hard when he turned and saw Zeno standing at the exact spot where the boy died in his dream.
For a second, his breath stopped, bones rattling against each other, almost as if the next step he might take would determine the path the world would follow.