Nia didn’t want to die again.

  She threw herself at the heavy wooden door, slamming into it with everything she had. Wood groaned, her shoulder screamed, and she let out a cry sharp enough to echo back from the walls as pain shot through her shoulder.

  But she couldn’t stop now.

  Not again. I don’t want to die again!

  Her vision was blurry. Everything appeared distant, fogged. She had run blind, driven by instinct through a decrepit corridor until she had ended up at this damned door.

  Behind her, something monstrous growled. Not a roar of rage or hunger, but cruel delight.

  It was close.

  Too close.

  The thing chasing her was alien and twisted. Four thin limbs, all used to crawl forward without mercy but a lot slower than it probably could have.

  Maybe it wants to savor the moment? Toy with me? Smell my fear?

  The rancid stench the monster exuded grew stronger by every heartbeat, mocking Nia with the cruel promise of dying once more.

  Panic consumed her thoughts. She vaguely remembered waking in a small courtyard amidst massive ruins. She hadn’t been able to grasp their full extent, but in her fear, she imagined that the crumbling structure stretched on forever. A bright disk had hung in the sky above her, illuminating the scene. She knew it was called the "moon," but couldn’t say how.

  The rest was madness. Just a jumbled mess of fragments in her racing mind: A lanky man sitting nearby in the courtyard. A shadowy figure that had come hissing in and bathed him in blood before the man dissolved into glowing shapes and patterns. A gaunt creature that had appeared from a shattered window above her and plunged down toward her. A fleeting sense of familiarity behind one of the nearby stone walls. As if there was safety there, comfort. Someone who would help her…

  She’d fled. Turned corners. The walls had felt both solid and porous beneath her touch. The creature’s cries had filled every gap of silence, chasing her deeper. But there had been something else, too.

  A promise. Safety. Hope.

  Drawing her forward.

  Now, she stood before this terrible door, her breath heavy.

  And beyond it… something waited, a feeling of comfort.

  Maybe even someone she… knew? From... before?

  The monster was now dangerously close. Only moments separated her from pain and suffering, likely followed by eternal nothingness.

  Would there be another chance?

  Why had she even been given this brief extra time?

  She couldn’t remember anything from her previous life, robbed of all her memories when she had woken up in that horrid courtyard…

  Again, she threw her shoulder against the door, this time letting out a furious roar to spur herself on, to drown out the pain. Her body was small and fragile, but there was no other way, she had to try.

  I can’t waste this second chance!

  “Who’s there?”

  A voice came from the other side of the wood, quiet, confused, but strangely familiar. She wanted to reach it.

  She had to.

  Then everything would be okay!

  “Help, please! Help me!” Nia screamed and smashed into the wood again.

  The stench grew stronger.

  She could now hear the creature’s ragged breathing, just behind her.

  “Please!”

  In the distance, another scream and a strange unknown slurping sound. Then two more screams.

  Rustling. Scratching behind the door.

  She closed her eyes, tried to calm herself.

  The creature was almost upon her.

  Should she face it with dignity?

  Look into those small, dark eyes and the gaping maw full of tiny teeth?

  No!

  Just as she heard a creaking sound in front of her, Nia threw herself against the door again but struck only empty air. With a cry, she stumbled forward, momentum carrying her as she crashed onto the plainly paved floor on the other side. The fall knocked the breath from her lungs.

  As she gasped, she saw a young man slam the door shut behind her and quickly barricade it with a heavy dark wooden beam.

  Panting, Nia rolled onto her back as a loud bang shook the room. The young man flinched back as the creature struck the door.

  But it held.

  Barely.

  “Thank you…” Nia began, but he was already pulling her to her feet.

  “Come on, quickly!” he urged, just as another vile scream tore through the air, this one further away.

  Despite her fear and the burning pain in her side and shoulder, Nia felt something peaceful radiating from the man’s hand.

  It wasn’t just warm… it was soothing.

  She realized with sudden clarity that the hope she’d felt, the calm that had called her forward… they had come from him.

  Can he save me?

  “Thank you so much!” Nia coughed.

  “Don’t worry. Sorry I hesitated, but I… I wasn’t sure if someone was really in danger, or if it was just a trick by one of those… things. But your voice, it sounded… familiar somehow.”

  Nia finally looked at him properly.

  He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a simple gray linen shirt and pants, with plain leather shoes. She noticed, distantly, that she was dressed the same. His brown hair was long and messy, and his eyes sat just a little farther apart than usual, but his face was kind.

  Inviting.

  “Do I know you?” she asked, as a strange sense of recognition washed over her at the sight of his faint, brief smile.

  “Maybe. Who knows? I just woke up and don’t remember anything from before. I’m Locu, I think. Who are you?”

  “Nia. Same here. I just woke up and saw someone who…”

  A shiver ran down her spine as she stopped horrid images from numbing her thoughts. Locu opened his mouth to respond, but another bang shook the door, and splinters of wood shot through the air.

  “No time! We have to go!” he urged, turning toward another door, half-hidden behind rotting shelves.

  She followed him quickly, driven by the promise of safety that radiated from his determined movements. Despite everything going on around them, Nia’s thoughts kept drifting, even as they ran into the next room and down a new corridor.

  Where are we? Where did we end up?

  After barricading another door behind them and stumbling down a stone staircase with irregularly shaped steps, they had to run through another passageway. This one, however, was open on the right side, lined with small, moss-covered columns that gave off a disgusting, acrid smell.

  Beyond the columns, she caught sight of a vast open space. For a moment, Nia thought it was a garden, though she couldn’t remember how she even knew that term.

  She realized she didn’t really understand how she could speak and think at all without memories, or why she recognized things, but words seemed to come to her when she looked at items or thought about certain questions…

  A garden…? No, not quite right…

  Yes, there was a stream winding through small trees and strange-looking plants. Yes, there was grass covering the uneven ground. And yet everything felt dead, as dead as a garden should never be. The trees were brittle, gray, and sickly. The grass was brown and unhealthy. Slick, pus-like black substance was spreading everywhere, across patches of ground and along the nearby ruined walls.

  The stream bubbled, and its acrid stench brought tears to her eyes.

  Why am I here? Why did I wake up in this world… this Dream?

  Had she done too many unspeakably horrible things in her past life? Was this punishment for something? Was she somehow unworthy of spending eternity in happiness and peace?

  Nia didn’t like these thoughts, but they forced their way in… until she and Locu suddenly found themselves in front of another door at the end of the half-open corridor. With a furious roar, he threw himself against it.

  The wood didn’t budge.

  The creature chasing them hadn’t caught up yet, but it surely wouldn’t take long. New screams accompanied with more roaring and slurping sounds filled the air, somewhere in the distance, and two men and a young woman burst into the weathered courtyard from another nearby corridor.

  Both men were slightly overweight. One was bald, the other with thin dark hair and a bushy mustache.

  Despite their build, they ran surprisingly fast.

  The young woman following them held a slightly curved, long metal rod like a spear, ready for combat. Her long dark hair, soaked with sweat, clung to her face, revealing just a glimpse of her lightly tanned features. A dark liquid clung to her makeshift weapon and linen clothes. With determined focus, she drove the two men forward, all the while scanning the surroundings.

  Soon, the group was moving along the wall toward them… and reached Nia and Locu.

  “Who are you?” the young woman demanded, her hand gripping the long metal rod tightly, though her voice held a note of concern.

  “We’re just trying to escape… same as you,” Locu replied curtly.

  He sounded confident, but Nia could feel his hand trembling… So, she held it tighter.

  The two men exchanged a quick glance, then looked at the woman.

  “We can’t stay here, Uda,” urged the bald man. “Those things are still out there.”

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  The young woman sighed, frustrated… then gave a quick nod.

  “I know, Tonu! You two…” She nodded toward Nia and Locu. “Come with us! The more of us there are, the better. I’m not going to let us end up like the people those screams belong to. Stay close to the walls. The night sky isn’t as empty as it looks.”

  “I know... I saw a shadow…” Nia whispered, but immediately fell silent.

  The memories turned her stomach again.

  “For us, it was a little more than just a shadow,” the man with the mustache nodded, and from the look on his face, Nia could tell he felt at least as uneasy as she did.

  “I’m Dal. That’s Uda and Tonu,” the man added quickly, gesturing toward his two companions with a few nervous movements.

  “We don’t have time for chit-chat,” Tonu muttered, running a hand over his thinning hair.

  Uda gave a tight nod, and after a quick exchange of looks, Nia and Locu joined them.

  Soon, the group was creeping along the crumbling garden, keeping close to the stone walls and doing their best to avoid the slimy dark growths. The stench was unbearable, and it brought tears to Nia’s eyes again. Her stomach twisted in pain.

  She kept hearing the distant screams of people dying, echoing through the ruins. A constant reminder of the danger still lurking nearby.

  Screams from people who hadn’t been lucky enough to find shelter… or company.

  As they moved, Nia couldn’t help but glance at their new companions more than once. Dal, despite his trembling, moved with surprising agility. Tonu had a focused expression, every movement deliberate and calculated. And Uda, clearly their leader, radiated a kind of determination that gave Nia a flicker of hope.

  Maybe… maybe we really can make it through this? Together?

  Again and again, she glanced up at the dark night sky. Was one of those creatures up there… waiting to strike from the shadows? Clouds were starting to cover the moon. Still, they pushed forward as quickly as they could.

  “What were you talking about? What is in the sky?” Locu whispered as they jumped over one of the offshoots of the bubbling, dark stream.

  “When I woke up, I saw something… a creature… it killed a man near me... There’s danger from above…”

  Locu nodded and looked ahead again, and Nia squeezed his hand tighter. The young man felt like a warming fire beside her, and she kept glancing at him in admiration.

  They all have such purpose… I just ran around blindly like a coward…

  Before Nia could dwell on the thought any further, they reached the entrance to another corridor. The hallway was narrower, and to Nia’s horror it was dark and sprawling. She could barely make out any details along the walls. Everything was covered in crumbling stone and twisted vines. The air was thick, heavy with moisture… and disease.

  Are there creatures in the dark?

  Locu hesitated… but moved forward. His broad shoulders nearly brushed the walls as he walked. Nia followed close behind, her heart pounding in her chest.

  What if a creature bursts through the wall?

  Or if the wall itself was some malevolent being? Ready to close around her and devour her whole? In this world of madness?

  “There, ahead!” Uda whispered directly behind Nia.

  Yes… she’s right!

  Barely visible, a faint light illuminated the far end of the corridor.

  “That might be our way out,” Locu whispered over his shoulder.

  His voice was steady and gave Nia a fresh spark of courage.

  “I sure hope so,” Dal muttered from farther behind her.

  They hurried on, their footsteps echoing softly through the narrow passageway. As they drew closer to the light, Nia could make out the outline of another door. This one was incredibly narrow, slightly ajar, letting that saving light spill toward them.

  Relief washed over her… but only for a moment.

  A furious growl rang out behind her, followed by the sound of claws scraping against stone.

  “Go, go, go!” Uda shouted, pushing Nia and Locu forward, gently, but firmly.

  The corridor kept narrowing, and soon Nia had to turn sideways to squeeze through. For a terrifying second, she felt like she was stuck… but then she made it, stumbling forward alongside Locu.

  They emerged into a wide, open chamber. The air was still and cold, the floor coated in a thick layer of dust. On the far end stood a wooden gate, larger than any they had seen before. Ornate, covered in intricate carvings… yet aged, partially overgrown with moss.

  Nia looked back into the narrow corridor. Her heart sank as the growling grew louder.

  We don’t have much time.

  Behind her, Dal was trying to force his way through the tight gap, but was stuck. The hissing sounds behind him in the darkness were rising to a frenzy. At last, Uda gave him a hard pull and yanked him free.

  “Thanks, but keep going!” Dal panted, gesturing ahead.

  Another growl came from the dark passage, driving them onward.

  They rushed to the gate, and Nia’s hands worked feverishly to open it. Her fingers trembled as she ran her palms over the ornate woodwork. She could hear the creature more clearly now… the foul stench of its breath was thick in the air.

  Still, the gate wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard she pushed.

  “Hurry, help me,” Nia whispered, looking to Locu. “We’re running out of time.”

  Uda quickly stepped past her and pushed against the gate. With a loud creak, it swung open. The screeching behind them was so close, Nia thought the monster was screaming directly into her ear.

  They didn’t hesitate. They burst through the opening just as the creature’s claws scraped across the stone behind them. When Nia looked back, she saw the beast trying to squeeze through the narrow corridor, but it had gotten stuck. Now it writhed, twisting and straining to break free. Eventually, it gave up and retreated into the darkness it had come from.

  For a moment, Nia heard nothing but her own breath. Only then could she focus on the place unfolding before them.

  She found herself standing on a vast, open field. The night sky above was completely black, vast, and seemingly endless. The air was cool and fresh, a sharp contrast to the suffocating atmosphere of the ruins.

  We made it!

  Relief crashed over her, and Nia collapsed onto the ground. Tears streamed down her face.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, looking at Locu and the others. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

  Locu knelt beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

  “We’re safe now,” he said softly.

  “No… we’re not,” Uda corrected him bitterly.

  Nia looked up at her.

  The young woman had started scanning their surroundings again with her sharp, focused eyes.

  “We don’t know how many of those creatures there are, or where we can hide. If we head out into the open field, the flying monsters could spot us. And if we stay here, they might come from behind… I think we should wait a bit. Catch our breath. Regroup.”

  “But Uda, we can’t stay!” Tonu objected with a furrowed brow. “One of those things definitely knows where we are now.”

  “I know, I know. But the corridor isn’t safe either. If something comes through that can fit, we’re done for. So… we move on after all?” Uda said cautiously, pointing her metal rod toward the field ahead of them.

  “Wait… wait! What… what is that?”

  Nia suddenly saw a pulsing, shimmering light in the distance near the edge of a forest. It glowed in vivid colors: first a brilliant purple-red, then yellow, then azure blue and emerald green. And in between it all… pure white.

  The names of those dazzling colors came to her instantly from somewhere within her. Especially the blue, which kept flashing between the others… she liked that one most.

  “What is what, Nia?”

  Locu had turned his head toward the open field but quickly looked back at her.

  “A mirage? Are you imagining things?” Dal asked carefully.

  “I don’t see anything,” Tonu commented, squinting hard.

  “Yeah, what are you talking about?” Uda asked, confused and just a little alarmed.

  She had used the moment of calm to brush her black hair from her face. Nia was surprised at how graceful yet determined she looked. She had large, dark brown eyes and pale lips. And there were two small, black, vertical markings, one on her forehead and one on her chin.

  When Nia also noticed how strikingly attractive Uda looked overall… she blinked and glanced discreetly over at Locu.

  Did he notice it too?

  Nonsense.

  The thought seemed ridiculous the moment it passed through her mind. Locu was probably feeling just as comforted by her presence as she was by his.

  Right?

  “I still can’t see anything,” said Tonu, who had been scanning the entire horizon with watchful eyes.

  “Nia, are you sure?” Uda asked.

  Nia studied her for another moment… but then sank back into her thoughts.

  Did Uda have someone who gave her this feeling too? That sense of safety in the middle of this horrifying chaos? What about Tonu and Dal…?

  Only another horrific scream from behind made her flinch.

  “There are still people inside,” Uda stated matter-of-factly.

  “That’s true, but we can’t go back. It’s too dangerous. Maybe… the light Nia sees… maybe it points to a safe place?” Dal suggested.

  “Yeah, Dal’s right. It could be something… maybe a test? Maybe we’re being tested! To see if we can reach that light? What do you think, Uda?” Tonu added, nodding briefly.

  For a moment, Uda seemed to weigh her response, but then turned back to Nia.

  “What exactly do you see?”

  “It’s… like a wall. A wall of colors. Pulsing… kind of see-through too…”

  Nia looked out into the distance again. She could see the lights more clearly now. Maybe her eyes had simply adjusted to the glow?

  It felt like a beacon.

  “They… they feel safe… The lights feel safe. Like a protective wall…”

  Nia was so captivated, she nearly forgot how much danger they were still in.

  “Hey, Nia, are you okay?” Locu asked gently, brushing a hand along her back.

  “Yes, Locu. I… I think they’re safe. That’s how they feel to me.”

  “Wait, now I see them too!” Locu suddenly exclaimed, smiling.

  “It could be a trap. Manipulation. You are the only one who saw them, after all,” Uda warned, keeping her eyes on Nia.

  “Told you so!” Dal exclaimed, and Tonu rolled his eyes.

  “But I do see them too!” Locu repeated, this time with more insistence.

  “Yeah, sure you do…” Uda muttered, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Or maybe you’re just saying that because she says it…”

  “What choice do we have? Of course I want to get her to safety! But I swear, I see them too!” Locu growled, stepping forward to face Uda.

  If she was impressed by any of that, she didn’t let it show.

  “Come on! He’s right, Uda! Besides, after what you did to that monster earlier, I’d say you should be the least worried out of all of us,” Dal jumped in to back Locu, glancing at the faint bend in Uda’s metal rod.

  She remained silent, letting her gaze drift over Locu, who stood almost a head taller than her, then looked to Nia with a measuring glance… and finally gave a reluctant nod.

  “Fine. I’m outvoted. Who even knows what’s right anymore? Then… let’s run to the barrier as fast as we can. As little time out in the open as possible! I’ll take the rear and do what I can to hold off anything that might come after us! If anything even does… And you, just run! Got it? Run and don’t stop, no matter what you hear or see! Promise me! All of you!”

  “I promise, Uda. Thank you… thank you for risking your life for us,” Nia nodded.

  Then she gave her a small smile, but worry tugged at her chest.

  I wouldn’t have the courage to risk my life for them… would I? Why is she doing this? Just like that, without hesitation? That is so weird!

  “Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Locu whispered into her ear.

  “She’s not going to die, definitely not. She seems way too tough for that. Please don’t worry,” Dal added.

  “But what if she does die? Gets torn apart… for us…”

  “Then she gives us something very precious: time.”

  Nia wanted to say something more, but Uda had already given the signal, and Locu pulled her with him.

  And so, they ran, side by side, across the grassy field… toward the shimmering lights that only she and Locu could see.

  The sight of Locu’s broad back ahead of her gave Nia a strange sense of comfort and safety… and distraction from the screams that were now a lot less frequent.

  It was still strange, how deeply she already felt connected to him.

  Is he even my type? What is my type, anyway...?

  Where even am I? What are these ruins?

  Her thoughts began to bubble up, slowly now, the ones she had pushed away in the chaos.

  The questions.

  She hadn’t even had time to fully grasp what was happening... She had died, that much she knew. But how, and when, and where… all of that was gone.

  Maybe forever.

  All that remained in her memory was this world.

  This world…

  The Dream.

  But it wasn’t a pleasant dream. There was only terror.

  Though, at least… at least she had someone. Someone she belonged with. Someone who stayed with her in the darkness and helped her find the light.

  Together.

  Now that the danger was fading and the lights were getting closer, she finally found herself looking forward to what might come next.

  Soon… things will get better…

  When the creature erupted from the hill ahead of them, she nearly ran straight into its gaping, drooling maw.

  The ground trembled beneath her. The tremors almost threw Nia off balance, and she would’ve fallen, but Locu yanked her out of the way just in time, keeping her on her feet.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dal’s upper half being torn apart: The massive dark body of the slithering, tentacled horror streaked past her, and in an instant, the man was shredded to pieces.

  Dal’s scream got caught in his throat… then silence, replaced by waves and impossible shapes.

  Tonu stopped, maybe out of shock, maybe out of disbelief, and that hesitation gave the beast’s tail just enough time to catch him full-on.

  His shattered remains were flung away from them, and Nia could barely make out how they, too, melted into fluid forms and swirls.

  She heard Uda roar, her voice bursting with both desperation and fierce resolve.

  When Nia turned to look back, she saw the young woman charging at the monster, armed only with her ridiculous weapon.

  She’s lost her mind!

  They were about to lose Uda too… crushed beneath the body of that alien horror. But to Nia’s suprise, she watched the young woman duck fluidly beneath the creature’s mass and slam her metal rod into the monster’s skull.

  A deafening crack echoed across the fields.

  Again and again, the rod came crashing down, long after the creature had stopped moving. At last, the monster’s head burst apart, and Uda was drenched in black, slimy blood as she screamed her hatred into the night.

  Locu pulled Nia onward, trying to get her to safety. The barrier - at least Nia prayed it was a barrier - was getting closer and closer.

  It had to be safety.

  It had to be!

  Almost.

  Almost there!

  “Fliers! Fliers!” Uda suddenly screamed, her voice still trembling with fury, but now shadowed by concern.

  The ground trembled again.

  Another creature erupted from the earth in front of Nia… and writhed toward her.

  This time, it was too close to dodge.

  Too close to…

  Nia felt Locu shove her away again. A faint grin flickered across his face, and his sorrowful eyes looked down at her as she fell to the ground.

  His face, his eyes, his... smile.

  Nia felt at home in his features. That brief smile. Those eyes. Something rose inside her, familiar, almost sacred, until...

  Locu vanished into the monster’s jaws, crushed by immense, ruthless muscles.

  As the pain tore through Nia’s mind, all her senses shattered, drowned in wild fury and searing grief.

  It felt as if a part of her had been ripped away… a part more vital than her limbs, her eyes, even her heart. She felt nothing but numbness.

  Vague memories drifted through her mind… Her fists pounding against the door, Locu waiting on the other side. Her terror of dying again. Her desperate determination to reach him. He had been there for her. And for reasons Nia couldn’t explain, their souls had been connected.

  He had been a part of her.

  A part that no longer existed...

  A wild, broken laugh escaped her lips and Nia realized she wanted to die again.

  Only pain.

  Only pain...

  Pain that crashed down on her, filled her up, and drowned her in the sorrow and madness of loss.

  Nia didn’t care anymore.

  She didn’t care that the creature turned and slithered back toward her.

  She didn’t care that the metal rod shot so quickly through the monster’s skull it was barely visible.

  The thing was slammed to the ground, where it perished in a pool of dark, bloody slime.

  Nia didn’t resist as she was pulled toward the lights and colors, her body limp and numb.

  She barely felt the rain on her skin… a rain that may have only existed in her mind, driving her deeper into pain and madness.

  Locu...

  When his face appeared once more in her mind’s eye, she collapsed, crying, screaming.

  Without him...

  …she was alone.