Oxy opened her eyes and she was in a strange place that she had never known before. She was standing in front of a gate that stood crookedly as if it was about to fall. Above the gate, there was the inscription that read: "Welcome to Cerebra". The paint of the gate letters had worn off, replaced with rust.
Oxy looked confused. Apart from the gate, she couldn't see clearly because the fog was so thick, blocking her vision. While the sky above her was so red.
What it is? Is she dreaming?
But it felt so real. The air was cold and her breath was suffocating from the fog.
Oxy's heart skipped a beat. This was a scary place. Reminded her of one of the horror films favored by Darren. Like an old abandoned haunted amusement park.
But the words on the gate made her realize that the name of the city was the same as the name of the lost city. Cerebra. Why did she dream about this city? Was she thinking too much about her birthday and the lost city, until she dreamed about this scary place?
Oxy walked through the gate. The sound of the creaking of the gate made her worry that at any moment the gate would collapse to the ground.
Oxy left the gate, she walked slowly through the fog, confused and scared to death.
Then she heard the scream. Oxy's heart skipped a beat. The scream wasn't what she expected in the dense fog. She started to quicken her steps towards the source of the scream. Until finally she came out of the thick fog.
"Please... Don't... Don't..."
Oxy looked around and she found a familiar man. That was Mr. Floks, his father's friend. The man was huddled in a corner of the ruins of the building. There was someone in front of him.
No.
Not someone. Rather, it was a very large creature, perhaps up to two meters long, standing on its two black legs and long nails. The claws.
The creature made a sound like an animal sound, growling.
Before Oxy could understand what was happening, the sound of the man's sobbing disappeared as the man's head was eaten by the creature's enormous mouth.
Oxy widened her eyes. Never thought in her life that she would see such a nightmare. When the creature's huge mouth let go of the man's head, all that was left of the man's head was a skull covered in gray skin with its mouth still open to scream for help.
The body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Oxy held back her scream. She retreated backward, stepping on something that made a noise.
The creature immediately turned to face her.
Oxy could not describe what she saw.
The creature's face was like a skull covered in charred black flesh. Within his eye sockets were pairs of hideous red eyes. That creature... Was a Monster!
Oxy immediately turned around and ran away. She pushed herself to run through the fog. Even though she didn't have direction, she just continued to run because of the feeling of dread all over her body. She heard a thud behind her, a sign that the creature was chasing her!
Get up!
Oxy ordered herself as long as she kept running.
It's just a dream! Wake up!
But she didn't wake up. She still kept running. Her breath was getting lost, her legs were getting tired and shaking. She was scared to death.
Then she felt a grip on her back collar.
She was caught!
Oxy felt her body float into the air, then her body was thrown and hit by a car. She slumped down, hitting the asphalt below her.
The black creature walked up to her.
"Human...." The creature growled. "There's another human..."
Oxy shooked her head. She pressed herself against the car behind her.
"Don't..." Oxy pleaded scared.
The creature's hand moved towards her. Its claw scratched Oxy's arm who was trying to protect herself.
"Food..." The creature growled again.
"No!"
--
Oxy gasped along with the ringing of the bell end of the lesson. She was still breathing so fast, felt so real the tension of the nightmare before her. The kids in her class walked out of the classroom. No one noticed that she had just woken up from a terrible nightmare.
Oxy's breath was still ragged, she lifted her hands that still shaking. His body ached so badly as if the impact of the dreams was so real. There was also a long scratch wound on one of her arms. Blood dripped from the scratch.
Oxy widened her eyes in disbelief.
How could the dream hurt her like this?
She looked around. Seeing the class was empty, she immediately took her bag. She closed her eyes, then concentrated.
Zap!
Oxy opened her eyes again. Now she was in the clinic of her school. Yes, she just changed places in the blink of an eye. Before she was in the class but now she was in the clinic. She had an amazing ability.
She could do the teleportation.
And as long as she lived, she had never met anyone who had the ability like this.
The abnormal ability.
This ability had been hidden for a long time by herself.
Oxy approached the first aid kit box. Fortunately, there was no one in the clinic. she might be careful when she teleported. It would be dangerous if people saw her ability.
Oxy cleaned her wound. She didn't know how to explain her wound if her parents found it. Even she didn't believe what happened to her in that dream. Did she dream of entering the city called Cerebra? Then being attacked by a black monster that can eat a human head, then turn the head into a rotten skull?
Oxy felt dizzy at the thought of her nightmare. Today was her birthday. She didn't want to freak out just because of her dream. She's already pretty screwed up for having a weird ability (though she felt grateful for it sometimes because teleportation can also be advantageous). There's no need to add that horrible weird dream.
"Maybe I've gone crazy," Oxy muttered to herself. Maybe she had hurt herself without realizing it. If so, then Grace would be considered sending her to a mental hospital. And Darren would enthusiastically welcome the idea because he hated her.
Oxy shuddered because of the thought. She didn't want to be locked in a room like she was ever seen on TV. Crazy people who could not be controlled would be got wrapped in their bodies, then left in an empty room without any furniture. Only an empty room with a bright wall that makes you crazier.
Okay, maybe she just watched too many horror movies until thinking about this too far.
Oxy decided to go home immediately. She was no longer in the mood to went around enjoying her birthday with a strange dream and some wound on her body.
Oxy could have teleported, but she decided to just walk. She still had to stay out of trouble. Don't let anyone see her doing this thing or she would be called a wicked child or a monster.
The teleportation also required energy. The energy expended was the same as when she was walking. Strange, but that's how the effect she felt. Even teleportation absorbs a lot of energy and would make her feel hungry or thirsty. By walking she could save more energy.
As Oxy crossed the courtyard toward the school gates, she again felt the sharp gaze stab into her back. She looked up and found his principal, standing in front of the window, as if looking at her. As if the man knew when he would see Oxy again.
"Strange Old Man," Oxy mumbled irritatedly then quickly turned away. She promised herself, once again she found the principal watching her like that, she would immediately ask directly to him.
Oxy walked home and she passed an abandoned playground. He found Darren with his gang smoking around the slide. Oxy stopped, not surprised to find them here.
"Hey, your sister is here, Darren!"
Darren turned his head when one of his friends found Oxy.
Darren stood up and then approached Oxy.
"So this is your club, huh?" Oxy asked sarcastically. "Smoking? You're only sixteen!" She protested.
"I told you to stop acting as you care, Oxy," Darren said, blowing the smoke into Oxy's face, making Oxy's breath tight from inhaling the polluting smoke.
"You have a problem, Darren. And you make friends with the wrong people." Oxy still protested.
"Why do you care? Remember your position, if you want to live to save and sound at school, Oxy. I warn you." Darren warned her.
"I warned you too, Darren," Oxy said sarcastically and quickly walked away. She heard the laughter of the boys behind her. Even though she and Darren never got along, she still felt she had a responsibility to save Darren.
--
Oxy decided to went the hospital where Mr. Floks work. She was still curious about her dream earlier. The man who died in his dream was Mr. Floks who often visit their house on holiday. Mr. Floks was younger than Bill and still unmarried. Oxy kinda liked Mr. Floks because Mr. Floks often gave her gifts. Darren also got, but still, Mr. Floks was a good person for her.
But Oxy hesitated to enter the building. Then she saw her adoptive father walking out of the building with a man in a police uniform. Oxy frowned, she hid from Bill's view. Then secretly followed Bill and the cop. The two of them headed to the parking lot, then stopped in front of a police car. Oxy ducked to hide behind the car not far from them.
Bill lit his cigarette with a fidgety motion.
"Tell it again, Crane." He said to the cop with the thin mustache.
"Yeah," Crane nodded, the cop sighed with a heavy breath. "Floks was found dead in his room around ten a.m."
Oxy covered her mouth, surprised.
"The condition is the same as the other bodies we found in the past three months. The head was rotten very bad."
Oxy widened her eyes when she heard the information.
"Terrifying." Bill sighed. "It was terrible. Is it a disease? Forensics has not yet been able to explain the cause of death. Why the victim's head is rotting? The process is impossible to explain."
"Perhaps it's a disease, Prof," said Crane. "You guys have to find out soon. Otherwise, the people of this town will be in chaos."[]