I had a dream. The same dream I had so many times before. The scenery, bright and filled with laughter, unfolded yet again before me, but this time, it was different.
Edmund wasn't there.
And before I even realized it, I had woken up, unable to remember it.
"...hell... fuck."
I felt cold shackles around my wrists and ankles, as I opened my eyes quickly. Next to me, someone slurred out their panic. Why were curse words the first thing I would hear after waking up? The voice sounded masculine yet childish, like a teenager's. I looked next to me, however, I couldn't identify them as I saw only pitch-black. Though I had no clue why, even I couldn't see well here. The place was so dark, I felt lost. Like I was alone in this world.
But I wasn't. Someone was alive next to me, energized enough to curse and mutter vulgarities. With a shuffled sound, I tried sitting up, as I was originally lying on the cold ground. I was ready to speak up, but the person swore yet again.
"Wha- where the fuck am I?" Significantly louder, the voice now sounded quite familiar. In disbelief, I recognize it, my heart missing a beat.
"Eli?"
"Uh..? Damn! Yuri, is that you?"
The panicked and vulgar answer made my mind lighter, as if the anxiety was quickly leaving. My heart racing, only a hurried "mh-mh" could be heard from me. So many thoughts roamed my mind fastly, yet I had no time to interpret them. I turned around to touch him, his arm or perhaps his shoulder... only to be met with a tight hug.
"Oh my god?! I thought I was alone here! I was about to cry, seriously!"
His yell, yet very loud, was shaking. We did not hug for long, but I could feel his deep relief when recognizing me. I was the same. But sadly, we had to know what was going on, now. And I needed to know where and how the others were.
"Do you remember what happened? And the others…" I asked, trying not to show my anxiety. Still holding my arm, Eli seemed distressed. We couldn't even see each other, it would be fair to say we were terrified. He voiced hesitation, before answering.
"I don't know... I actually just woke up. I-I remember standing behind you at that house. And then... I felt a sharp pain in my head and fell down. I can't remember anything else. I don't even have a bump, it's like I was taken out of my own mind or something..."
With cold sweats, I tried clearing my fuzzy memories, recalling what had happened. Back then, as I was looking for people in the house, I had turned my back on the obvious and didn't realize my friends were in danger... in an obvious trap at that.
With a choking heart, I explained what happened to me. About my cluelessness that something terrible was happening right behind me, about the strange man and woman and the brillante… And about Edmund. Now that I'd realize it, we've all been careless. And not only a little bit. Who, in their right mind, would think finding a warm and welcoming house in the middle of the night was a legit event? It had obviously been a trap, and I was so ashamed I couldn't breathe properly. By our stupid mistake and ignorance, we had been kidnapped. There was no other explanation, humans weren't built for this kind of world. And the one that led us on was Edmund... We had all been fooled, and words couldn't explain how shameful I felt. Now stuck in the dark with not many ways to move around, I felt completely helpless.
"I'm sorry..." I muttered, guilt overwhelming me.
Eli quickly cut me out of it;
"Hey. I haven't known you for this long and I have no idea how you survived in the old world till now, but you really need to stop blaming yourself on everything. Or you'll die. Seriously, it ain't your fault if some random dude lied to us and led us to our doom, you're a victim too."
His voice was low, but firm. Taken aback, all I could think about was how serious Eli was about me and the situation. I felt a bit vulnerable, but I still tried.
"Well sor-... Alright. Thanks for telling me."
I couldn't see, but I had a feeling Eli smiled.
"It's not a reproach, I'm just saying we were all a bit stupid. Especially Jay."
With a scuffed laugh, I took his words as they were. I had to come in peace with myself, if my goal was to survive. Although in a desperate situation, I felt relaxed with the discussion unfolding. Like nothing could be done anyways, we just had to wait.
"So? How can we get out of here?" With a sigh, Eli kept talking, "Although I have no idea why we're even stuck in this place, I would really like to go find the others."
"Me too… But I can't see anything, and it seems like those shackles won't let us go anywhere."
I sighed, before pinching the bridge of my nose. We had to find a way to escape, but we were stuck here like prisoners in a cell. My fingers were cold, I had a terrible headache and couldn't even describe that gut-wrenching feeling I had, thinking about the worse. Still, I tried. I slightly brushed the cold ground and wall with my fingers. Eli seemed to be doing the same. We continued for a few minutes, before coming to the conclusion that the only things surrounding us were cold bricks, rocks and dirt. My eyes were still not used to the dark, it felt as if something, like a black curtain, covered them. I couldn't even see anything in my mind. It was truly unsettling. There was nothing we could try to attempt an escape. We were helpless.
..until the clattering sound of shackles, breaking and falling to the ground, broke the cold silence.The noises spread across the spacious room, coming from an uncertain distance.
"Wha-.."
There was someone else with us. And they were about to escape.
+
Hamza looked at Edmund, perplexed.
"Why do you look like that?"
"Look like what?"
The man's eyes were empty, expressionless. Usually, there would be this confident, calculating air to him. It was as if the mission from last night had left some negative feelings in his heart.
"Did you get attached to them?" With a sigh, Hamza looked down. He had known Edmund from the beginning of the apocalypse, yet had never even thought of Edmund as a being with feelings. He continued; "you do know Jimen won't like it.. right?"
Edmund sighed, before looking away. "It's not that, it's just… I kind of feel bad for them. They seemed like good people. I don't know why Jimen is targeting Yuri…"
From what he had seen in the few months he spent with Yuri's group, there was no reason to be so wary of him. It was the opposite, he thought. When Yuri had fainted, all of them were anxiously waiting for him to wake up. They would bicker childishly and spend their time together as if they had known each other their entire life despite the world they lived in. They were all kind and genuine, so Edmund was confused as to why Jimen would target him in the first place. but… Jimen's existence itself being a mystery, Edmund decided not to think too much.
Hamza sighed again.
"As long as it doesn't cause trouble… Don't turn your back on Jimen. Alright?"
With a nod, Edmund turned around and walked away. That's right, he couldn't betray someone again. Not twice.