Under the cold morning breeze, with the humid air flowing with every exhale and inhale, Joey stood in a strange place after waking up from his heavy sleep.
Between an expansive blue sky and a damp green carpet, he found himself alone in a vast field filled with tall grasses swaying gently with the dawn breeze. Everything seemed calm, but he felt a sense of strangeness. How did he get here?
He looked around. To his right, the horizon was open and endless, with green grass stretching into the unknown. When he turned to his left, the scene was the same. The place seemed boundless and inescapable.
He had no choice but to walk. He started walking towards a small hill that loomed in the distance, hoping it would reveal something to him. The ascent was tiring, and the grass beneath his feet was wet.
When he reached the summit, he stopped to catch his breath. Before him, the land stretched as it had been: green fields glistening under the rays of a gentle sun.
He stood in silence, watching the scene, then whispered to himself in fear:
"This is a dream... no, a nightmare."
But the calm was suddenly shattered. A cold breeze carried a faint sound from behind him:
Soon... you will be in the shadow of the path.
He turned quickly, but there was no one. He turned again, panting from the tension, but all he saw were strange footprints ignited by purple flames, starting from where he stood. When he looked at his feet, he saw the same flames igniting around them.
Before he realized what was happening, flames engulfed his entire body. They consumed him quickly, leaving behind fragile ashes. And as everything turned to darkness, the voice returned once more:
"Your question is close... and my answer is far."
Joey woke up suddenly.
He was breathing quickly, his hands trembling. He stared at the ceiling of his room before turning to his phone. A message from Chris said:
"We will meet at the bus station at seven-thirty!"
He looked at the clock. He only had half an hour left to get ready, but his mind was still stuck in the strange dream.
He headed to the bathroom where he took a quick shower, then brushed his teeth and changed his clothes. He stood in front of the mirror smiling while drying his face, a small mole under his left eye adding a distinctive touch to his dark, light coffee-colored skin.
He came out of the bathroom and headed to the end of the hallway where his mother's room was. He opened the door quietly to check on her, but found her deep in sleep. He thought for a moment, then decided to let her continue sleeping without disturbing her
He moved to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. Soon, the apartment was filled with the smell of crispy honey bread. He made two plates of pancakes and added a dish of eggs and warm bread to them. He sat alone at the table, hastily eating his breakfast in preparation for meeting Chris and the others.
And while he was about to finish, his mother entered the kitchen still half-asleep, her face showing signs of astonishment. She mumbled lazily:
"I'm sorry I didn't wake up early to make you breakfast."
Joey smiled and handed her the plate of pancakes when she sat down on the opposite chair, saying with a mouth full of food:
"It's okay, you came back late last night from Aunt Mary's house."
His mother smiled lightly as she picked up a book that was on the table. She raised her gaze to him and said:
"You know your aunt, the conversation with her never ends. We spent the whole day moving between visits and acquaintances. I tried to escape, but it was useless."
She was wearing thin-framed glasses, and her face was rectangular in shape. She took a bite of the bread, then nibbled on the scrambled eggs, their bronzed color resembling a sunset. With one hand, she was reading a book titled "Man and His Symbols," and with the other, she was eating her meal, where other books on the same subject as the first one were lined up.
After a big bite, she suddenly stopped and said without finishing chewing:
"I saw him again, that person in the dream."
Joey glanced at her with interest, got up from his chair, and said:
"Really? Did he contact you this time?"
His mother answered quickly, and disappointment was evident on her face:
"Unfortunately, no." He just stood there, amidst an orchard of gray roses, under a starry black sky. Each dream is slightly different from the one before, but I always feel something changing. This time I was closer to him, the distance between us was almost like this table, but seven times multiplied. I saw his hair... it was a smoky gray-blue, as if it carried the color of dawn when it mingles with the night. Around him were small lights, moving quickly, like flies playing gently between his hands, one playing with them and the other three hanging down. And when I felt I was getting closer, I heard my name being called, "Sarah Rose," and suddenly I woke up, sweating, with the smell of fresh pancakes filling the room.
Joey laughed sadly and said:
"Oh, I always mess up the pies, but look, this time the color is like a sunrise, isn't it?"
His mother smiled, enjoying the crunch of the pastries, while he hurriedly put on his backpack. He looked at the clock and said:
"I have to go now, I don't want to miss the bus. Look how late it is!"
"Good luck in the job interview, I love you."
He said it while hurrying down the stairs, closing the old door behind him in a hurry. When he reached the ground floor, he caught his breath and prepared to run. The nearest station was three major streets away, and he had to hurry.
When he reached the bus station, he found Chris and Alex waiting for him under the old station shelter. He was panting from exhaustion and said, trying to catch his breath:
"Finally arrived. What did I miss?"
He noticed something strange: a person who was not present three times, so he asked:
"Why isn't Dave here today?"
Chris replied as he stepped towards the edge of the sidewalk:
"Dave left early. He said he had personal projects. Don't ask me how... I didn't even understand what he said."
Alex added, turning towards Joey:
He said he would go buy a spare part.
Joey approached him a little and said in astonishment:
"Spare parts? For what? Dave doesn't even own a car or a bike!"
Before either of them could respond, the bus arrived. The door opened with a metallic sound, and a warm breath of engine heat wafted out.
Chris stepped back slightly from the cold sidewalk, and then the three of them went inside. The seats were almost fully occupied, but they found two adjacent seats in the back. The crowd made walking down the aisle difficult, and Joey almost tripped several times because of the students' bags scattered around.
When they finally sat down, Joey was the first to speak. His serious tone caught Chris's attention, which seemed sarcastic to him, sarcastic amidst the smells of new and old school bags.
"Have you come up with anything regarding the Berry Company? Or are we still going around in the same empty circle?"
Chris sighed and leaned his head back against the seat, saying in frustration:
"We're worse than nothing, Joey. That company is skilled at hiding everything. Even the strange man who attacked us in Jerry's store vanished as if he never existed. No evidence, no trace."
Joey continued with a slight smile:
"Maybe he's a robot? Or an alien creature sent by a group of mad scientists who want to conquer the world,"
Alex intervenes, affirming in a serious tone:
"As Chris said, these people are hiding something. Since the establishment of their company, they have been acquiring a huge number of buildings, properties, and residential complexes. Can you imagine a company that was created just three years ago acquiring more than thirty-five properties? Isn't that suspicious?"
Alex adjusted his glasses that were about to slip off his face, then steadied them as he redirected his gaze to the conversation.
A moment of silence enveloped him as he stared at the rusty bus ceiling, lost in thought. There was a barely hanging spider web. He sighed slightly and then said:
"What if we go ourselves and inspect this company up close? You know, sneak in there... maybe we'll find something interesting."
Alex's voice unintentionally rose, causing some students to turn with suspicious looks. He quickly realized this, lowered his voice, and whispered cautiously:
"Do you mean we should sneak into Berry Company?!"
Chris replied sharply, trying to control the tension:
"What Alex is trying to say is: Are you crazy? Do you want the police to arrest you? Or worse... for the company itself to catch you?"
Joey smiled confidently as if the idea were a fun game.
"Don't worry. The plan is simple. Two of us will sneak in, and the third person will stay outside to keep watch. This way, we'll be safe."
A few seats away, between three to six seats on the left, amidst scattered laughter and side conversations, a girl was sitting quietly observing them. Her gaze showed no apparent interest, but she listened to their conversation with full attention.
Despite her vigilance, none of them noticed her presence or her observation. Her hair was brown, leaning towards black, and her complexion was dark brown like a loaf of brown bread.
.