Astrid awoke. She needed to get to work, her shift at the Chestnut hospital started in an hour and she needed to get her mind off of last night's dream. This man, that had the face of her friend, and had told them all about their upcoming doom had her a little stunned.

She felt as if that maybe he had been speaking of her waking world. But that was just a ridiculous notion. These dreams really needed to stop impacting her this way. There was nothing in reality that could destroy the fate of her universe, let alone 'every other universe' out there.

She was silly for even considering that she might be something other than ordinary. Astrid showered, had some breakfast and checked her phone. 5:32am. She still had 30 minutes until her shift started. She got in her car and drove to work.

Fortunately, her friend Chelsea was just finishing the night shift and was preparing to go through the list of patients with the rest of the day staff. "You look like you didn't get enough sleep, Astrid!" "Trust me, I did! But I feel how I look." She joked. "But how was last night?"

"Not too bad I suppose, one person was bleeding out, so we had to help him. We are also being admitted a psychiatric patient. He has been cutting himself, though oddly enough it is not classed as a suicide attempt. He used to be a doctor until he was considered mentally unstable."

"Is he dangerous?" Astrid asked. "Why would they keep him here and not upstairs?" "For some reason they believe he isn't a threat. But he will be here by 9.30am this morning."

Chelsea ran through the remainder of the patients then left ready to head home. Astrid began her rounds and then started the admission process for their new patient who would be admitted.

Finally, by 10am the new patient was admitted and laying in his bed in his single person room and was requiring fresh bandages to his arms. He seemed like a very friendly man, though quite a bit frazzled.

He was tall, slim, with dark hair and blue eyes, His notes said that he was 52 years of age. Approximately two decades older than Astrid. "Good Morning, Harrison Wells. You're a doctor, I see" Astrid spoke to him, trying to build a rapport with the man. "Yes, I am… was… until the day that they didn't believe me. They thought I was crazy! But I will show them. Astrid, we will show them!"

Astrid looked down at her name badge. It was evident that she hadn't yet given her name to the patient, so she assumed that he had read it from her badge. She decided to humour the man, to stay on his good side and to avoid getting him angry.

"Yes, Dr Wells we shall show them. What shall we show them?"
"That the end is coming. They will all be obliterated if we don't stop it in time. But its all my fault! All my fault that it is happening. I shouldn't have done it! No I shouldn't have done it. But it is already in motion and it has been coming for some time."

Astrid was frightened a little. But she considered that these were just the ramblings of a mad man and not to be taken seriously.

"When will this happen, Dr Wells? Do you know?" she asked him softly.
"In exactly 8 months and 25 days." He responded sternly. "All the worlds will explode and it will be because of us, Astrid." He took hold of her hand. "…all because of us. Unless we do something. Unless you do something. Only you can help them and me and your friends. Please Astrid. Please help us all!" The man pleaded with Astrid.

He was needing reassurance. Just like she needed reassurance with her crazy notion of alternate universes. But there was an eerie coincidence to this man and her dreams. Such similar stories.

"Shh. Its ok Dr Wells. I promise you I will do what I can to help. But first I need to change your bandage and clean your wound. Is that ok?"

It was as if a light had gone on in the man's mind. "Oh yes! The message! You need to see the message! Only you will know what it means!" He gave her his bandaged left arm and she put her gloves on and readied her equipment.

"Hurry, you need to be quicker," Dr Wells said as she begun to peel off the adhesive bandage from his forearm. "You need to read it!"

"Read wha-" She stopped in mid-sentence and gaped at the engraved message in his arm. The blood was still fresh in some places but the words were still very clearly written.

ASTRID USE YOUR GIFTS TO STOP THE END!
She could not move, could not continue to clean the wounds. She was frozen stiff.

"Quick bandage it up before someone else sees it!" He demanded but took the bandage from her and did it himself. He clearly knew how to dress a wound, this was evident.

Astrid came to her senses and cleaned the rubbish away quickly. She needed to leave the room as soon as possible. She had to get out of there. She could feel her breath quickening. She felt dizzy.

She rushed back to the nurse's station and told them she was going on her coffee break. She needed it. She needed to think straight for right now she could barely think at all.

She stood at her locker and focused on her breathing. Why would that stranger's arm say that? Had this man been stalking her? But why would he even do such a thing? He had no idea who she even was! Despite reading her name badge that is.

"Astrid? Are you OK? You look as if you are having a panic attack!" Astrid looked up to see Dr Emma Jackson standing in front of her. She was particularly young but also pretty bright and one of the few doctors that Astrid got along with outside of work.

"I think I just might be." Astrid responded, focusing on her breathing. "Here sit down and tell me what happened."

"Just one of our new patients. He is a little mentally unstable. He just said a few things and they sort of scared me. I am also not sure if anyone has read just what has been engraved into his arm."

"I saw that. I was actually going to ask you earlier if you knew the man at all."
"No. No I have never met him in my entire life."

"You're sure?"
"I am absolutely positive, what do you know about the man?" Astrid asked her. She needed reassurance that this man was not a stalker who had been watching her for quite some time.

"I really cannot say Astrid. I had hoped that they wouldn't have asked you to do his admission. Look I am going to write a prescription for you to go home early. You look too frazzled to work any more."

"Emma, really. I am fine. I can do my job."
"It is not that, Astrid. Look, I want you to go home. Get some rest. Come back in the morning. You will be fine. Ok?"

Dr Jackson headed for the door leaving Astrid with her thoughts to get her belongings and go home.

What was going on here? Then it dawned on Astrid. 'Dr Jackson...' Astrid thought to herself, 'Dr Jackson… Where have I heard that name before?' Then she remembered. She just needed to know.

As Astrid was leaving, she saw Dr Emma again. "I let your supervisor know that you are heading home. I want you to try and relax, and keep me informed if you have any more of those panic attacks, OK?"

"I will. May I ask you something, Emma?"
"Sure you can." Dr Jackson responded.
"What is your father's name?"
"I do not see how this is relevant to your predicament. But his name is Henry. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Astrid lied, This was all to coincidental for her liking. Casually she turned and left. She headed right out the door and hurried towards her car. She knew where she was heading. To the Sleep Research Centre to speak to Dr Fullton. Her appointment was not for a couple more days but she needed to do it now. There was just too many coincidences going on.

Why would that psychiatric patient have her name carved into his arm? What was going on here? She needed answers! She needed them now!

"I'm here to see Dr Fullton!" Astrid said to the receptionist, once she had arrived at the Sleep Research Centre.
"Do you have an appointment?" The red head lady at the desk asked her.
"Not until Friday. But it is urgent. Please! Tell him Astrid Sutherland is here to speak to him. Please."

"Astrid Sutherland? Your Psychologist referred you to him, am I correct?" she asked adjusting her glasses.
"Yes she did." Astrid said with impatience.
"I was going to tell you to wait until Friday, but that actually changes things. Sit down and I will call him and send you up immediately."

"Thank you so much!" Astrid said excitedly and sat down on the waiting room chair.
She remembered the bloody message clearly in her mind. Telling her to 'use her gifts'. She wondered if she had and figured that it was worth a shot.

She looked around at a mother smiling at her toddler on the other side of the waiting room. She focused hard on what the mother might be thinking. Nope! It was useless! That man must have been crazy. The mother noticed Astrid staring at her. "Hi," The mother said politely. "What are you here for."

Astrid said the first thing that came to mind. "Sleep apnoea." She was in no mood to be friendly at this moment. She looked down at the floor and rubbed her temples with her fingers. She could feel a headache coming on.

"Astrid Sutherland." She looked up at who had called her name. An older man of about 60, dressed in a suit was standing before her. "I am Dr Fullton. I understand you wanted to see me early. It just so happens that I have a slot to book you in. So if you will follow me, we can begin."

Astrid followed the doctor through a long corridor, into an elevator to the 2nd floor and into an office. The office had a desk and a seat and a large window looking into a room with a bed. To the right of the window was a door going into the room.

"Your psychologist put through all your paperwork this morning. Your case is a very interesting one, so I am eager to get started, if you are."

Astrid nodded, "how does this whole thing work?" she wondered.
"I will give you a sedative which should make you fall asleep instantly. As you fall asleep you will be connected up to this machine which will monitor your vitals and your brain waves.

I can also monitor you to see if you begin talking, or walking or doing any other activities in your sleep. I have performed this procedure multiple times in the past, so everything is very safe."

"I am eager to get started." Astrid told him and it wasn't long before she had taken the tablets and was laying on the bed connected up to the machine. From the adjoining room, Dr Fullton spoke through a microphone, which sounded out over a speaker in her room.

"Miss Sutherland, I would like for you to begin counting down from 10," he told her.
Astrid nodded, and began counting. "10, 9, 8…"