Chapter 2."Premonition"
The darkness came suddenly, but not silently.
It was nighttime, and the simple comfort of that star-lit skyline was at once overcome and shrouded by something much more dispiriting.
An ardent wave of something overcame the city, flooding it and then spreading out infinitely across the world, flying across the planet itself.
It was suffocating, dimming the street lamps and clouding over the houses as the lights within began to flicker. All over the city, the people were roused by the sound of their crying children.
All were frightened by the sudden darkness, and somewhere, out in the deep night, high-pitched, hysterical laughter echoed through the streets. And beneath their beds, something croaked.
For others, it was from within their closets, hungering growls longing for them. It was just a simple waiting game for now.
The cry of this delirious banshee outside spread through the city, seeping into the dreams of even the heavier sleepers and bringing them sharply into reality.
The woman shifted in her bed and felt someone sleeping next to her.
She flinched and moved off.
The woman had expected to awaken to a nightmare, a stereotypical haunted house moment, where lightning crashed outside her window, and a witch darted across the moon.
But the sight of a black, moonless sky was far more disturbing than anything her imagination could have conjured, and she stared up, out of her window,
Her heart pounding faster and faster, blindness overcame her.
"Something's wrong . . ." So she thought to herself and gazed back at the king-sized bed. There was a prominent figure under the blanket.
It was as though the pure fact of an all-dark sky awakened some deep-seated fear. She couldn't understand why.
The window beside her bed overlooked a completely empty street.
She looked down at her hand and saw a gold ring on her middle finger.
Then the laughter returned to her ear, ripping through all that was good and holy in the world and got louder like it came from . . .
Rebecca was awakened, terrified out of her mind. A coughing fit followed, almost like her lungs were torn apart.
She leaned into the side of the bed, and liquid spewed out of her mouth.
"What . . ." She heaved." Was that?"
She pulled her fruitless gaze from the ground, leaping up to look frantically around her bedroom.
Everything looked normal. The light of dawn peeked from between the curtains.
After a few moments, she shook herself.
That was just in her head, the echoes of a bad dream. That was it.
And so she sat on her bedside briefly, holding her hand over her pounding heart.
If she got back into bed and shut her eyes, she'd wake up in the afternoon, and everything would be like usual.
She took a deep breath and laid back over her twin-sized bed, and rested her head down on the pillow.
She was just pulling the covers back when a flash of red flickered out of the corner of her eye. She shot upright in bed instantly.
Darkness. Only darkness.
Rebecca shook her head one last time as she sank back and allowed sleep to overtake her, and yet she couldn't shake the feeling this was the wrong time to be lazy.
Mid-afternoon, the sky was a beautiful canvas graced with sky blues and pure milky whites.
Rebecca walked out of her apartment. She wore a simple Slub Jersey Hoodie and blue jeans. She allowed her pixie-cut hair to feel some fresh air for a change instead of wearing a hat. The temperature has risen slightly now. Her building was next to the open market, so the streets were hustling and bustling with so much crowd. So many were advertising their goods, kitchen appliances, clothes, perfumes, and so much more. Typical from a city block.
Rebecca did not desire to buy anything, it was her off day, and she wanted to enjoy herself by simply walking, maybe visiting her weird co-worker, and chatting with him.
This man lived up ahead of her building. It takes a bit of a walk to reach his house.
His name is Vincent. The two met in her university, where she works and researches for vaccines.
Its been one year since she has been known as Professor Chambers, and it has been her passion forever. After her survival from that hell known as Arkley mansion and the end of Raccoon city, she chose her path. She was a doctor. She could fight with her cures.
She stopped in front of Vincent's house and took a breath. It was a small one-story house with a large window overlooking the front yard.
Vincent has maintained a cute small garden filled with Basil and avocado trees. Anyone who looks at his house would think it was a greenhouse for taking care of plants and gardening tools.
With a smile, she knocked at the door." Hello!" She called out.
"Come in, Becky." A muffled voice answered her.
She slowly turned the handle and went inside. Right in front of her stood a tall, muscular man with fiery red hair tied to a short Ponytail.
"Professor Chambers in my house, something must have happened."
She couldn't help but chuckle. How Typical.
The professor welcomed her inside and led her to the living room. She always said it was a small space with purple couches and a little bit of a weird taste.
Vincent sat to her left and crossed his arms."So, what's up, Becky?"
She fidgeted slightly, unable to open up and say it. A little too shy for that. But still, he was her good friend, and she could talk to him about things.
" You. . . always spoke of your ability to understand dreams and." She stuttered slightly." Can you help me?"
Vincent's eyes lit up immediately. He always liked this side of her. Although she was too shy to ask for personal favors, it was cute to see.
"I told you, you can ask me, and I will gladly help, baby." He said with his chest puffed out."Tell me what the dream is.
It felt like a rock had been lifted off her chest. She breathed and then started to tell him about that dark dream.
Vincent's face changed from happy to blank to troubled during the process, which she was afraid of. It seems bad luck has finally caught up to her.
It's a curse that has followed everyone caught up in the zombie apocalypse that happened years ago. Either followed and killed or lured back into another terrible place as a challenge to survive it again. She should have known everyday life is a luxury she will never afford, considering the nature of her work.
Vincent reached out and touched her hand. His finger circled around the back of her palm. It gave her comfort.
"Becky, you dream tell me something not quite pleasant. . ." He paused for a moment." You are going to marry a man lost in his own Grief, a darkness in his heart almost affected so many other people around him."
Marriage? That was unexpected.
" You are kidding me, right?" She said with a chuckle." Me, getting married?"
He leaned back on the couch and sighed." I'm never wrong when it comes to this. Remember when I told Aaron about his family visit?"
He brought up a good point. Although so far, all his prediction has come true, she will be a married woman sometime later. Or maybe not.
The question is who.
Could it be Billy Coen? He is the only one she has known that could be lost in his own traumatic thoughts.
But that was years ago. He is probably living peacefully somewhere with a new name and identity.
"Well . . . that's a surprise, I guess." She replied. Unsure what else to say.
Vincent chose to switch up the mood a bit," What do you say if we just watched a movie together today and maybe have dinner?"
"Sounds lovely," Rebecca replied with a smile.
A cabinet in the reception hall stood before him, filled with his belongings.
Glenn reached inside and found a clear plastic box within which were his salvaged clothes he wore before he fainted. The stain around his belt is still there.
His coat wasn't there. Shame, he rather liked that one.
He had to leave this place. It was a hollow asylum, nothing but an old reflection of how terrible life can be for too many people.
He hadn't seen the outside in two days now. Cabin fever was fast becoming a familiar roommate.
He knew there was something wrong with him. Unfortunately, he hasn't fully recovered yet.
The man was pushed across the line by the Over the top Ethanol air. The man knew it was time to leave the hollowed bastion behind.
He didn't belong there and no matter how much the doctor and the nurse tried to convince him to stay, he just had to go. He cannot ignore life forever.
He changed back to his clothes and left the building with his sunglasses on, looking at the ground.
The moment he reached the entrance, his heart fluttered. A feeling he is familiar with. He glanced to his left and saw her face again, going inside.
"Sara?" He whispered. He focused on the woman as she went all the way to the reception desk.
It cannot be. Sara is dead.
Was he hallucinating again? But he could still feel the chilly air from the outside.
He could hear all the chatter going on around him. That woman walking to the reception, and they were answering her.
This is real.
He returned back inside and went for a chair to the opposite side of the hall, his eyes watching the woman's every move.
Once the woman turned her back to the desk, he could see her face clearly. Sara's face.
The woman looked so much like her, with the difference in hair color.
Her eyes darted everywhere, and she looked troubled.
Could this be the woman he had seen before? And the one who called for help?
He must find out who is she and where does she work.
At last, he left his chair and started heading out of the hospital, he went in with a couple of people to blend in, and she won't see him.
"I'm sorry, Miss Chambers, but the man left today." The woman behind the desk answered her.
"Left?" She replied." Was he okay? did he say if something happened to him?"
The woman shook her head sadly." He didn't complete his recovery. He just chose to leave. We cannot force a patient to stay. It's his choice."
There goes her chance to check up on him and ask if he knew her or something.
The look he had given her was absolutely unusual. Unfortunately, it's a question that won't be answered.
Deep down, she hoped he was okay and then went out on her way to meet up with Vincent. They planned to take a walk together before preparing for dinner and a movie.
Thank you for reading.
Thank you The95Will.