Chapter 1 : Nightmares
ELENA (888)
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Two months later.
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Darkness. Then pain. Then the deafening sound of my own heartbeat. My eyes snapped open. Everything around me swam in a blur. My head pounded so violently it felt as though someone had driven nails into my skull. I blinked once.
Twice. The world slowly came into focus.
Trees. Towering, endless trees. The damp scent of moss and wet earth filled the air, while moonlight slipped through the dense canopy overhead. Cold bark scraped against my back. I tried to move.I couldn't.
My wrists were bound tightly behind the tree with coarse rope, digging painfully into my skin. What... Where am I? Panic surged through my veins. I twisted violently against the restraints, ignoring the burning sensation spreading across my wrists. The rope refused to give. Every desperate movement only tightened the knots further.
"No..." I pulled harder.
Again.
Again.
Nothing. My breathing became uneven. Think.
Think.
There has to be a way...After several agonizing minutes, reality settled over me.
The rope wasn't breaking. It wasn't going to break. Fear swallowed every rational thought . "Ian!" .. My voice echoed through the endless forest. "Ian!" The name escaped my lips before I could question it.
It felt... natural. Like calling for someone who had always answered. "Ian!" Suddenly
An unbearable pressure sliced across my throat. I gasped, clutching instinctively at my neck. It felt as though invisible blades were carving into my skin. I stopped screaming immediately. The pain disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. Confused, I touched my neck.
A collar. Cold. Metal. Fastened tightly around my throat. My breathing slowed.
Don't scream... Don't make another sound.
A heavy thud echoed somewhere behind the trees. My entire body froze. Another.
Closer this time.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Something enormous was approaching.
I held my breath. Please... Please don't let it find me... The trees shook violently. Branches snapped like brittle bones.
Then... It emerged. My blood turned to ice.
The creature had to be at least fifteen feet tall. Its grotesque frame towered above the forest floor, every step making the ground tremble beneath me. Run. My body screamed at me to run. But I couldn't.
I was tied to the tree. Completely helpless.
The giant infected reached me within seconds. Its massive hand wrapped around the rope. One effortless pull.
The restraints snapped. Before I could even react, I was lifted into the air, resting helplessly in the enormous palm of its hand. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.
The creature simply stared at me.
Studied me. Like I wasn't prey... Like I was something else entirely. Then.. Everything went black.
I shot upright with a gasp. The air rushed into my lungs so violently it hurt. Sweat drenched my entire body. My hands immediately flew to my neck. No rope.
No forest. No giant. Only the familiar cold metal collar resting against my skin. Another nightmare. Again. I shut my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. For nearly three weeks now... Every single night.
Always the same dream. Always ending the same way. And always .That name. Ian.
I whispered it beneath my breath. "...Ian."
Who are you? Why do I keep calling your name? Why does it hurt every time I wake up? I couldn't remember. No matter how hard I tried, nothing came. Just emptiness.
Fragments. Feelings. Faces that disappeared before I could reach them.
I rubbed my temples before reaching for the glass of water sitting beside the bunker bed. The cool water slid down my throat, easing the dryness left behind by another nightmare. Not enough. Nothing ever was.
After a few moments, I forced myself to stand. The room was silent. Cold. Practical.
Nothing about it felt like home. I walked toward the mirror. For a long moment...
I simply stared. The woman looking back at me felt familiar and unfamiliar all at once.
My gaze slowly drifted to the steel collar locked around my neck. Then lower.
To the bruises that hadn't fully faded.
To the scars scattered across my body.
To the person I had become. Without another thought, I reached for my clothes and dressed quickly. Before leaving, my eyes wandered across the room. Papers.
Hundreds of them. They covered nearly every corner of the floor. Every page held the same thing. One name. Ian. Some pages contained nothing except his name written over and over again. Others held rough sketches. Questions. Fragments of dreams. Half finished thoughts. Who is Ian?
Why can't I remember him? Why can't I forget him? Every morning I promised myself I'd stop writing his name. Every night... I found more papers. I didn't even remember writing half of them. A knot formed in my stomach. Something inside me was trying desperately to remember.
Something stronger than the memory itself. I took one final look at the scattered pages before walking to the door. The moment I opened it, one of the guards was already waiting outside. He straightened the moment he saw me. "888." I lowered my head politely. "Good morning." "Commander Joseph wants to see you."
My chest tightened. "Down at the training center." I swallowed. "Yes." My voice came out quieter than I intended. "I'll be there."
The guard gave a short nod before walking away. I remained standing in the doorway for another moment. My eyes drifted back inside the room. Back to the papers. Back to the name that haunted both my dreams... ...and my waking hours. Ian.
The door slowly closed behind me.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZQ8CLFz1b
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