The Death Clause

Chapter Three - The Day of No Return

In her dream, Julia opened her eyes to a dark space in the middle of the forest. Her legs were knee-deep in a layer of fog, so white and thick that she had to squint her eyes. As she moved forward, she did not know why, but Julia felt an overwhelming sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. A sensation of fear and crippling anxiety enough to make her move despite the freezing terror.

Julia put her hands together, then called out, "Rick!" Her voice bounced through the forest like a mocking ghost. She stared, slowly noticing a pair of glowing blue eyes dripping tears like luminescent paint.

"Rick?" Julia asked in doubt.

"I told you not to come for me." His voice was quiet and far.

"Rick, what happened to you?" Julia went to him, her steps heavy and dragged. "Rick it's going to be alright, I promise. I promise it's going to be alright."

"It won't be." He answered. The trail of paint like tears; haunting. "It never will be again."

Julia gasped. Just as she reached him, she held out her arms to catch him. Something pierced through his chest, the red glow of his blood like neon on her fingers and face. Rick fell onto her, his chin on her shoulder, slowly sliding onto his buckled knees. Julia held him, his head hung back as life faded from him.

"Rick! Rick! No! You can't just leave me here! Rick!" Julia cried out, hysterically, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Rick!" Julia jolted out of sleep, momentarily lost in reality. For a moment she had forgotten where she was, her mind still holding on to her dream. That Rick had died, that someone had killed him, and she had held him bleeding in her arms.

"Julia?" A soft sleepy voice pulled her back to reality. Mala's light touch on her shoulder offered comfort and Julia had to remind her it was all just a dream.

"I had a bad dream," Julia said.

"What did you dream? You're crying." Mala pointed out, wiping the tears off Julia's face clumsily. Her eyelids hung heavily from sleep.

"It was Rick. Something bad happened to him." Julia explained, then shivered at the fresh memory of his empty glowing eyes and blood-soaked chest. Her heart ached.

"It was just a dream. Go back to sleep." Mala said, who immediately laid in a comfortable position next to her. Just then, the alarm clock on her phone rang in sequences. Mala groaned, putting her head under a pillow.

"Sorry." Julia turned off the alarm, feeling lethargic from the vivid dream.

In the darkness of the room, Julia moved swiftly to recover her sports outfit, getting ready with a simple bun to hold her hair together and some running shoes. The coldness of the room prickled her skin as she pulled on a thick hooded jacket right after, thinking carefully of what she shouldn't forget.

"Are you going now?" Mala's small voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I am." Julia moved to sit next to Mala and then planted a kiss on her temple. For a moment, she imagined this might be the last kiss she would ever give her sister. But then she brutally brushed it away. "Take care okay?"

"Okay," Mala threw her arms around Julia. For a moment they sat together in a tight embrace. Slowly, Julia pulled away her arms and then pulled the blanket over Mala. The younger girl glanced at her, her eyes holding the light of the moon. "If you can't keep your promise, I won't hold it against you," Mala said quietly. It sent shivers down her spine.

"Thank you." That was all Julia could say.

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