Dreamscape

Chapter Fourteen: Orion's P.O.V. Running

  Sweat pours down my face. I can't see or hear anything anymore.
  But I'm supposed to be the strong one, right? Brave and heroic, the leader. I'm not pulling that off very well at the moment unfortunately.
  My legs feel as if they're going to fall off any second now. We're all running. Just racing against time and the destruction of the universe.
  My eyes are going crazy, and I may be imagining things, but I spot a white dot in the distance.
  "A light!" Luna shouts.
  So it's not just me...
  "Keep running!" I yell. I see Maia falling behind."C'mon!"
  It's getting closer and closer. But I'm starting to have second thoughts - this seems too unreal. But there's no way we're all imagining the same thing, unless I'm dreaming... is this the golden light? Are we dying? Am I dying? Am I traveling through hell to get to heaven?
  Thoughts race and race as I get closer. I run through it, unsure if this is my escape or my death.
  But now I'm falling. It's not my death, I realize. But my fall could be.
  Falling thousands of feet down, I grasp the air, attempting to find Luna or Maia. They're above me.
  I need to save them. But how? There's no time! In only seconds I'll be dead. So will they. Unless somehow I can land on my feet...
  No. That's impossible.
  I fight myself. My optimist and my pessimist battle as I brace for impact.
  Thud.
  I'm breathing heavily, and that's how I know I'm still alive. My next battle is to try to catch Luna and Maia.
  Luna lands hard in my arms, sending us both to the ground. Maia lands beside us, and a loud crack echoes in my ears. She must've broken a bone...
  "Maia!" Luna shouts."Are you okay?"
  Maia won't answer. She coughs up some blood.
  "Maia!" Luna repeats. Tears form in her eyes.
  "Luna... Orion..." She coughs."I think I broke my arm..."
  "You're going to be okay," Luna says.
  Yet we all know she's lying. There's no paramedics to call and no supplies anywhere.
  I stand up and look around. We landed in Ghost Lagoon. The place isn't deserted at all. Screams come from here and there as Cipher tortures the citizens. A fire blast burns down a smashed car beside us. A woman runs right into me before turning into stone.
  "This is awful," I say."It's like hell out here."
  Luna helps Maia up. Maia grunts in pain."I'll be okay," she tries to assure us, but it's clear she is hurt.
  "C'mon," I tell them."We have to take cover."