//------------------------------// // Prologue: Run // Story: A Dream So Real // by ThreeZeus //------------------------------// I've been here before. This is nothing new. I look up at the sky. It's the same as it always is when I come here; smoggy. This is nothing new. There are thousands of others around me, all going to their respective destinations. Every single one has somewhere to be, it seems. I'm the only one who stops to just take it all in. This is nothing new. I look at the buildings; that's what I always look at. I used to look at the others, but they're all so boring. I can't talk to them, and they won't pay attention to me even if I get in their way. They're all the same, all so boring. So instead I look at the buildings. Most of them are similar too, but you can look inside them. Each one has something different. I don't know what the things inside are for the most part, but it's always interesting to look at. This is nothing new. Usually when I'm here I feel cold; emotionless. Like the others all around me who just stare down or in front of themselves and show no emotion. When I think about it later, it's breathtaking, but in the moment it always seems so banal. So unexciting. This time I feel something. This time I feel terrified. This is something new. My eyes dart around the crowd. I don't know who or what I'm looking for, but I know I'm looking. I spot them. Two of them. They look different. They're not like all the others. They're not looking down or just straight forward, they're looking at something specific. They're looking at me. I do something I never do here; I walk. Normally it seems too much to walk; all those around me would stop me from getting anywhere. It would be too much effort. I have a fine perspective to begin with as it is. This time I feel the need to walk, so I walk. Away from those two, but I turn back to look at the, They're still looking at me. They're walking towards me. They're walking fast. I follow suit. I increase my pace and return looking forward to make sure I don't collide with anyway. I can't resist though, soon I turn backwards again. I lock eyes with one of the two. We all stop. Time seems to slow down immensely. I see the one I locked eyes with open his mouth to yell something. Before he even says it, I know what he's going to say. Then, yet another something new happens. I hear. I never hear anything here. It's always silent. But this time I hear something. I the one I locked eyes with yell to the other. “GET HER!” My eyes go wide. I turn around. I start to run. In that instant, everything comes to life. I can hear everything; I hear the others walking and myself running. I hear the idle chit-chat. I hear, and feel for that matter, the wind rushing by my face as I sprint as fast as my legs will carry me. I hear other noises too; noises I don't recognize; high-pitched horns and roaring noises other things I can't place. I don't have time to think about it now though. Right now I just know I have to run. The others come to life too. They still generally only look ahead, but they react to things, they say things, and when I knock people over in my frantic sprint they yell things. Do these people not understand I'm trying to make a get-away here? They're so in the way. Why are there always so many of them? All the others have stopped at the edge of the road. They're waiting, I'm not positive why. I don't have time to wait. I push through the crowd and dash across, only looking ahead. I hear yelling and screeching and horns, I think I've done something wrong, but I don't care. I keep running. Have to keep running. Can't stop running. I don't dare turn back, turning back will slow me down. I decide to turn into an alley. Dead end. I gulp. They're going to catch me. No. No they're not. I won't let them. There's a fence in this alley, but I can climb it. I charge at the fence and jump onto it, latching hold and wasting not time getting up and over. The metal feels cold on my fingertips. I don't turn around to see if they made it over too; I don't want to know. For now, I keep running. Don't stop running. Whatever you do, don't stop running. Well, that's what I tell myself, but I feel my body tiring out. I don't have nearly the stamina I usually do. I run into a huge crowd of people and start to slow down after convincing myself that I've lost them. I don't see either of them anyway. Maybe they didn't cross the road. Maybe they didn't clear the fence? Maybe they lost their breath before me and had to stop? Maybe they lost me in the crowd? An instant later, it doesn't matter. I see complete darkness descend over me. I feel felt on my face and feel string closing in around my neck. It's over. I feel myself fall to my knees, then I feel nothing at all. The last piece of sensory input I get is a sound. The sound of a man speaking softly into my ear through the darkness. “Gotcha.” ________________________________________________________________________________ Lyra jolted awaking, sat right up in bed and began breathing heavily. Another human dream, but this one had been different. “Lyra?” came a soft voice. “What is it?” Bon Bon's tone was a mixture of annoyance for being woken and concern for Lyra. “Nothing” Lyra finally said after many moments of tense silence. “Just... just a bad dream.” At that, Lyra lay back down, but her eyes stayed wide open. Getting back to sleep would be no easy task.