CHAPTER 1 - BLACKOUT DREAMS

Adams: HEY! LOOK AT ME! IT IS ME THAT YOU WANT! TAKE ME AND LEAVE THEM YOU IDIOT!

Unknown voice: *laughs hysterically* It is quite funny to see you Adams, a brave officer being so soft when knowing that I could blast off your wife's head with just a bullet. Oh wait! if this is the reaction for your loving wife, what if....what if I just blast off your son's head?!*laughs again*

Adams and Lily: NO!!!

Adams hesitated for a moment, fully aware that the choice he was about to make would be the gravest of his life, one he'd never forgive himself for. But his son, his only son's life is at stake. Without thinking twice, he rushed back in and brought up a platinum coated suitcase and threw it at the man's feet.

Adams: *crying* TAKE IT!! THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED!!! NOW LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE!

A maniacal grin appeared across the man's face when he saw the platinum suitcase. The look was one more passionate and true than a new love's kiss. He raised the gun barrel but lowered it down as he knew that he wouldn't have to take the effort of killing them. He rather threw the gun towards Adams and walked along humming like a boy who just found his way in the lost woods.

In a strange alignment of thoughts, Adams lifted the gun, offering a feeble smile to his wife, and cast one final glance toward his son. Before Lily could react, a deafening noise reverberated through the house, and the distraught woman lost control of her emotions, collapsing to the floor. Before the boy could react, the screen went void.

Bryan wakes up huffing and taking deep quick breaths. As Bryan gasped for breath, his heart pounding in his chest, he couldn't shake off the haunting feeling of his dream. The image of the platinum-coated suitcase and the maniacal laughter lingered in his mind, leaving him unsettled. He sat up in bed, sweat-soaked sheets clinging to his skin, and stared at the ceiling. It took him a moment to realize he was back in his own world, but the remnants of the nightmare still clung to him. "This is just a dream, a stupid dream that keeps haunting me! I'm alright".

He reached out to pick up the sleeping pills beside his bed, but quickly caught the clock stating that its too late for that. As if on agreeing with the clock, the doorbell rang and Bryan immediately knew who that was. Afterall being an orphan, the only two visitors who visits him is the newspaper boy and worst of all the building owner to collect his monthly rent.

He grabbed the newspaper, but it held nothing but the usual grim headlines: murders, burglaries, wildfires, and more. Yet, the sight of a particular article ignited a surge of anger within him. He threw the newspaper away and started rubbing his forehead temples.

Ever since he was young, Bryan had harbored an inexplicable hatred for police officers. It stemmed from a distant memory, one he could never quite fully recall. Perhaps it was an encounter with an authoritarian figure during his childhood, or maybe it was something deeper, a suppressed trauma that had festered over the years. Regardless, every time he saw a police car or uniform, a surge of anger and unease washed over him, making his skin crawl.

As Bryan rubbed his temples, he couldn't shake the feeling that something significant was about to happen. His phone, resting on the bedside table, remained ominously silent. Little did he know that within moments, it would come alive, heralding an unexpected turn in his life.