The Beginning of the End

Gaia woke up screaming with tears streaming her face. The dream still fresh on her mind, only this time, it felt more realistic. She could feel the pain of losing her family as if it had happened. She quickly got out of bed and ran down the hall to her parent's bedroom first. Slowly opening the door, she peaked inside and saw them sound asleep, a smile painting her mothers moonlit face.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, she closed the door and headed down to her younger brother's room. She peaked inside and saw the light of his computer screen still, the movie marathon long forgotten as he slept. She slowly crept inside and covered him with a blanket before leaving.

They were all alive and fine. Why did the dream feel so vivid? Why was the pain so real? After drinking water from the bottle on her nightstand, she got back into bed and tried getting back to sleep. 'Tomorrow is going to be a long day,' she thought before drifting into sleep.

Bright and early, Gaia was out the door and rushing to school to hand in her assignments and prep for her final labs. Being a medical student was not easy, but she wanted to help people and thought being a Doctor was one of the best ways to do so.

As the bell rang to signal the end of the exam, Gaia jumped up and down with excitement. She had a summer internship lined up at the local hospital and was looking forward to working with actual patients. She got her book bag and stood up. As she was about to leave, lean strong arms embraced her from behind and she relaxed into the familiar chest.

'Where are you rushing to Gaga? I thought we were gonna hang out?' Marlon said with a deep baritone. She giggled and turned around in his arms, placing a chaste kiss on his chest. 'I was headed out to your faculty, didn't think you guys would be done so soon,' she replied.

He looked down at her and she felt as if everyone had ceased to exist and it was only them in the room. He had the power to make her feel emotions she had never felt in her whole life with just one look and at times it scared her. They linked arms and walked out of the examination room.

'So, I got us two tickets to see the new Ryan Gosling movie.' Marlon said excitedly. They had been anxiously waiting for the movie to be released with bated breathe. 'OMG, your the best Marl, I love you,' she exclaimed.

Before going into the theater, she turned her phone off to avoid any distractions. Ryan had done it again, the movie was pure perfection, definitely worth the wait. 'Thanks for tonight Marl, this was a perfect way to end the day.' 'So, have you thought more on what we were discussing last night?' Marlon asked. 'I have and I shall give you my official answer tomorrow when we meet for coffee. It's getting late and I need to get home, I promised mom and dad that I'd be home for dinner.'

He bent down and kissed me before we parted ways. I walked to the bus stop and turned on my phone as I waited for the bus. My phone pinged multiple times as notifications came through. I had 25 missed calls from my parents and brother. I wondered why they were trying to get in touch.

I called my mom first, no answer, then my dad, call disconnected and finally my brother, call disconnected. I began to panic as I thought of the worst case scenarios. Remembering the dream I had last night, I began to ran toward home, hoping that they were all safe and nothing had happened.

Tears were rolling down my face and I had lost a shoe along the way as I ran but that had not registered in my mind. As I turned the corner into our driveway, my heart dropped when I saw the four police cars. I stood frozen as I stared at the yellow tape across our front door and couldn't believe my dream was now a reality.

I walked toward the front door holding my breathe for what I would see. As I entered, the first thing I saw was the rose flower drawn in red on the hallway mirror. Walking further in, the first lifeless body I saw was my mom's. I trembled and ran to her. 'Mom, come on, you gotta wake up. Mom, please open your eyes,' I screamed.

Suddenly, strong arms pulled me away from the body, 'Miss, I need you to calm down and take a deep breathe. I know this is hard to see but you need to be strong. I'm very sorry for your loss.' The uniformed police officer with a distinguishing round shaped scar on his right hand said to me.

I knew he was right. I had already seen all this in my dream and I knew the next body I would see would be my dad's then my little brother's. I sat down on the floor and held my knees to my chest. This could not be happening. I closed my eyes and tried to think back to this morning when I woke up. This had to be a dream, I could still be dreaming, I kept repeating in my head.

As I slowly opened my eyes to see the Police Officer kneeling in front of me, I broke down. My dream was real and I broke down. I knew what I had to do next and I dreaded the path ahead.

I got up and ran up the stairs to my room. Getting out my suitcase, I packed my necessities and climbed up on the bed. I opened the hidden compartment on the bedroom ceiling and got out the grey box. I still did not know what was inside or how the box got there.

I went back down to view my family's bodies before being escorted to the station for a statement. It was around midnight when I was finally able to get to my hotel room and take a shower. As I slept that night, I knew my life would never be the same and I would live for my family. I had to avenge them and follow the dream precisely.

The funeral service was fast and as I laid roses on my family's caskets, I thought to our time together and the memories we made. Walking out, I could sense that I was being watched and I knew then that it had began.