Falling Asleep
The discovery of a new ailment that caused millions of individuals to always feel exhausted and sleepy did not initially garner much notice. However, when they started to slumber unnaturally and showed no signs of awakening, governments finally became alarmed. They called it The Nightmare Spell
Naturally, at that point, it was fairly late; an earlier reaction wouldn't have made much of a difference.
When the infected began passing away while they slept, their corpses began to mutate into monsters. Militaries were swiftly overrun by Nightmare Creatures, which quickly ushered in total anarchy.
Since the appearance of The Awakened, those who survived their first Nightmare, everything has changed. Using a previously unseen magical power, they battled the monsters, wreaking destruction, and have cemented themselves as heroes and saviors.
The Spell has proven itself to be a trial instead of the death sentence that it was initially perceived as. And the same trial awaits the protagonist of this story.
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Leo's visage caught the officer's attention, with pale skin and obvious bags under his eyes. He proceeded to demand details while altering his dismissive voice into an anxious jumble.
"Y-you sure, boy? When did the symptoms appear?"
Leander, as calm and unphazed as ever, answered with all honesty.
"5 days ago, however, my ability to stay awake has been massively cut short today."
The officer's face, changing its expression from uninterested to instantly worried, became contorted. He hurriedly pressed the button on his table and shouted with all his might.
"CODE BLACK! Everyone to the lobby, I repeat Code Black!"
Around five policemen have rushed into the room, quickly trying to take Leo into the designated chamber for the infected. Without much resistance from a teen, he was already restrained in a couple of minutes. Still no visible nervousness on his young face.
The room itself was reminding Leander of fallout shelters with its thick, reinforced walls and heavy iron door as its entrance. He was strapped to the bed-like furniture, with all the policemen outside equipped with guns.
Leander witnessed the harsh expression on the police officers' faces changing to a frightened, panicked one as he watched them outside. They all fled after one of the officers shouted "WHAT" nearly loud enough to reach a shackled teen in a room.
To his great surprise, there was another visitor to the basement, where the teen was restrained. Another young man has entered the shelter, with what seemed like the same condition Leo was suffering from. However, the boy was almost the polar opposite of him in terms of their physiques.
The boy looked like the average child from the outskirts; he was unhealthily frail and thin, with signs of immense hunger and an aura of helplessness. Unlike Leo, who was strong enough to guarantee himself a relatively calm life on the outskirts, the boy looked like he had to scrape by every single day. For some reason, Leander felt sentimental for this kid.
'He... came here to face his death.'
The stranger was as surprised to see someone already occupying the only monster-proof room in this station. The look quickly changed into an annoyed one when, instead of being bound to a relatively comfortable bed, he was just tightly tied up and thrown to the corner, far away from Leo.
The policemen returned to their initial positions, leaving two infected and very sleepy kids in the room alone for some time.
Leo felt distraught for his newly acquired roommate.
'Just how cruel can the Fate be?'
Leander is personally aware of the daily struggles faced by the children living on the outer edges of society. They are thrown into an impasse of hatred, blood, and starvation from the moment they are born, and there is little they can do to fight such a harsh sentence. The toll on their mental and physical health from living there is irreparable.
But, instead of dwelling on the injustice of unforgiving Fate, he decided to at the very least accompany this poor soul before he falls asleep, possibly for the last time.
Silence was filling the reinforced room before Leander's calm voice was heard throughout it.
"What's your name, my friend?"
As per his upbringing, the kid had a deep distrust for Leo, especially since he's talking to a guy who took the comfortable furniture for himself. As some time passed, he finally answered, almost like he decided he might as well do it before the Nightmare came.
"It's Sunless. You can call me Sunny."
'How greatly fitting. Truly incredible.'
Surprised by such a unique name, Leo didn't conceal his emotions.
"Whoa, what a beautiful name! I'm Leander, but call me Leo. Mine might be more basic than yours, but, eh, I don't complain."
Clearly startled by a compliment he might've never gotten before, Sunny fell silent for a moment before astonishingly resuming the small talk on his own initiative.
"My mother was a poetic soul, you see. I was born during an eclipse, and she tied it to my name."
Instead of widening his smile when faced with such a wholesome story, Leo's expression became grim. He couldn't help but notice the heavy and regretful past tense in the sentence.
"Sorry for changing the mood of the conversation, Sunny, but do you have anyone waiting for you to come back?"
"Nah, I don't."
Without much hesitation or emotional disdain, Sunny said it straight. It was almost like he stopped caring about such things a long time ago.
"We're a lot more alike than you'd think, my friend. Hehe" Leo said in a helplessly amused voice.
Before having a chance to continue conversing with each other, a loud opening of a heavy metallic door caught their attention.
An old-looking policeman had opened the door. He had gray hair, a well-built body, and a seasoned appearance. He checked the cuffs on both of them and finally broke the silence.
"What are your names?"
Trying his hardest to stay awake after a long pause from talking, which kept him more or less going, Leo spoke up.
"Leander."
"Sunless."
The officer raised an eyebrow in confusion after hearing the latter.
"Sunless? That's a strange name."
Sunny clearly tried playing it off, not wanting to talk about his name for the second time today.
"Anyway, do you kids want me to contact your families?"
Leo answered with the same calmness he had throughout the entire day.
"Don't waste your time, sir. We don't have them."
The policeman had a look of sadness on his face, rare for people in such positions to feel for some hood rats. He then adopted a serious expression.
"How long can you two stay awake?"
Leander yawned, indicating how much he struggled to concentrate.
"I'm barely clinging to it."
"Not long."
The officer quickly changed the subject, not to waste time.
"How much do you know about the spell?"
"As much as anyone, I guess."
Before speaking, Leander's mind was hit by a wave of painful memories plaguing his consciousness.
"Everything."
Cop looked at Leo sceptically; however, due to the shortage of time, he didn't bother checking the honesty of that answer. Instead, he got busy explaining the harsh reality to Sunny.
After the generic stuff, the policeman got to the responsibility that every Aspirant has once falling asleep. This time, he was talking to both of them.
"If you survive, you will be halfway to becoming an Awakened. But if you die, you'll open a gate for a Nightmare Creature to appear in the real world. Which means that my colleagues and I will have to deal with it. So… please don't die, Leander, Sunless."
Seeing through the cynical reason behind such a statement didn't allow Leo to feel cared for.
"Or, at least, try not to die right away. The nearest Awakened won't be able to get here for a few hours, so we would really appreciate it if you don't make us fight that thing ourselves…"
'Heh, here it is.'
Sensing both his and Sunny's consciousness slip away, Leo interrupted the old man.
"Listen to me, Sunny. You lied to me there, you know?"
Honestly confused, half-asleep Sunless would express his bewilderment if he had the energy to do so. Leo continued
"You told me you didn't have anyone waiting for you, and yet, here I am."
Leo's voice became louder as his eyes were being pulled together like there was a magnet attached.
"Live. Fight for your life until your hands are broken. I'll be waiting for your triumph."