Chapter 3

Helios woke up to the sound of rain tapping against his window. He groggily got out of bed and shuffled to the window to take a look outside. The sky was dark and grey, and the rain was coming down in sheets.

He went through his morning routine, eating the breakfast his mom had left him while watching the weather report on TV. The weather woman on the news mentioned a dark storm cloud that had appeared nearby and was expected to reach the city by 7 p.m. in the evening. It would be a massive storm so all residents were advised to return home before then.

Helios frowned. He had never heard of a storm cloud appearing out of nowhere like that. It didn't seem right. Strangly he wondered if it was related to the mysterious stranger he had encountered the day before. In the book he wrote about the dream he had there was a scenario similar to this.

Helios shook his head, trying to dispel the dark thoughts. He needed to focus on the day ahead. He had school. Besides the weather radar might have simply failed to pick up this storm as it approached rather than believe a man from his dreams had conjured a storm. After finishing his breakfast, he sighed, knowing that it was going to be a miserable day. He quickly got dressed, grabbed his backpack, and headed out the door. As he walked to school, he noticed that the streets were nearly empty, with most people staying inside to avoid the rain.

When he arrived at school, Helios noticed that the hallways were unusually also quiet. The only sound was the tapping of rain on the roof. He made his way to his classroom and took his seat, his sense of unease growing.

As the day wore on, the rain continued to pour down. Helios couldn't shake the growing feeling that something was seriously wrong. During his last class, the teacher announced that school was being dismissed early due to the storm.

Helios gathered his things and made his way outside, bracing himself for the onslaught of rain. As he walked, he noticed that the streets were still empty, with only a few people in cars hurrying home.

He decided to take a shortcut through an alleyway, hoping to get home faster. But as he turned the corner, he saw a group of men standing in the shadows.

Helios froze he recognized them as members of a local gang called Horizon, known for their violence and aggression. He knew he had to be careful and try to slip away unnoticed. But it was too late. One of the gang members spotted him and called out. "Hey kid, what are you doing here?" he asked, stepping forward menacingly.

Helios kept his voice polite and steady. "I was just trying to get home," he replied, his eyes scanning around, looking to spot an escape route for when things turned bad.

The gang member laughed. "Well, you're in the wrong place kid. This is our territory and if you want to pass by you have to pay a toll. Since you're a kid we won't ask for money how about that watch you have on your wrist there? Now hand it over."

Helios took a step back, clutching his backpack tightly. He knew that giving them his watch wouldn't be enough. They might want more, and he couldn't risk losing a gift given to him by his parents. "I can't do that," he said firmly.

The gang member's expression turned dark. "You think you're tough, huh? You're just a stupid kid. Give us what we want, or we'll make sure you regret it."

Helios could feel his heart racing. He had heard stories about what the Horizon gang did to people who crossed them. "I'm sorry, but I can't give you this. I can give you anything else," he said, his voice still calm.

The gang member took a step forward, and Helios could see the glint of a knife in his hand. He knew he was in trouble. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The gang members turned their attention to the sudden commotion, giving Helios the opportunity to run.

He didn't look back as he sprinted down the alley, his heart pounding in his chest. The rain was coming down harder than ever, and he was soaked to the bone. But he didn't care. All he could think about was escaping and getting home safely.

When he finally made it back to his house, he was panting and gasping for breath. He quickly locked the door behind him and leaned against it, his heart still racing. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Encounters with the gang members weren't an everyday occurrence and had been terrifying, but the sudden thunderstorm had saved him.

Helios took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He knew that he had to be more careful in the future, that he couldn't take shortcuts through dangerous areas like that.

He took out his phone and tried calling both his parents. But to his surprise, the call went straight to voicemail without even ringing.

He tried calling again, but the same thing happened. Helios began to panic. It was unusual for his parents not to answer their phones, especially when they knew he would be worried. They always made sure they could be reached in case of emergencies.

He paced back and forth in his room, his mind racing as he kept calling them over and over. He didn't know what to do. Should he wait for his parents to come home or go out and look for them? He decided on the latter.

Without wasting any time, he ran out of the house, pulling his hoodie up over his head to shield himself from the rain. He had a bad feeling about this. The storm, the gang, and now his parents not answering their phones – it all seemed too coincidental. He's never had such an unlucky streak in his life.

He knew where his parents worked, so he decided to head in that direction. The streets were nearly empty, with only a few cars passing by, and he felt this was strange Nightfall was the kind of city that never sleeps. Even in times of terrible storms like this, there were still quite a few people out and about until the very last minute. However here it was two hours before 7 p.m. and the streets were almost empty like the people had vanished.

Helios sprinted in the direction of the company his parent worked at. As he reached the main road, he saw a group of Heartless; the creatures from his dreams were attacking people. They were moving quickly and unpredictably, and people were falling to the ground, turning into hearts that floated away.

Helios was frozen with fear, watching the scene in disbelief. He felt like he was in a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from. But then, he saw his parents running towards him, waving their arms frantically.