Chapter 1- The Dream

Oliver was on the battlefield.

The air was filled with the sounds of swords clashing and people screaming. A scream from behind him made him whip around, sword in hand. His breath caught in his throat.

A young man was glaring at him with hate-filled eyes as another soldier slid to the ground with a large gash on his chest.

Oliver stepped back involuntarily, stumbling over the uneven ground. The other man raised his sword.

"Die!"

........

Oliver woke up with a scream, heart pounding in his chest. He sat up, with shaking hands and a pale face.

"What the hell was that," he whispered. With shaking hands he pushed his hair out of his face and let out a long breath. His alarm clock glowed dimly in the darkness of his room. 4:20 AM.

He sighed and fell back on his pillow, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't fall asleep.

"I have so much to do today," he said with a frustrated groan, rolling over and pulling the pillow onto his head. "Come on brain, I need to sleep."

His brain didn't listen. Grumbling, he rolled out of bed. Squinting at the bright lights of his bathroom, he headed to the sink, splashing water on his face, sighing at the coolness of the water on his face. He reluctantly turned the tap off and headed to the kitchen.

The kitchen was empty, as it usually was. He took a glass from the counter and poured himself a glass of water, sitting down at the granite island in the middle of the kitchen and taking a long sip.

He thought about the dream he'd had earlier that night. It wasn't the first time he'd had nightmares. His childhood had provided enough nightmare fuel, but it was the first time he'd had the same dream for an entire week. It always started the same way: him, standing on a battlefield, sword in hand, horrified and hopelessly lost amidst the sounds of battle.

It always ended the same way too, with him watching the soldier swing his sword down at him. He never died though. His brain mercifully woke him before he could experience it.

With a glass full of water and enough experience of the same nightmare he quickly calmed himself down. He took a look at the wall clock, dim light from the kitchen was creepingly falling on it. It showed the time to be already 5:17 AM.

"Well since it's already 5 AM I might as well start my day early." Oliver had a habit of going for morning walks and daily exercise to start the day with a fresh mind so that he can be most productive for the rest of the day.

He went and changed in a black sweatshirt with a matching black jogger and put on some running shoes. He exited his villa and went to his nearest park to work out a sweat.

An hour later Oliver came back all sweaty but with a big smile on his face. He had already forgotten about the dream. He went to took a bath and got dressed in black jeans and a white T-shirt. He had just put a bowl of cereal in front of him when he suddenly got a call.

[Ring] [Ring]

Oliver checked his watch for the time. It was already 8 AM.

"Who would call me so early in the morning?"

He checked his mobile, Theo Wattson. "Why would Theo call me so early in the morning". Oliver remembered an average height, a brown-haired boy with a goofy smile on his face. This was Theo, Oliver's best and only friend in the orphanage. Both of them were orphaned at a very young age, and he remembered nothing before that. But he was lucky to get adopted by his father at the age of 16 years. Theo was 2 years younger than him but he wasn't as lucky. Just like Oliver, Theo was an incredibly intelligent boy but the big ugly scar on his face was the reason why he was never adopted. In fact, the day Oliver got adopted, Theo too had a meeting with his 'probable future parents', but Oliver got adopted but not Theo. Still, both remained friends till the day.

"H-hello, O-O-Oliver", Theo sounded anxious. "What happened, are you alright," Oliver asked.

"Oliver, help me, help me please, we all are in big trouble, they will kill me, help me, please!"

"Theo, what happened, who will kill you, are you alright, where are you?" Oliver asked. He knew that there must be a big problem, if not Theo wouldn't be scared so shitless.

"I am in the abandoned post office, p-please save me, Oliver, they will kill me."

The abandoned post office was their secret hideout when they were children, no one knew about it, because it was covered in vines and weed and looked like could fall at any time.

"Alright Theo calm down, you stay there and I will come for you as fast as I can."

After 45 minutes a red sports car stopped near a small building with a dim red roof and walls that once might have been white in colour but now all that was left was thick vines covered almost every inch of it. Even the windows were not spared and vines entering the broken window could be seen.

Oliver came out of the car and shouted," Theo it's me, Oliver, where are you."

A door full covered with vines opened and an average height scrawny kid looked at the door. Seeing Oliver he ran towards him and hugged him.

"Oliver, save me, they saw me, they know that I know, they will kill me."

Oliver wanted to ask what had happened and who were 'they' that he had been talking about. But seeing shivering Theo, he knew it was not the time to ask anything.

"Don't worry Theo, I will take you to my home and then tell me everything, right now come with me and calm down.".

Oliver helped Theo to the car and drove away.

Seeing Theo, Oliver knew something really shit had happened. But he had no idea that the wave he thought would be a tsunami that would wash everything away.