New Life

Aaron's leg throbbed with every breath he took. Yet, he pushed himself harder to run faster. A singular command dominated his thoughts: to keep that thing running after him. Sofia ran next to him, breathing in and out in panicked wheezes.

The beast followed them on all fours, its long arms propelling it forward at a frightening speed. It was a thing of nightmares, and seeing it approach them at full speed made Aaron's stomach churn. He glanced at Sofia, she didn't look back. She focused on running, her eyes glued on the light in the distance.

Just as they got closer to the third opening to their right, Aaron shoved Sofia into it. She screamed as she fell sideways into the dark hallway.

He turned to face the beast and slid to a full stop. "Sofia, you stay in there you hear? I'll draw its attention, then you head for the door outside. Run for the rock, right next to Peter's body. Run and don't look back!"

He waved his trembling hands in the air. He was running on fumes, and he knew it. 'Hold on just a little longer,' he thought as the beast turned its strange head toward him.

He threw his bat at its mouth. The beast bit through it, as if it was made out of foam. The bat broke and fell in pieces around the beast.

"Come get me, you freak!" Aaron screamed then ran the opposite way, toward the light.

The beast screeched then lurched after him. Aaron's lungs burned at that point. His heart felt like it was going to burst. His head throbbed with every step, and he could barely make out the light before him. His leg hurt the worst. He had a strong suspicion that he wouldn't be able to move for days after this. If there ever was an "after".

The beast was so close behind him he could feel its hands reaching for his limbs. He begged his legs to run faster, but they'd carried him far beyond their limit. He was close to collapsing.

'Fuck it!' he thought then jumped aside, into one of the dark hallways.

He fell and rolled onto the ground. The beast screeched behind him, but it hadn't come after him yet. He groaned as he rolled aside and tried to get on his feet. His leg complained. He tried to ignore the pain but his body wouldn't obey his commands anymore.

The beast walked into the hallway's entrance, obstructing the light from the tunnel. Aaron squinted at it. 'What is it doing?'

It just stood there, observing him with a cocked head. Then the slit it had in its face curved into a semblance of a smile. The beast extended its arm to the hallway's side.

Then it dawned on him. 'Don't tell me!'

He reached with his hand toward the beast. 'No!'

It jerked its arm back, closing the door on Aaron, leaving him in complete darkness.

"Noooo!" Aaron screamed at the top of his lungs. 'Shit! Sofia, I threw her in!'

He tried to get up again. His arms were so weak, however, that he slipped and hit his head against the cold stone floor. Darkness came to him as a bliss.

***

Sofia opened her eyes to a wide room. She was lying in bed, dressed in nothing but her underwear. She frowned as she left her soft bed. 'Wait a minute, this is my bed,' she thought, her eyes scanning the room.

She felt like something was watching her. The sense of impending doom overtook her. She shivered, goosebumps filling her from head to toe. A soft knock on her door made her jump.

"Sofia, honey, wake up! Breakfast is ready!" a soft voice called out from the other side of the room.

Her heart jumped at the sound. Her lips trembled. "M-Mama?" she asked, hesitant.

The door to the room burst open. Her mom stood before her as she remembered. Her cheekbones were flustered, as always. Her genuine smile would make anyone smile back at her. She shot her daughter one look and her smile vanished.

"My god, you look like a ghost! What happened to you?" her mother asked, her brows slightly creased with worry.

Sofia's mouth curved upwards, her lips trembled. Her eyes welled up. Tears wouldn't stop flowing. Sorrow and happiness both overwhelmed her. She strode to her mother and started inspecting her limbs and face. "Is it really you?"

Her mom brushed her hands away. "Who else would it be?" she asked, her frown deepening. "What is wrong with you?"

She smiled then pulled her mother toward her in a strong embrace. Her mother wrapped her arms around her and tapped gently on her back. "There, there, sweetheart, you're okay now. Was it a bad dream?"

She nodded. She squeezed her mother harder, making sure once again that she was real, then started sobbing.

She patted her on the back. "Yes, let it all out. You'll feel-"

"Right as rain," Sofia finished for her. She finally pulled away from her mother and wiped her tears. She smiled at her mother. "Thank god you're here!" she said, still unable to stop her tears.

"Wanna talk about it?" her mother asked.

She frowned. "It's funny, I can't remember what it was about, just the feeling."

Her mother cocked her head aside. "What did it feel like?"

She shivered. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's like something bad happened. I can't remember what it was, but it didn't feel like a dream. It felt more real than anything I've ever experienced."

Her mother gave her a warm smile. "Come now, sweetheart, I know just what you need to get your mind off of this horrible nightmare. How about some pancakes? I'll order some burgers, and we can stay all day and watch your favorite movies. What was its name again? Whicker Johnny?"

Sofia burst out laughing. "It's John Wick mama, and you don't have to watch it with me. I know you don't like violence."

Her mother gave her a gentle slap on the back. "Nonsense, my baby's not right today. The celebration can wait."

Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Celebration?"

Her mother's eyes softened. "That dream messed you up good, huh? It's your father's death anniversary. It's been a year without him, and what a glorious year it was." She smiled from ear to ear. Sofia couldn't help but smile in return. She had never seen her mother this happy her entire life.

'Why do I still feel like something's wrong?' she thought as she hit the shower.

***

Aaron jumped out of bed. He was sweating all over. He quickly checked his leg and found nothing.

He sighed in relief. 'No sign of…' he trailed off. 'What the hell am I doing here?'

He tried to remember what happened, but only a sea of fog came to him. He looked around and recognized the place. He was on his bed, in his own room. It was dark outside.

'What the hell happened?' he thought, scanning his room. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but what was it? He got to his feet and winced as he placed his left leg on the floor. He checked his leg, but it looked as healthy as ever.

He put his weight on it once more. 'No pain. Why do I expect it to hurt anyway?'

A gentle knock on his door brought him back to reality. He had a hard time remembering where he was. 'What kind of dream was that?'

Another knock at his door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Arry, are you okay?" a gentle voice called out from the other side.

His heart skipped a beat. "Emma?" he asked.

She pushed the door open, and a little girl walked in. She looked frightened, and her big eyes were honed in on him. "I heard you scream," she said, slowly approaching him. "Is everything okay?"

He couldn't believe his eyes. She was standing before him, in the flesh. She tightly hugged her little stuffed monkey toy. She was afraid.

Aaron realized that he'd been frowning at her all along. He knelt toward her. "It was just a nightmare, little one. Come here." He gestured to her to approach.

His frown wouldn't disappear no matter how much he tried. 'Was it a dream about her? I get the feeling something bad happened to her.' He shook his head, trying to shake the feeling away.

She came over and stared at him. "Were the evil minions after you too?" she asked.

He chuckled then fussed her hair up. "I don't remember it now, but it felt strange." He spread his arms and grinned. "I'm okay now, see?"

She frowned at him, her little stubby nose crunched up. "Then why are you crying?" she asked.

Aaron brought his hands to his eyes and was surprised to find tears.

He let out a nervous giggle. "I don't know. I'm happy to see you, I guess?"

She laughed. "You're silly Arry, people laugh when they're happy. You should know that."

"You know what? You're totally right!" He burst out laughing, and his sister followed along.

The door to their room slid open, and his mother's head peeked in. Aaron suddenly got tense. He clenched his fists and his laughter seized.

She saw them both and smiled. "Having a slumber party without me?"

She tiptoed into the room and knelt beside Emma. She gave her a strong hug then started tickling her. "Staying up after bedtime, are we?"

Emma's laughter rang through the house. "Arry, save me! Save me!" she yelled out as she laughed.

He knelt beside his mother and joined her in the tickling attack. Emma laughed louder, filling Aaron's heart with joy.

"You were supposed to save me, not join in," she complained after they stopped their torture.

Aaron gave her a brotherly pat on the head. He pointed at the bracelet on his arm. "You still have yours?"

Her eyes lit up. She nodded then flashed her bracelet before his eyes. She had it loosely locked around her wrist.

"What's this?" She asked, excited.

Aaron smiled. "This is a symbol of eternal love."

She clasped her tiny hand into his and smiled back. "I swear to always love and support you!" she said, excited.

He smiled back at her. "I swear to always love and protect you, little sister!"

"Aww, isn't that lovely? Am I the luckiest mother or what?" his mother said. Her smile seemed genuine.

Aaron frowned at her.

"Who wants ice cream?" she screamed.

Emma jumped up. "Really? Now?"

His mother shrugged. "What's a slumber party without ice cream?"

She led Emma by the hand and they disappeared behind the door. Aaron's face hurt. He'd been smiling ever since Emma came into his room, and he wasn't feeling like stopping yet.

'Then why do I still feel like something's wrong?'