Aurora

Four bodies hit the ground with dull thuds; one of them was me, the rest were dead. I looked back at the bullet that ricocheted off where I had been standing, tracing back its path. My gaze met the middle-aged man. However, his gaze was elsewhere, facing a downed young man not too older than myself. Blood bloomed out of his chest, the bright red made a stark contrast with his pure white tracksuit. His eyes still had a little light in them, trying to make sense of the situation. I shifted my gaze.

The next downed person spoiled my mood. Laying in a straight position, the tattooed man's now listless eyes were wide open in shock. Blood slowly pooled out of a hole in his forehead, the back of his head was stained red. He was dead; now I wouldn't have the chance to ask him about dreaming. Irritated, I looked at the perpetrator. Lisa still stood where she was; at some point in time, a black pistol appeared in her hands. It pointed in the direction of the fallen body; it didn't take a genius to understand what happened there.

I sighed before looking in front of me, at the last dead body. Blood pumped like a fountain through the neck of the now headless body. The head of a middle-aged woman rested not too far from it, her blood-stained eyes widened in shock. I could feel her blood seeping into my clothes; the sticky pigment from the fountain-like neck already soaked my hair.

Looking at her, I felt no remorse. After all, this was just a dream; none of them were real. It did feel real, though; the metallic smell, the dampness of the blood, my heavy breathing, everything felt vivid.

Eventually, I stood up, looking at the remaining participants. We were just five left now: me, Lisa, the middle-aged man, and two others. One was a dark-haired high school girl, the other was an elderly woman.

The moment I looked at them, they jumped back in fear, like they were looking at a monster. I'd admit though, a man covered in blood didn't seem like the friendliest of persons. Ignoring them, I turned to face the man. I didn't overlook his attempt earlier; he tried to kill me.

'I was right not to trust him; they're all liars.'

"You tried killing me, even after calling me your friend?"

The man looked at me, hesitating before speaking.

"That… that I did. To be fair, my friend, you did just kill someone too."

Excuses.

"Not after calling her my friend. Besides, she never existed to begin with; I told you, you're all just part of my dream."

The man's eyes squinted dangerously at my words; his actions became much more cautious.

"I'm sorry, my friend. It was a tense situation, so I acted on impulse." He lied through his teeth. I couldn't be bothered to point out his lies. As of now, he wasn't an immediate threat; his mission was already complete.

Sighing, I turned some of my attention towards the two other participants. Lisa had already gotten to them, a mixed look covering her face. She seemed a bit remorseful about killing, but that was all; it didn't affect her much.

"Viktor, what do you suppose we do now?"

So, that was his name.

Viktor sighed, looking at the two people backing against the wall.

"Honestly, it's up to them. Either one dies, or both do. It's got nothing to do with us." The man pulled up his status, not willing to discuss any longer. Although, he was clearly still keeping an eye on me.

The elderly woman nearly screamed, "Are you all insane? Those were people, living, breathing people. Yet you killed them just because of some threats; for all we know, this could be a Goddamned prank!"

No one answered her. "God… are we the only sane ones here?"

At this point, Lisa finally spoke. She seemed to take pity on them.

"We aren't willing to take that chance; you've seen what Gaia did to us right? Just think about bringing up your status, you'll understand."

The woman did so, before long a black light flashed before her. After a while, she sighed; all the energy she initially had seemed to vanish.

Although, I knew I was being rude. I couldn't stop staring at them; it was just so entertaining.

The woman looked at the young girl behind her, then looked at the black collar on her neck before looking back at the girl. Shaking her head, she pushed the silver revolver into the confused girl's hands. Touching the girl's chin, she sighed.

"Aurora, your parents have taught you how to protect yourself. Follow everything they've taught you and survive."

Confusion clouded the girl's eyes.

"Grandma, why are you sayi-."

The woman cut her off.

"I've lived a long, happy life. I won't stop you from living yours… So." Her hands grabbed Aurora's hands, pulling the revolver to her head.

"Kill me, Aurora, if only one of us can live, then it's going to be you."

Aurora's eyes widened.

"No, Granny, there must be another way."

"And I am not willing to risk my granddaughter's life in finding that out!" The elder looked her straight in the eye, her face marked with grim resolution.

"Do it, Aurora!"

"Grann-"

"Do it!"

"Gr-"

"DO IT!"

BOOM!

A dull thud.

"Haa…"

Aurora looked at the gun in her shaking hands, before looking at the body on the ground. She slowly brought her free hand to her face, rubbing it a little. Then she saw the sanguine liquid staining it; everything clicked.

A piercing scream through the silent room.