Shadows dancing upon sleeping men

The halls were still eerily empty as I made my way down the steps. My shoes clicked against the tile, echoing throughout the empty halls. The front door lay ajar, and I could see Charlotte waiting outside. She stood beside a large black car with a glass roof, holding her phone to her ear. Her eyes scanned across the campus, glancing up as she caught sight of me.

"Yeah, I think he's headed back out," I could just barely make out what she was saying--caught in the day's natural haze.

I stepped out into the cold, taking a seat beside her in the backseat. "Everything ok?" I asked, closing the door behind me.

She scoffed. "Nope. Not even remotely. Ever since the leak, life’s been one ginormous slump with no way out. Such is life.”

“Such is life indeed.” A voice called from the front, covered in an uncertain shadow. Only their deep, smooth voice identified any mannerisms–a subtle hint of irony in every word. “Kaiden, what’s keeping you from changing that?”

“Excuse me?”

“This mountain you climb for selfish gain. It’s a distraction! One simple phrase could rocket you towards the very top, yet another sends you falling towards the plains below–never to climb again.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Who are you?”

“It’s astonishing that such an important took this long to be asked. You clown of Felix for his lack of originality, yet serve as an obedient servant to your own morality.”

“You're just so mysterious and cool!” I couldn’t help but scoff. Who did this chuunibyou wannabe think he was? “Let’s dip Charlotte.”

“...Charlotte?” Her expression stayed blank as she stared forward, not a word spoken.

“Surprised? Have you ever considered why you're here? Or is strolling into random cars just a habit of yours.”

“Well, Charlotte…”

“Ah yes. Because my friend jumped off a cliff I have to too!”

Tires flew and glass shattered as we slammed against something–car flying off an unidentifiable slope with no end in sight.

“Alass, it looks as if our time is at an end. Remember Kaiden,” Chalotte's voice joined, creating a chorus of sound. “It all relies on three words.”

The car slammed into the ground below, and the word itself exploded.

* * *

“Kaiden… KAIDEN!”

“Wha–” I shot up at the sound of Charolotte’s voice. My head ached as visions scattered through my thoughts–each slightly fuzzier than the last. It wasn’t every day you had a dream like that.

Maybe I needed a bit more sleep.

A familiar rhythm rocked my core–the bumping of rubber against country roads. Trees sped past our window at a million miles an hour. As our trip began, within the blink of an eye it came to an end.

“Just three words.” My voice came in whisps–quiet yet still echoing louder than any shout.

“Huh?” Charlotte tilted her head in confusion.

“It’s nothing. Just a dream.” I glanced back, sleeping faces refusing to meet my gaze. We’d left just as day fell–collapsing onto our seats. No wonder barely a single eye lay open! I had joined their ranks just moments ago after all.

A few lights sprouted up, a mix of nightlights and phones. It wasn’t as if the tech ban mattered much now. Shadows danced upon everyone's expressions, broken up by the occasional streetlight. Such a peaceful scenery. Everything flowed with the gentle wind flowing through the open windows, a far cry from our camping expedition. Such is life.

“You know,” Charlotte’s voice softly flowed towards my ear “Some people say dreams show our true selves, just disguised from our thoughts and fears.”

“Mine must be really disguised then.”

Charlotte smiled. “Maybe there's some pressing thought rattling around that head of yours, itching to escape.”

“I feel for everyone's safety if one of my thoughts manages to escape.”

“Truly the end of the world.”
We both laughed. There was something almost… Tranquil, chatting while the moon shone overhead, passing streetlights along the way. Without the constant rumbling of the bus’s engine, not a sound could be heard nigh the rustling of branches upon the trees.

Cities were neverending, constant. Noise was a simple part of life. There was no escaping the hustle and bustle of life–whether it was two in the evening or morning. Electric boxes hummed a steady tune while drunkards and businessmen became one in an endless sea of bodies. Even the skyscrapers that dared to touch the clouds provided little relief. Silence was but a feeble dream.

But out here? Noise itself came as a small surprise.

“Let’s say you were falling off a cliff with the person you valued most, yet there was time to tell them one sentence before you both crashed into the solid rock below. You couldn’t make the sentence very long, just a few words. What would you say?”

“Where’d this come from?” She asked, tilting her head.

“Just some random thoughts floating around my mind.”

“Well then,” her expression morphed into one deep in thought. “The person most important to me? Our gazes met for a split second, Charlotte turning away–blushing. “I guess… I’d say how much I cared for them. Wouldn’t anyone?”

“Maybe. Sorry, weird question.”

“Pfff, you don’t gotta apologize for that! It’s like two in the morning, who isn't asking questions like that around this time?”

“Sane people?”

“Luckily neither of us fall into that category.”

“Your Astella merch collection would beg to differ.”

“Like your one to complain.” Who knew, my rightfully earned cash was filling Charlotte’s pockets this entire time, yet I was the one paying for our next five pizzas? A rigged system from the top down!

“Who said I was complaining? Our insanities just build upon one another anyway.”

“True that.” I joked.

“Anyway, we got our whole lives ahead of us! School, college, a career–what's the point in thinking about the end? We can’t change the inevitable after all.”

Someone shuffled behind our seats. Maybe a classmate shifting in their sleep? Nah, that couldn’t explain the sudden gaze I felt.

I glanced back… Nothing. Maybe the shadows were playing tricks on my eyes.

“Though, let's not head near any cliffs soon, just playing it safe.”