The Day Before Chaos - Part 2

I had woken up, and slowly opened my eyes to the familiar white ceiling…

That dream it’s just sad… I thought as I recalled the parting of the boy and girl in that dream…

It must’ve been so long ago that I can’t remember it anymore.

I was probably four or five back then.

“Haaaahwn…” I stretched my limbs and yawned.

I sat up straight and reached out to my phone to look at the time.

It was currently 5:37 PM just before evening.

I better start cooking my dinner. I thought.

I got out of bed, and went into the bathroom to do my business on the toilet and wash my face.

After that I headed downstairs and opened the fridge.

I just restocked everything in here so I could probably cook anything I wanted right now…

Although I’m still a bit tired so I’m just going to do a quick air-fryer meal. I thought as I took out some packaged chicken cordon bleu, unwrapped it’s packaging, and placed it inside the air-fryer.

I plugged in the air-fryer, I set the temperature to 180 degrees, and then twisted the knob and let it ran for 30 minutes.

As my food was cooking in the air-fryer, I turned on the T.V to listen in on the evening news…

Just this once I wanted to try to know what’s happening outside this house. I thought as I took out a water-pitcher from the fridge, and my mug from the drying rack.

I sat down and gently placed the water-pitcher down on the dining table and filled up my mug with water.

For half an hour, I did nothing but relax and listen to the news…

Ah… it’s all mundane stuff, it sure is peaceful. I thought.

Then the air-fryer rang once letting me know that the timer has finished.

So I stood up, grabbed a plate and fork, then placed the now cooked chicken cordon bleu onto my plate, and let the air-fryer tray cool-off in the sink.

I sat back down, ready to eat.

Sure smells delicious. I thought as I stabbed the fork into it and took a bite out of it.

Hot Hot Hot.

I quickly put down the fork, and started drinking water from my mug.

“And now for the next news report, A body has been found in X subdivision, Paranaque City. It is thought to be connected to a series of murder cases where the body has been in a mauled-like state. Further more---.“ I accidentally spit out both the water, and a piece of the cordon bleu as I heard that announcement. I quickly turned to my left to look at my T.V.

What the hell, that’s just a street away from here.

Ugh… I’ve already got plenty to deal with right now.

Please just catch the culprit already.

Well… either way, I’m pretty sure this serial killer is not even going to target me anyways.

I’d just be wasting energy worrying about it, when it’s not going to happen to me.

Although I feel sorry the victims.

I wish that would’ve been me instead… I thought.

Oh wait… no no no, I have to stay away from these kinds of thoughts if I actually want to better myself.

I stood up and started cleaning the mess I made by that accidental spit from earlier…

***

After I finished eating, I turned off the T.V, and started washing the dishes.

Come to think of it… I did hear sirens earlier when I woke up in the middle of my sleep earlier. I thought.

After the dishes are now all sparkly clean.

I picked up the microwaveable Tupperware that used to be the packaging of my meal earlier, and unlocked the door to throw these away to the mutually shared garbage bin.

As I took one step outside, I heard the crickets chirping and felt chilly air of the cold night.

Is it going rain? I thought as I looked at the night sky.

I stood there for a bit, embracing the air.

“Phew…” I sighed as I turned to my right and walked towards the garbage bin.

As I made my way there, I glanced at the house that was just right next to mine.

The door was locked tight, and there was no light coming from the windows even though it’s still early in the evening.

Kiara and her parents might’ve gone out on an outing to celebrate, so I guess I shouldn’t worry about this. I thought as I walked forward a few more steps, and threw my trash out into the large garbage bin.

And walked back to my house.

As I was just about to enter, I heard the gate open.

Out of curiosity, I turned around to see who it was.

It was Rose wearing the same clothes from earlier, with groceries in hand.

So, my guess was true after all…

“Welcome back…” I jokingly said with a grin on my face.

“Eh? Eden what’re you doing here?” She asked as the shock was showing on her face.

“Well… I live here.” I replied.

“Ah that make sense, why didn’t you tell me earlier though?” She added.

“I did tell you that I lived in a townhouse earlier, it’s just that I didn’t know you moved to the same one.” I explained.

“I see… then can you help me with my groceries? I have a couple more bags I left in the car and you need to take responsibility.” She grumbled as she pouted.

Responsibility for what?

“I decline, I got something to do so do it on your own.” I added.

Even though I’m grateful to her and all that, I’m not just going to do what she says on a whim.

“Ehh…?” She uttered as I turned around and entered my house.

I turned around, “Thank you.” I said and closed then locked the door.

“Haah…” I sighed again.

With Rose just being a few meters away, will this heal my heart?

But I don’t just want to depend on her to do it.

I want to conquer this guilt on my own…

If it gets to a level that I can’t handle then maybe I’ll impose on her just a bit.

I thought as I checked and turned off everything in the bottom floor and headed back to my room.

***

I heard my phone vibrate as I slowly opened my eyes and woke up.

Ugh… my head hurts. I thought as it’s been several hours since I ate dinner.

I reached out to my phone on the side of the bed, and checked the time.

It was currently, 3:14 AM in the morning.

Who would message me at this kind hour? I thought as I looked above the time and on the notifications.

It was from Mi, my mother.

“Kiara is missing, message me or her parents if you see her.” I read the message aloud in a hoarse voice.

I see, it’s just… wait what?

I sat up straight and scratched my eyes.

“Kiara is missing, message me or her parents if you see her.” I read the message aloud once again…

She’s missing? But we just had lunch yesterday, couldn’t she have gotten herself kidnapped or something? I thought as I tried to think of more possible reasons as to why she’s missing.

If I remember right, yesterday when I was listening to the news, there was that report about a victim of that serial killer a street away from here.

So, could have it been Kiara?

No way, it couldn’t possibly.

If it was Kiara then her parents would’ve been informed of it.

But Mi just messaged me that she’s missing.

It could still be possible that the victim was Kiara but…

“Aaagh, it’s too early in the morning for this,” I grumbled and got out of bed and went to the bathroom.

I did my usual routine of doing my business in the toilet, and washing my face just after waking up.

I went back to my room.

I did plenty of sleeping yesterday, so it should be fine to wake up this early. I thought as I opened up notebook laptop and sat down on the bed.

I searched up news reports about this serial killer.

“Let’s see… After further inspection of the victim’s bodies, the body is confirmed to have been mauled by an animal but there are signs of fingerprints all over the victim’s bodies, confirming it to be a murder.” I read it aloud.

“The victim’s bodies are unidentifiable but coincidentally there are people that have gone missing during the same as the murder took place.” I breathed in and out as I absorbed all of this information.

“After testing both DNA’s of victims and the missing person, it has been confirmed that they are one in the same.” I clenched my fist as I closed the laptop, compiling the information that I have gotten.

No… I refuse, it’s just a coincidence that they both happened at nearly the same time.

Until, her parents got the DNA’s tested. I’m going to keep searching.

Because if it is her that died… her blood is in my hands.

I don’t want to be the cause of her death.

I don’t want her to die.

She doesn’t deserve it.

What she deserves is a long-lasting happy life.

I’m the one who deserves it not her.

If anyone’s going to die, it WILL be me.

For now, I’m going to be optimistic and keep searching, I don’t want to suffer anymore than I already am.

I know this is a selfish reason for me to be searching but still.

I need to do this.

It WILL be me who dies.

***

After thinking of ways to search for her, I decided to cool my head off in the balcony.

“Haaah…” I sighed whilst feeling the chilly morning breeze as I stared at the night sky.

“I don’t want her to die…” I muttered to myself as I thought back to the lunch we had yesterday.

She was all bright and cheerful yesterday too…

All that effort for her to change in the dumps if it turns out to be her.

Could’ve had I avoided this if I just invited her to go with me.

I don’t know.

I don’t know anything.

If I could’ve had just done something, all of this would be avoided.

This world is cruel…

I’m going to be hypocritical as to say people shouldn’t die.

But at least spare the people I know.

I know them, they know me.

People who are connected to me.

I don’t want them to die.

If they aren’t connected to me in anyway then I wouldn’t have to think about them if they died.

After all I don’t know them, they’re just strangers like the previous cases of this serial killer’s murders.

People dying, blood spilling, it’s all apart of life.

I wonder how warm it’d be when you spill a person’s innards… I thought as I clenched my fist as though I’m grabbing someone’s heart.

***

Suddenly I experienced a brief, strange vision.

On a concrete road. Houses on the right. Grassy fields on the left.

There was a puddle of blood, and on top of it was a human corpse the source of the scattered blood.

Right on its stomach there was a large cut…

Its insides were exposed.

Is this a memory?

I reach out to the corpse with both of my hands, stained with blood.

Right where I was standing, there was a knife.

With my right hand I slid it inside the cut and a moment later I pulled out my hand along with its heart.

And then I crushed it, the blood that was inside it had scattered all around as the heart itself turned into nothing more than a flattened pancake.

***

By the third time I blinked, the vision was gone.

“Bleurgh” I had vomited on the balcony floor, recalling the sight of that vision.

What was that?

That vision, that sight, that blood.

It felt so real… then is it a memory?

No no, I would clearly remember it if it was because what’s in it is just plain horrible.

I can’t stomach the sight of it.

I breathed in and out, relaxing my mind.

The most realistic explanation that it was a memory that I’d forgotten, but if I were to go off track from realism, then is this some sort of precognition?

A memory that takes place in the future?

I don’t know.

But if it was a memory then… forget living my life, I need to just die if that vision is a forgotten memory.

As I kept thinking plausible explanations for it, I notice something moving in the sky.

What is that? I thought as I focused my eyes as hard as I can on the sky.

There was a speck of white moving about as if it were a star.

A shooting star…?

Suddenly the ground shook.

“Crap, an earthquake!?” I shouted as I held onto the guard rails of the balcony.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

I held on as tight as I can as the pots of plants settled in the balcony started breaking one after another.

Why is this happening!?

A minute later the earthquake had stopped…

“Haaah…. Haaah…” I try and catch my breath.

Luckily, I didn’t get flung off the balcony. I thought but by the time I blinked... I was suddenly in the townhouse’s only garage.

Huh? How’d I get down here? I questioned myself as I looked back and forth between the balcony that I was just in, and the ground that I was standing on.

But then I noticed someone on top of the red gate.

A humanoid figure dressed in all black.

Since it was still dark, I can’t see them clearly.

But before I could even open my mouth and speak, the other person had already moved.

Their knife moving towards my throat like a flash of lightning.

I knew it would be useless to dodge something that fast.

With it being faster than what any human in the modern age can move.

But it didn’t reach my throat, instead it seems have stopped just before it pierced it.

A moment later they had been pushed back, flying through the air and crashing on the metal gate.

“Learn your place, you feral beast.”

Before I knew it someone had already been standing in front of me.

Long-hair white as snow, a white-dress, I can’t see this person as anything but white.

They take a few steps forward, her beautiful white hair sways as she turns to face me.

Then I saw it, blue eyes cold as ice, dry white lips as if her entire being cannot be perceived by anything but white.

I swallow my saliva as I feel the immense amount of pressure coming from her, it feels like every cell in my body is screaming. I can’t move.

If I move, I will die.

This woman looks human, but I can’t help but feel like she’s an inhuman monster.

“Good evening,” she says in a light tone.

As I stared at the woman in front of me, I notice something off in her eyes.

The black pupils are moving in a way that shouldn’t be possible.

But slowly and surely it dilated into the shape of a flower.

The pressure that was preventing from moving had disappeared.

She lightly smiled.

But suddenly a large shockwave had burst forth in all directions.

The houses, the pavement, and I had been hit.

Blood had been spilled as chunks of my body have become mincemeat.

I didn’t feel anything.

By the time I noticed… I was already dead.

Without saying anything, without doing anything, I will surely rot in hell.

I thought as my consciousness was fading away but then my blood that had splattered all over started to reverse.

It was like time was rewinding itself, as my body slowly returned itself before it had been hit.

“What the?” The white woman, dropped her jaw as she watched myself regenerate.

My body tissue, my blood cells, my limbs… A moment later I was back.

It was like I never split into pieces.

On my right hand, I clenched my fist to check.

I’m alive? I thought then I turned to look at the woman in front of me.

“So you’re the one…” She quietly uttered with her face looking surprised. “Fufufu… Bahahaha, I finally found you, my soulmate.” She laughed as if she achieved something.

“Soulmate…?” I muttered.

What sort of nonsense is this woman spouting? Is she crazy?

“Yes… that’s right, but first of all let’s have some fun first shall we?” She said with a sadistic grin.

“Deploy main armament!” She shouted then a beautiful blue crystal sword had materialized in front of her mere moments after she had said those words.

She grabbed hold of the sword and rushed at me at a speed no normal human could achieve.

I instinctively stepped back and raised my hands but it was no use.

I can’t defend against that! I thought as I closed my eyes waiting for my inevitable death.

But it never came, so I slowly opened my eyes to see.

There was a red wall of liquid in front of me, blocking the woman in white from ever reaching me.

“Bahahaha… I was right after all.” She was laughed again.

The red wall dispersed, allowing me to see her figure again.

“Wait! Can’t we talk this out!” I shouted as hard as I can in fear of my life.

But she didn’t respond instead she pointed her sword at me and closed her eye.

“2nd Dimension increase access 50%” She said as her eyes suddenly opened, for a moment her eyes were glowing as if it were bursting with life.

“Wait a minute!” I shouted again.

But then… by the time I blinked my body was already in pieces, before that red wall could even form.

I died in a blink of an eye.

My consciousness had faded….