Days of Darkness: Awakening

Chapter 9: Understanding

The next morning was particularly difficult for Damien. Trying to come to grips with his unusual dream proved to be more unnerving than he realized initially - even paralyzing. He was unsure what to make of it. Was it only a dream? Was it the future? Some alternate reality? He didn't know. He had no way of knowing. The only thing that he could be certain of was that something wasn't right, and he had to find out what it was.

After showering, Damien went to the gym to blow off some steam. He started off running, first, to clear his head. He ran mile after mile to get some clarity, but it only raised more questions in his mind. When that didn't work, he went to bench presses. He started with one hundred pounds. That wasn't enough, so he increased it gradually up to two hundred, two hundred fifty, three hundred... but nothing could satisfy his anger and confusion. It consumed him. So much so, that he eventually began to sweat blood.

When he finally finished his workout, Damien decided that the exercise wasn't enough. So, he gathered his belongings and made his mind up to go to the surface to get some fresh air and blow off a little steam by walking around. At first, he thought about trying to talk his thoughts and feelings through with Christian, thinking that, perhaps, he could somehow reason with him and come up with a logical explanation as to what was happening to him. But he swiftly abandoned that idea. In the end, he decided to go on his own and do his best to figure it out. When he reached the surface, he stood and took a deep breath, put on his headphones, and walked away.

At that moment, Damien held the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. Anxious, he drifted along searching within himself thinking that he would find a deeper meaning to his dreams. Was it only a dream? Could it be some sort of sign, a premonition perhaps? He couldn't be sure. The only thing he found at the end of his introspection was empty thoughts and more questions with no answers. Not ready to retreat to the bunker, he decided to keep moving.

As he walked through the neighborhood, he couldn't help but notice the state of the people that were left on the streets. Most were lined up along the roads in dirty, tattered clothes and looked hungry, tired, and desperate. So many were starving - some to the point of near death. It broke Damien's heart to see the world that he once knew was so far gone, so far from recovery. There were so many buildings along the way with broken windows and kicked-in doors from the masses looting. The world around him had fallen apart and, deep down, Damien knew that it had to change.

By the time he made it back to the base, it was almost dark. So rather than just hang out outside some more, he went inside. Damien decided to make his way to the infirmary in the hope that he could talk to someone about what he was going through. When he got there, he found a doctor - the same one that treated him when he was in his coma.

"Excuse me, doc," he said. "I was wondering if you had someone in that I could talk to?"

"Damien," she said a bit flustered. "It's good to see you again." She sat her bags down and sat down at her desk. "Please, just call me Nadia. Now, tell me exactly what is it that's going on with you?"

Damien sat down and let out a deep sigh.

"What isn't going on? I think I'm losing my mind. Last night, I had the craziest dream. But it felt so real."

"I'm not a dream specialist or anything like that. But I'll try my best to help. What happened in this dream?" Nadia asked.

"I woke up in my dream and everyone here was dead... except for me. I couldn't believe it. I fought a night-stalker inside the cafeteria. Cyris was dead in the training room. Diamond died in my arms trying to warn me. I buried my best friend after that. Then, I managed to make my way up to the surface. But I was blindsided, knocked out, and then helpless as some weird guy in all black held me in the air by my neck and finally killed me. That's when I woke up. Now, the really crazy thing is that, even at this moment, as I'm sure I live and breathe, I just can't come to terms with it being just a dream. I can't! It was too real."