Dan was a man caught between frustration and resignation. His reflection stared back at him, hollow-eyed and tight-jawed, as he sat with his head leaning against the glass window, watching the blur of passengers filing into the train as their voices formed a distant hum in his ears. He’d spent the last year juggling nearly five part-time jobs, scraping together every bit of dignity and ambition he could muster to prove himself. All of it—every sleepless night, every penny saved—had been for her.But none of it had mattered.The memory of Lauren's parents was still fresh, like a bruise that wouldn’t fade. Just days ago, he’d stood awkwardly in their pristine living room, wearing the one decent shirt he owned, hoping this time would be different.But the polite smiles had quickly turned into thinly veiled contempt, and before he could even defend himself, her father’s words had cut deeper than any blade,"You’ll never be good enough for our daughter, Dan. Stay away from her."And then,

“ I don't believe it,” Dan muttered, as realization dawned on him. Now the dots began to connect.“ That's old news by the way,” said the other guy, who was apparently Dan's future self. “This is 2026. February 13th to be precise. Life doesn't get any better,” he added without an ounce of emotion,““ You…you really are me. And this…this is the future. I'm in the future,” Dan said, awestruck, his voice barely above a whisper as he put his hands on his head as if trying to keep it from exploding into bits.“ No, you are me, or…whatever. You might want to sit down, there's more. I might just know what the hell's going on here,” said future Dan, his voice still at its base and his face stolid.For the next few minutes, future Dan could only try to bring his past self up to date with all that had happened in Seal city, but the guy could barely keep up. He had had too much going on for one day. “ In a matter of months, this city and everyone in it will be destroyed. Including those you ca

Dan immediately grabbed Lauren's wrist and pulled her along with him as they tried to evade the beast, but it was fast - too fast. In a moment of time, this creature was right behind them, launching one of its blade-like limbs through the air. A sharp gasp met witth Dan's ears, cutting his heart in two, as he lost his grip on her. He turned around to find Lauren, the love of his life caught up with what looked like a long knife protruding from out of her belly. There, the woman he loved stood, caught between life and death. Time paused. Both their lips parted in shock, their eyes locked on to each other's.With his hand stretched out to Lauren, Dan yelled, “ Nooo ! “Dan watched as the alien pulled out it's weapon from Lauren's gut, leaving her to crumble to the ground. His eyes slowly rose from her body to the monster, which was still fuming and snarling at him.The thing launched itself against Dan again, and knocked him off his feet, sending him rolling several feet from his init

The rhythmic tapping of rain against the kitchen window was oddly soothing as Ben Carter rinsed the last plate from his dinner. Life had been strange since the train explosion—a disaster he still couldn’t fully wrap his head around. How he survived such a ghastly accident still didn't make sense to him. A miracle, one would say, but that ' miracle' had come with consequences - more weird things he could not understand. His hearing had become unnaturally sharp. Sometimes, if he focused too hard, he’d hear strange vibrations in the air, almost like a pulse only he could feel.Ben set the plate on the drying rack and leaned against the counter, wiping his damp hands on a dish towel. The rain outside intensified, thunder rumbling faintly in the distance. He reached for his coffee mug when something caught his attention—a faint noise from upstairs.It wasn’t the normal creaks of an aging house settling. No, this sound was deliberate, almost rhythmic. Like footsteps.He froze, the mug ha

Dan wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stepped back from his makeshift targets. His breathing was heavy, his shirt damp from hours of exertion. He had just finished his third part-time job for the day—unloading shipments at a dingy warehouse—and had come straight to this abandoned lot. The sun had long since gone down , leaving the place covered in dim orange from a nearby streetlamp.He looked down at his trembling hands. Ever since the accident, he had not been the same - who would after witnessing such a chaotic train of events in a short space of time. A subtly warm sensation lingered just under his skin, invisible, but constant, like an engine running at low power.Dan sighed and squared his shoulders. He had to focus. He couldn’t let his powers stay raw and untamed, not after what happened with Lauren.A few feet away, he had set up trash cans and broken wooden pallets he’d found scattered around the lot. They weren’t great targets, but they’d do. Dan clenched his fists, le