Fangs Across Eternity

Nightmare

'Ahhhh!'

Adrian was falling, though there was no up or down, only an endless, choking void. The darkness pressed against him like a tide, thick and suffocating, each breath stolen before it could fill his lungs. His arms flailed, searching for something solid, anything to hold on to, but the emptiness swallowed him whole.

And then he saw them. Two glowing red eyes, enormous and unblinking, cutting through the darkness with a heat that burned through his very thoughts. He tried to cry out, but no sound emerged. Only despair, only the sense that he was drowning.

Every fiber of his body screamed to turn away, yet he couldn’t, a wave of cold terror rolled through him.

...

A violent gasp tore him from the nightmare. He bolted upright in his bed, coughing, chest heaving, drenched in cold sweat. His eyes darted around the room, finally settling on the reassuring sight of his little brother, curled up on the adjacent bed, breathing softly in sleep.

It had been just a dream. But the memory of those eyes lingered, a chill crawling up his spine. 'Was this… the repercussion of the ritual?' he wondered, recalling the events of the previous night. He had cleaned the room, unlocked the door, and gone straight to bed afterward, but now the memory of those eyes made his skin crawl.

Shaking off the lingering fear, Adrian swung his legs over the side of the bed and made his way to the bathroom. His mother appeared in the hallway, bright eyed and smiling.

“Good morning, honey,” she said cheerfully.

“Umm… yeah, good morning, ma,” Adrian mumbled, unsure how to respond. His mother’s smile lingered as she moved on, turning back briefly. “Breakfast is ready. Do me a favor, wake your little brother.”

Adrian nodded silently and entered the bathroom. Cold water splashed his face, sending shivers through him, and he picked up his toothbrush, a small token of routine grounding him back to reality.

He returned to the bedroom, gently shaking his younger brother awake.

“Theron, Mother said it’s morning. Time for breakfast.”

“I heard… I’ll be down in a bit,” Theron murmured, eyes still closed, voice heavy with sleep. Adrian didn’t press further and left.

By the time Adrian reached the dining area, the table was already set. “Where’s Dad?” he asked, settling into his chair.

“Oh, he’s gone to work,” his mother replied, ladling rice and stew onto his plate and those of his younger sisters.

Lydia, the eldest daughter and fourth child, ran into the room, her smile wide as she held up a letter. “Big Bro Orion sent a letter!”

Adrian froze mid-spoonful, the name stirring recognition ‘Orion’, he remembered, Orion was the second child, far away at school.

‘Even in this new life, I’m still a failure while someone else shines’ He took a slow breath and returned to his plate, allowing the scene to unfold around him.

“Read it,” their mother instructed.

Lydia’s voice carried across the table. “Dear Father and Mother, I am doing well here in school. You needn’t worry about me. It’s my second year, and the professors seem to favor me. I heard what happened to big brother; I am deeply saddened. I hope to write again soon.”

The letter was quite short, his mother nodded, placing the letter in his father mini library for him to see upon his return.

Lydia settled at the table, her eyes lighting up with mischief. “Big bro, since you might start working, when you start earning, can you get me….” she began, rattling off a list of wants that seemed endless, dragging the youngest sibling into her demands as well.

“Lydia, you’re shouting already!” Theron’s voice rang from the hallway, gruff with early-morning irritation.

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Gosh, he’s awake. Why is he always after my life?” she muttered, quickly falling silent.

Theron entered the dining area, nodding politely to their mother and Adrian.

“Big Bro Theron, Lydia insulted you before you walked in,” Clara, the youngest, chimed in with wide eyes.

“Haaaa!” Lydia protested, indignation painted across her face. But before the argument could escalate, their mother’s sharp voice cut through the room. “All of you, sit! We are at the table, no ruckus.”

After Adrian finished eating, he bathed quickly, letting the cool water wash away the lingering heaviness from the dream. He dressed in clean clothes.

“I’m going out a bit,” he told his family as he pulled the door shut behind him.

The street greeted him with a surge of life. It was busier than he had expected, alive with the sounds of a town busier than a market in his previous life.

“Extra! Extra! Get your daily Punch newspaper here!” a boy shouted, waving folded sheets in the air.

“Fresh vegetables! Fresh pepper, don’t miss them while they’re still fresh!” cried a woman balancing a wide basket.

Another voice bellowed from a cart, “Bread! Today’s bread! Soft as a mother’s breast, come buy your bread!”

The noise clashed and mingled, rising above the rattle of wooden carriages pulled along cobblestone streets. The air was thick with the smell of baked bread, horse sweat, and spices Adrian couldn’t name, It reminds him of the medieval past of earth.

He wandered aimlessly, studying corners of the town, some he recognized, others blurred, like half-forgotten memories.

A young man barreled out from an alley and slammed into him. Adrian staggered but kept his footing, while the man collapsed in a heap. As he looked up, his eyes met Adrian’s, and his face twisted in raw terror.

The stranger scrambled backwards, clawing at the ground as though Adrian were death itself looming over him. His mouth worked soundlessly before he turned and fled, stumbling like a hunted animal.

Adrian froze, his heart tightening. What did he see? Why was he so afraid? He glanced around, expecting some threat behind him, but there was only the bustle of the street. Instinct pushed him forward, hand half-raised to help the man up, but the mere gesture had made the fellow shriek and bolt faster.

Confusion weighed heavy in his chest.

The sharp thunder of boots drew Adrian’s attention. A cluster of uniformed men rounded the corner, their polished badges glinting in the morning sun. Police. Their expressions were hard, trained eyes fixed on the escaping man.

So… he’s a criminal? Adrian thought, stepping aside.

But then, one of the officers slowed as he passed, his gaze locking onto Adrian. His eyes lingered, searching, calculating, long enough to make Adrian’s skin prickle.

“Strange…” The officer said in a low voice that no one around him could hear a thing, then the officer moved on, resuming the chase with the others.