Wake Up And Run

The Prophecy

The vision stops, and he starts seeing again all over, and over, and over, in a loop that he thinks will never finish. Julian feels disparate. The hardest thing that can shake a human being is the incompetence feeling. When you are unable to do anything or change anything.

But what is more frustrating to Julian is why, of all the people, he is the one who has to see this vision. On top of that, he can't tell anyone. For a simple reason, who would believe a 14-year-old? Nobody would, of course. Even his mother didn't believe him when he told her. On the first night, she dismissed it. "You are having a nightmare, dear, just go back to sleep," is what she said to him.

They leading a hard life both of them, it's just him and his mother since he became aware of the life, the live in a small town beside the capital city, since the capital became over crowded with people, and nobody a low income like them can't afford to live in the capital city, they cant even afford a bed space, let a lone a room or a house.

His mother, Jackline, a widow and a single mother, said her life changed when her husband died, leaving her with a few month old baby and nothing else, not even a single credit saved anywhere, and to begin with, she was an orphan, and she doesn't have any family, that she can beg for help or support, all the hope of a better life than the one she was leading before marriage ended with her husband's death, and even became harder with another mouth to feed.

The day when a government official came to her room and informed her that they had bad news and informed her of her husband's death. That day was the last day she smiled. Her husband was a city guard and his income was enough for them to go by and survive, nothing more. The government system doesn't provide any pension, especially for the family of the deceased, just a small amount as a compensation, nothing more.

She decided at that time to leave the capital city and bought a small house, consisting of one bedroom only with a very small front yard, and she was thankful to the old man who helped her to get it, who was the captain of her late husband's company, or else there was no way by any means for her to manage and get that house with the amount she had, thinking there was nothing more important than having a place of her own. Even if she slept hungry, as long as she had a home, that would prevent her and her son from the heat and the cold, and everything would be solved later on.

Julian was aware of the hard life his mother raised him with, the struggle, the hardship, she endured all those years, just to raise him and provide for him, he never complained, on the contrary he tried his best to reduce the burden from her,bhe even started working at the age of 10, while his peers was enjoying school and playing around, he was working helping his mother, to cover even one quarter of the life expense.

The Kingdom of Arathis life The world was not easy; it was filled with corruption and greed. Despite the country's natural resources, advanced technology, high-end agricultural land, and wide coast of all those resources, there were still slums and poverty in every corner of the country. The king lived a fantasy life, unaware of his subjects. The mistress came and went, all the time thinking of herself.

At that young and tender age, Julian had to grow up and become aware of what it means to live in a world where everyone thinks of themselves only and no one else. He even wished that his dreams or visions would come true, changing the course of his life. At the same time, he knew it was wrong, but what could he do to avoid having that lunatic vision he has been having, and how to save his mother, the only one he cares about in this whole world, since he couldn't prevent it?

At that time, he received a message on his wrist communicator. It was as follows:

Volunteers are required.

A volunteer is required for a simple experiment.

Time frame: 24 hours.

200 Credits as a reward

Note: If you extend your stay for an extra day, you will receive the same amount as a reward.

Click Accept if you are willing to participate.

Click deny if you are not interested.

The message that Julian received was totally strange. He wasn't supposed to receive any messages from unknown individuals, and he knew of no one that he knew that could send him such messages. There was no way he could receive any messages by mistake. The communicator is registered to him and nobody else can use it, or access it, or send him anything without his permission.

He pondered for a while, thinking about the two hundred credits, which, while not a fortune, could help him and his mother survive for a month, if not two. Although there was no time limit mentioned in the message, he was concerned about missing out on this opportunity.

He thought for an hour, and while preparing dinner for his mother, also tried to investigate the source of the message, and his AI chip was unable to provide him with any information. He decided to send a message to his mother, telling her about this opportunity he encountered, and telling her not to worry, he would be back after three days. The reason he told his mother three days was that, though the message mentioned only 24 hours, he was smart enough to know that anything could happen, and something might go wrong.

..............

Jennan tried her best to survive this day, swearing that she would never take part in any suspicious event ever again. This was enough for her, telling herself " If I survive this one, I will never be greedy ever again." What will the credit do for me if I am dead? She began to feel hungry and frustrated.

She even thought she heard howling, screeching, and other strange noises, including human sounds. Hunger or thirst didn't matter in this situation. All that mattered to her was to find somewhere safe to hide. The time was approximately mid morning, almost afternoon, but the density of the forest was so thick that it even blocked the sun, and it looked like it was almost late afternoon, close to sunset.

She was feeling the effects of the scary atmosphere. Still, with little enthusiasm, she put the backpack over her shoulder, put on her glasses, and started marching forward, without having any specific destination in mind.

At the chief's house, Azmar and Amran were told about the royal order, and the chief told them everything came from the discussion between himself and the elders, deciding that since they are living human beings, whether they are aliens or not, they deserve to know what is going on with their situation and what to expect.

Looking at the young girl sitting in front of him, he thought, " I can't jeopardize this innocent life, and I will do whatever I can."

Then, looking at Azmar, he said, "To tell you what I have been ordered and what to expect." It comes with great risk to my life. Although I don't understand what is going on, telling you is the only thing I can help you with. " At the same time, he gave them a white card, the size of a regular credit card or ID card but blank without any information.

"Keep this card with you at all times; when the time comes, you will understand. And now, I wish you both a safe journey."

Amran took the card, looking at it trying to figure out what it is, and left the room with Azmar, already she imagined what would happen. In her head, it doesn't need any effort to understand what is going on. Also, what is going to happen. With a wide smile on her face, she left, and murmured, "It's Started".

.....................

For Nana, it was her first day under the sun. For the last couple weeks, she has been locked in a room, but what is strange about the whole situation is that she is not in the city, but in a dark, dense forest, and she has no idea how she reached here. For the second time in this strange world, she is finding herself in a strange place, places she has knowledge about.