CHAPTER TWO

A PECULIAR ENCOUNTER

The next day after his nightmare, Andrew goes to school

with tired eyes, a gloomy look on his face and messed up hair.
He doesn’t acknowledge the fact that his friends, which he
hung out with yesterday, are already in class, and just goes
straight to his bench and rests his head on the table, about to
pass out.
“If only I got more sleep, I could actually prepare for the
exams.”
His friends, with questionable looks on their faces go to his
bench, about to scare him out of his slumber.
“HEY, DRE! DID YOU GO WITH SOME OTHER GIRL AFTER WE
PARTED WAYS OR SOMETHING? You sure look hung over,
brother!” said Lucian while bumping his elbow into him.
“Do you think I’m THIS drained of energy or what? Of course I
didn’t! I would make you way too jealous because then you’d
be lonely.”
Lucian gets slightly annoyed, but keeps his composure,
even though the others burst into laughing.
“Aren’t you the funny one now, ladies’ boy?”
“Stop the jokes. He looks like he’s going to fall off of his seat.”
said Lisa with a worried look.
“Stop worrying so much about me. I’m cool. I just… didn’t get
enough sleep, that’s all.”
“Surely with so much action going on I bet you couldn’t pass
out on them girls.”
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 Lisa raises her fist at Lucian out of sheer anger.
“Are you ever going to stop?”
“Alright, calm down! Keep the talk to yourselves. I’ll go grab a
snack for later.”
Lucian leaves for the school’s canteen and Lisa remains by
Andrew’s side.
“Do you want to go to the hallway near a window? Get some
fresh air maybe?”
“Yes, sure.”
After Andrew gets some fresh air, Lisa starts to get serious.
“What happened to you? I never saw you being tired because
you go to sleep so early all the time!”
“I just had a bad dream and couldn’t sleep after that. I tried
though.”
“And? Did you dream of our psychology teacher in a bathing
suit or what?”
“Nothing like that. I saw some sort of dark and disproportioned
person, with one hell of a smile telling me something after
making me fall. I don’t remember what he said though, but he
surely gave me a scare after I woke up.”
Lisa remains silent and zones out entirely.
“Hey did you even listen to what I just said?”
“Oh… Yes. You sure have pleasant dreams. Don’t worry about
it, chicken.”
“Hey I didn’t say I’m scared. I’m just tired.”
“Everyone says the same thing but you never know…”
“Can you let me rest until our class starts, please?”
“Alright, you chicken.”

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 The rest of the day goes as usual. Andrew writes and
studies for his classes, the friends talk to him in breaktime. He
eats some food cooked by his mother, and then the program is
finished.
While he walks home, he suddenly realizes that he forgot
his backpack at school because of how tired he is. He goes back
after almost everybody, even the personnel, left. The janitor
sees him.
“Hey, Andre! Don’t tell me you came back to study!”
“Good evening! No, sir. I came back for my backpack. I forgot it
in my locker.”
“Man… I literally locked the front door two minutes ago and
now you tell me I have to go look for the key again…?”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Ah, it’s fine! Just wait a little!”
“Thank you, sir.”
Andrew is led inside, grabs his backpack and leaves, with
an ashamed look and worried that he isn’t going to arrive for
dinner, as he promised.
“Have a good night, sir. And thanks again.”
“No worries, boy. Have a good one.”

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 Because of how late he is, Andrew chooses to take a
shortcut through a shady part of the neighborhood. He arrives
at a dark and narrow alley separating two large buildings.
Then, as he casually walks through the darkness, he sees a
person crouched down with his back towards him. He gives off
a dark chilling aura.
“It’s just a homeless person, nothing to worry about. Just pass
him slowly.”

Suddenly, Andrew gets blasted by a strong icy wind, and

also realizes that he can see his own breath, despite the hot
weather. Andrew gets goose bumps as he finds out that the
person sitting in front of him is oddly similar to the person in his
dream last night.
The strange looking person gets up, cracks his neck
sideways and starts giggling like a child, but with a deep voice.
Then, out of nowhere, his head spins around 180 degrees,
revealing the same face from Andrew’s dream last night.
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“I’m not dealing with that right now!” Andrew thought to
himself, as he started slowly walking backwards, before taking a
sharp left turn.
After that, he starts sprinting as if he was chased down by
rabid dogs. While running, the figure steps out of a solid brick
wall slowly and calmly, while gazing upon Andrew. The figure
gently lifts his hand with long fingers, as if he was greeting him,
with an abnormally large smile.
“My sincerest salutations, Andrew Kane.”
“WAIT! HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?”
The figure just stares at him as Andrew runs away in the
opposite direction with all his strength, and suddenly appears
again from thin air, placing his palm on Andrew’s chest and
stopping him. He felt as if his heart skipped a beat and he
freezes in place for two seconds. Andrew falls backwards in
shock, covered in sweat.
“HOW ARE YOU THIS FAST? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?”
“You speak too much…”
“SOMEB…”
The figure places his palm over his mouth.
“Shh… Quiet…”
Out of nowhere, Andrew is launched into the air with the
force of only the figure’s palm, and hits a wall with his back. The
person surrounds himself in black heavy mist. Andrew has
troubles breathing and understanding the situation.
The man launches forward at him, turning himself into
ash. The ash starts to enter through Andrew’s mouth, nose and
eyes while he is screaming his lungs out with a much deeper
voice, almost echoing, desperately trying to breathe. His whole
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body is shaking uncontrollably, sweat drips down from
everywhere on his skin, blood starts to spill from his nose. His
eyes then roll up, until only white remains. After all the mist
entered his body, he looked deeply into his palms and collapsed
to the concrete floor, slowly losing consciousness.
“Why… do I feel so… dizzy…? My body is… burning up… Help
me…”

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