Evolved

Chapter One

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."

-Confucius.

• • •

I'm either asleep or dead. I know this for fact. I no longer feel the weight of my body dragging me down to earth. I feel as if I could float away. Far away. Somewhere where I can't look down to see Andrew Longfield standing over me.

It's like I'm in a waking dream. Like some sort of spectator. From a birds'-eye-view, I can see Andrew standing over me, reaching his hand down to touch my forehead. I try to scream at him not to touch me. I feel the tension build up in my chest where the noise is concealed. I then attempt to float towards him to restrict him in any way possible. I can't move either.

He holds his hand up to examine the blood on it. My stomach turns at the sight. What have you done to me? He wipes his hand off in the grass and squats back down to take a look at me.

When I try to move this time, I can move freely, as if the force holding me back had suddenly vanished. I move closer to him before the force of whatever kind (possibly a force from within my own mind) prohibits me from advancing.

He opens my left eyelid. "Still asleep?" He checks his wrist watch and grunts in a frustrated manner. "How am I ever supposed to get this done?"

Now angry, I push forward with great enough force to break the restrain. Upon breaking the restrain, I feel myself regaining my weight. My eyelids feel heavy. I move my arm and realize that I can feel my limbs again. At this point I know that I've broken free of my dream.

I hear people shouting my name at a distance and wonder how long I've been out for.

"Shit," Andrew exclaims. I keep my eyes shut. There's some shuffling, him getting up and running away. Then a rustling of leaves that informs me that he's ducked into the forest.

As the worried voices come closer, I become more aware. My senses come back to life. I feel a sharp pain in my head. Although it hurts a lot, I like it. It's the only thing convincing me that I'm still alive. The only thing that convinces me that I did see Andrew Longfield and that he's alive, too.