Saga of a New World - (Audiobook Available)

6. The Early Bird gets the Worm

Astrid feels herself waking up.

She's always been a long sleeper, and as she opens her eyes, she expects the sun to be shining.

To her surprise, she is hit by a wall of darkness.

Her vision is a solid mass of black and a bit of red. Slowly, the red highlights begin to fade in some areas while intensifying in others.

Four red shapes mark the presence of four other people in the room with her. They are all still asleep.

Astrid is surprised. On weekends, she was always the last in her family to wake up. Usually, by the time she managed to drag herself downstairs, her brother was coming back from his morning jog.

Since everyone else is asleep, Astrid tries to just close her eyes again. As a human, when she'd wake up early, usually from her phone's alarm clock, she would have difficulty not falling asleep again.

Now it's the exact opposite.

Her body refuses to relax. The more she tries to stay still, the more a weird tingling spreads through her body, urging her to move. Her brain is no better. Even though she tries to clear her mind and relax, all her brain wants to do is focus.

She fights against herself with a variety of techniques, but the weird need to do something only intensifies the more she tries to resist it.

Finally, she gives up.

The red highlights in her vision give her a general idea of where everything is, allowing her to navigate the dark with little difficulty. She tries to look outside through the living room windows, but sees that her red sight doesn't penetrate the glass. Instead, it looks like a mirror that only reflects the red part of her vision. The rest is a near-solid wall of black.

She sits up and removes her blanket as quietly as she can.

Waking up in normal clothes instead of pajamas feels weird and she doesn't even want to know what she smells like. Then again, she has bigger problems than worrying about her probably suboptimal hygiene. Like somehow acquiring breakfast.

'God. I could really use some bacon and pancakes right now...' She shakes her breakfast fantasy out of her head as fast as possible, but the damage is already done.

Her stomach immediately makes it known that he would indeed like to be filled with bacon and pancakes – and sooner rather than later. To make sure she knows he's serious, he grumbles and cramps up. Astrid clenches her teeth and waits for the burning to pass before she takes another look around the room.

Reaching the door to the garden would require stepping over several people, which leaves the front door as the only way out.

She finds it locked, but the keys are in the hole. A slow turn unlocks the door with nothing but a quiet clack.

Before Astrid leaves, she makes sure to flick a small lever in the doorframe. It will prevent the lock from snapping shut. Then she closes the door as quietly as she can.

She doesn't notice just how thick the air inside the house is until she steps outside. A cool wind washes over her as she takes a deep breath of fresh air.

For a few seconds, Astrid just stands there. Breathing and listening. The darkness surrounding her seems almost unnatural. The street lamps that would normally keep the night at bay, are black. Even the moon is hiding behind clouds.

She listens until she hears footsteps. A red shape comes into view across the street. Before she can say anything, Astrid is bathed in light. Her eyes burn from the sudden brightness and she is forced to look away.