Precognition

Prologue

Yami
11:32 AM

Today is just like any other day I wake up upon. I scout for job fairs, enter loads of interviews, wait to get called back, but I barely get called. 

Adulthood is this hard, isn't it? Every other day I'd wish to get my youth back. You don't get to think of any problems, just you relaxing under the burning sun. But now, I'm a problematic idiot who's having difficulties finding a job.

My mother would always nag and regret I chose to finish Fine Arts instead of Architecture, the more she nags about it, the more I regret the decision. "Don't shove my failure off of me, it's annoying."

And today, here I ponder in a train seat, on my way home. Finishing the day without any progress in relation to job hunting. Carrying my art supplies especially this big sketchbook I have, with these Chinese food leftovers I ordered earlier for dinner. At this time, Athena might still be up, and she might be hungry and studying.

"RING, RING-A-LING-" The phone buzzed a marimba tone, I glanced at the screen and synchronically, it was the girl I mentioned. "I knew it, you're still awake."

"Where the heck are you? You know mom's very heated these days, especially in your situation." She retorted oppressively. "Wow, like you think finding a job is as simple as getting a star stamp from kindergarten." I countered back. How could she say that? That provoked me in many ways, I'm doing my best. When will she understand the adversity of being an adult?

"Ugh, whatever. Just come home already, or mom will pin her anger at me. I don't wanna be involved in your mess." She irritably fires back and hangs up.

I slipped my phone back in my pocket, trying to rest peacefully as I hear the train's rumbling noise. The atmosphere is quiet and weird, some people are asleep, some are minding their own business. And so did I. I attempted to doze off because tired of what happened today, the ambiance inside the train is so sleep-inducing, I almost zoned out and leaned on a stranger's shoulder earlier.

And as I close my eyes, I fell into deep slumber...

1:03 AM

"Help! HELP! Somebody he-" The screamings stopped when I heard a loud crash. My whole system was startled as the clattering reaches my eardrums. I opened and widened my eyes, everything is dim, dark even. I looked around and can only see obscurity. I felt nervousness crawling down my spine, and as I opened my phone and turned on the flashlight, what I saw scarred me.

I held my nose, and breath. The smell sickens me, but... Those poor lifeless people, bathing in their own blood. The dead made me shed a tear. Some are laying on the ground, some are still on the seats, and most corpses are piled up. "What... happened?" I murmured to myself.

While looking at everything from high and low, and every corner, a thought kicked into my mind. "I'm... the only one alive." The atmosphere is strange, concerning at most.

"This is getting weirder and weirder. Didn't I just sleep when people are still... alive?" The emptiness of the train haunts me like I'm in a horror movie, chills went down my spine as I wander around the train.

A few steps and riffled through some objects, I reached the end of the cart, I pointed my flashlight to one body in the corner. It was a middle-aged man. Still holding on to his newspaper and even spilled coffee on his coat. "At least he had a job." 

I mourned for a bit for the spiritless guy on the ground and went along the train. "This feels... so surreal. Yet... so realistic." I muttered to myself. This horrific place, and the ghastly ambiance... I don't know what to say, feel, or even do about it. It feels like a nightmare yet so real.

The more I think about it, the more I'm confused, so I strolled back to where I came from. Once again, I observed everything for the second time, but still, nothing interesting in isolation of the corpses. 

While I delve back into my starting point, I paused when a sudden feeling hit me. I felt nauseous in the middle of the cart, I continuously lost my balance and almost fell onto one body. "I feel... dizzy..." I wanted to remember, I wanted to see clearly, but as I blink, my vision becomes distorted. I reached for a pole beside the seats, but as I grab the pole, I heard a deafening snap from a distance. And then... I whited out.

1:43 AM

"H-huh?" I gained consciousness with blurry eyesight, my eyes roamed around the room, seeing fewer people than before. "Everything's back... to normal?" It was the same as before, but less loud, a few people having their coffee, some are asleep, and some are pondering. I felt calm as I hear the train rumbling in the background. I let out a big sigh from my lungs and felt relief. 

But as I did, I felt subtle movements on my head, it was trembling like it's shaking my resting head off of it. That's when I realized... "Young man, please remove your head off my shoulder, I'm trying to read."

"I'm sorry! I didn't know I zoned out! I'm really sorry!" I screamed out of fear, followed by an apology. It was a man in glasses reading newspaper. I looked at him from head to toe, he looked familiar from what I think of.

As my spirit awakens from awkwardness, I lifted my head up and dusted myself. "You look pretty tired, try drinking this coffee, I think you still have a long ride," he said after I woke up. He lends me his spare coffee. He doesn't seem to be mad at me nor annoyed by me. "Thank you." I replied.

I stared at the coffee for a whole minute, then lifted my head to focus on him unintentionally. "Is there something wrong? You don't like coffee? It's fine, I'll take it back if you want to." He replied with a calm but mournful tone. He must've seen my reaction.

The feeling of guilt washed in my body, I felt pity so I awkwardly accepted his offer with a grin, "No! I was just too tired. I might've been unconscious for a second, thank you for the coffee." He then briefly smiles as a reply, " Well, if you insist." then went back to reading. 

I took a sip of the coffee as I analyze the man beside me for a few minutes, "He really looks familiar... But I can't tell who..." I wondered about that single thought for a few more minutes, until the man in glasses noticed me once again and rapidly said, "Hey, I'll try to be nice as possible but please don't stare at me like that, you've been doing it for a while now. You're scaring me, is there something wrong with me? Or the coffee?"

What the man said made me panic. "No, sir! There's nothing wrong with you or the coffee. I might've lost consciousness again, my bad." I defended myself while trembling. 

"Don't do that again, if you're doubting the coffee, I'm not trying to poison you or anything. And you're welcome." He replied with a dull voice that ends the conversation. I really can't stand the awkwardness between us.

But... who is he? I reminisced some thoughts while drinking coffee and... I envisioned some of it.

What a weird feeling... what's going on?

END.

precognition.