15TH May 2065

Beno’s POV

“URGH!” I woke up quickly, scared at what I just saw… what was that… who that woman was and man… and so many deaths… sure I had nightmares before but… the details inside this dream were a bit uncanny…

Looking around I saw that the clock was already at half past 8, which meant I had to prepare to go to school soon. I mindlessly dress myself as I keep thinking about the dream that I had just now. What does that mean… the deaths there?

Without even thinking I already finished dressing up and finished my breakfast, even though Mom and dad were asking me something I just answered it without even thinking. My brain is literally going overdrive trying to analyze the dream that I just had.

Could it be just a dream or could it be a vision? I know visions exist in the past, but those are just myths from the past… they can’t be real. I decided to stop thinking about the dream and just go to school.

“Hey Beno!” Luca meets me at the school gate. To be honest, I don’t know why he is waiting there but meh, though… we aren’t even in the same class…

“Ey Luca, gonna go to the club today?” I asked him as he nodded.

Together with Luca along with Peter, Kevin, Adeline, and also Marco we made up the anime club in the school, anime as in those old Japanese animations that they had never done ever since the flood. Just wish someone would continue their job, right now the media is just filled with 3D animations that are more than half AI-generated.

“Hmm I might be late today, I gotta help some others with the class first before coming,” Luca said as we both walked down the hallway.

That is when my head starts to hurt, and it reminds me of the vision I saw yesterday night. I suddenly see a scene. A scene where Luca is walking towards the club through the labs, then a hole appears beneath him, killing him…

I do not know how accurate it is but… I am not even sure if I should believe it… but let's try…

“Say Luca… call me crazy but… maybe today we should take a break? I am not feeling too well…” I lied to him, hopefully, it will change the direction he will go and thus avoid his demise.

“I thought something was wrong with you when you looked so pale. Come let me bring you to the infirmary first… then we can sort out things later.” Luca says as he brings me to the infirmary… but…

To go to the infirmary through the school gate, we will still pass by the labs. But I didn’t realize that. The moment I do, it's too late, we are already near the labs already. The fear of the vision becoming true scares me. Because if it does, it means that I will lose one of my best friends here. If it doesn’t, it means that I am crazy, but that is alright, I am willing to be insane if it means that my friends are safe.

This walk was supposed to be just a few minutes’ walk, but for me, it felt agonizingly long. Every step feels like I am walking with tons of lead on my legs. Looking around, I see that a lot of students are also using the same path, which normally should have soothed my emotions since there is no way that a place where so many people walk through will just suddenly collapse.

How wrong I was.

*crack*

With a loud sound, the ground underneath Luca collapses. I tried to grab his hand to hold him up, even some of the nearby students came to help. But as if wanting to mock me, a second loud crack followed and the hole became even larger, the other students seeing this hesitated to come to our help.

“Throw your bag! It's too heavy!” I yelled at him, even though I did not work out, I am not weak in any sense, but, Luca’s bag is always filled with books, making it very heavy. He nodded and immediately tried to loosen the straps with his only empty hands. Looking around I tried to yell for help, but no one came to help.

*bang*

The sound of gunshots rang through the air, I panicked, guns are banned on seasteads yet… looking down, I saw three men, each of them holding a different gun, with one of them holding a pistol pointing at us. I remember seeing them in the vision too. The collapse of the floor is due to them too, but I don’t know why they are doing this.

They are yelling something in a language that I don’t know, but it sounds Arabic or African. Without knowing their warning, they shot another shot, this time the bullet grazing my face. I can feel the blood flowing out and it scares me, I don’t want to die! But I don’t want Luca to die too!

Looking down the gunner is now reloading, I quickly try to lift Luca out now that he already dumped his bag. But… not as lucky is that the other gunner is the one who shoot this time. Directly hitting my shoulder, the pain causes me to release one of my hands which is holding Luca’s hand. With only one hand left, lifting Luca help is impossible without any other help, I really hope the other students have already either called the teacher or are coming to help.

“Luca… try to climb up… I am running out of strength…” I tell him. The wound is hurting a lot, he said nothing and immediately tried to climb up my arm, it hurts a lot… I hear the three men beneath saying something, I do not know what they are talking about, but I do not like the tone, it screams leave no witness to me.

A third and last gunshot is fired. It directly hit Luca, causing him to let go of my arm in pain. Falling down into the hole, his body impaled on the exposed steel bar.

Luca died.

He died in front of me.

I couldn’t do anything to help him.

The three men leave after hearing the siren of the police. But that doesn’t matter to me, I lost one of my friends… I killed him… If I didn’t say anything, then he might be alive now…

I am too weak to save him, if I had more strength then I could pull him up before any of this happens…

I let out a loud cry before my consciousness started fading away from the pain in my shoulder.

“Why didn’t you save me, Beno…” Luca asked me.

I wanted to answer, but I know I don’t have any.

“You could have told me,” Luca said.

I know I should, but I don’t know why I didn’t… is it because I am scared? Or is it because I don’t believe in it? Or something else.

“You need to take responsibility,” Luca said again.

I know I should… but how…

“Easy… join me in death,” Luca said.

D… Die? But… but…

“Scared? Should have known that you would easily throw me away just to save yourself. I knew you were such a person.” Luca said.

No! No! I would never do that! I would gladly take a bullet for all of you and you know that!

“Easy for you to say. Look at me now, I am dead while you are not.” Luca said he ran towards me, his hands on my neck choking me.

“Die! Join me in death!” he said as he tightened his grip on my neck, I couldn’t breathe…

As I lose consciousness for the second time, I hear him say something…

“Save them for me. Please.” Luca said.

I jolted out of my sleep, my hand on my neck trying to release myself from Luca’s hands. Then I realized, I am no longer with Luca, nor am I at school anymore. Looking around, I knew where I was, I was at the central hospital in the seastead. Next to me are mom and dad, along with Adeline, Marco, and Peter. Kevin isn’t here, but it is easy to guess the reason.

“Thank god you are alright sweetheart.” Mom hugged me while Adeline was wiping her face, she was clearly crying.

“What happened... to Luca…” I asked. Despite knowing the answer, I still asked.

“He… passed away… when he fell, he was impaled onto a steel rod in the debris. The… steel rod directly went through his heart. Even if he didn’t die at that time, he would still bleed out…” dad said as I laughed.

“Luca… I killed you… I am sorry…” I said again and again like a broken record.

The others looked at me and sighed before leaving the room. Now, only me and mom remained in the room, she didn’t want to let go of me no matter what, saying it wasn’t my fault.

Sure, for any outsiders, it isn’t, but I knew what was going to happen, but I doubted it, and I didn’t act on it. Even though it wasn’t my own hands that killed him, I still led him to his death. If it isn’t my fault, then I don’t know whose fault is it.

Third person POV

“Any idea what is going on?” Beno’s father asked the group.

“I… don’t know… they didn’t even make it into class, I knew something is wrong when the police turns out but… I didn’t expect it to be this bad.” Marco said. The other two nodded.

“Why did my boy said that he killed him though, it clearly isn’t his fault, he did not shot Luca nor did he purposely let him go… he even got shot because of it.” Beno’s father asked again, this time, none of them had any answers.

Adeline then explains to Beno’s father about what happened in school. Though the information is from a friend of hers as she isn’t at the scene. While not obvious, the frown on Beno’s father is becoming more and more obvious. Though the kids are too distracted to notice it, anyone who even glanced at him could have known that something is wrong.

“Alright thank you for the info… I have some work to do so I will take my leave, please be with my son for now alright? I am sure this will be very hard for him.” Beno’s father said as he left the hospital. The group stayed and look at Beno through the window.

Without a better description, they felt that Beno looks dead inside, even though he is breathing, his eyes looks dead, it is as if he no longer have any will to live.

After a while Kevin finally joined the group and they went back into the room again. Beno’s mother this time also leaves since she also have work to do.

“Hey… how are you bro… you doing alright?” Kevin asks, instantly earning the stares of the others.

“Ha... Sorry… I can’t save Luca… I… killed him…” Beno mutters in a very low voice. But due to the others being close to him, they can hear him too.

“No you didn’t, its those guys with guns that killed him. You even tried your best to save him! If only the others aren’t such cowards you could have save him already! Don’t beat yourself too much about it ok?” Kevin said with a bright voice, the mood in the room is already gloomy enough so he had to pick up the role of brightening the mood.

“No… I know Luca will die if we go that path… I knew he will die… but I didn’t tell him…” Beno said while crying shocking the others about that revelation. With that sentence, the entire room went silent. Nobody knows what to say or react to that statement.

What does Beno mean he knew Luca will die, does that mean Beno knew something that the others don’t, but if it is, what is it. Will it be the others turn next? This is what everyone in the room thought.  But looking at Beno who is still crying, they decided to let him calm down before asking any questions.