My days are like dreams.
I open my eyes in the middle of something — making breakfast, singing in the shower, picking up a bundle of newspapers dumped on my front lawn.
A strange habit. I don't even subscribe to any.
Papers from across the world — different languages, different symbols, truths and lies mixed like morning coffee. I gather them, bring them to the table, and pour myself a cup.
Then, like it's the most natural thing in the world, I drag a chair and a table to the center of the empty road outside. Sit. Sip. Read.
It's always night. And it's always silent.
I flip through each paper slowly, savoring their voices. Politics. Science. War. Hope. Panic.
And then one headline catches my eye:
> "THE MOON ON COLLISION COURSE WITH EARTH! DOES HUMANITY FINALLY MEET ITS END?"
The picture shows a swollen moon, looming like an omen. Curious, I raise the paper and glance up.
And there it is — the moon, hanging heavy in the sky. Larger than life. Larger than the story. A third of the visible sky devoured by that pale, cratered giant.
But I knew.
Humanity — no, humans — will not die.
At least… not because of the moon.
Then I saw it.
A dot on the surface. Small. Gray. Growing larger with every passing second.
Falling.
Right toward me.
Still, I just took another sip.
BOOOOOOM.
A distant explosion split the night.
In the corner of my eye, I saw the mushroom cloud bloom like a metal flower.
It was close. Too close. Minutes left before it reached me.
And I smiled.
Because I was right.
---
I opened my eyes suddenly.
"No…"
I whispered — then drove the knife through his neck.
His blood hit me in warm splashes, painting my face red.
And I smiled.
What followed after…
I prayed it was a dream.
Just a dream with a terrible ending.
********************
Day 7655. Eden — City of Immortals.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
"Yellow! Hey, Yellow, open the door, man!"
Hnn. I stirred in bed, my brain still fogged. Was I still dreaming?
BANG.
"Hey man, are you there?"
I groaned. "What's with all the damn noise in the morning…"
My eyes flicked around the trash-strewn table near my bed. I grabbed my watch.
"...Ten o'clock?! Shit!"
I slapped my face to wake up and scrambled around the matchbox-sized room, hunting for a shirt that didn't smell like death and pants that fit.
"Yeah, you weren't waking up," came Alex's voice from the other side. "So I came to wake you up myself. I didn't come alone…"
What?
"I brought some first-class beef and pork to eat. So open up, man!"
Beef and pork?
Wait.
Pork.
I hate pork.
And Alex knows that.
My fingers froze on the belt.
"I didn't come alone…"
"Pork…"
"Pig…"
That bastard wasn't alone. And it was his house so why was he asking me to open the door?
My eyes narrowed. My neck turned slowly toward the window.
Silhouettes.
Outside. Shadows moving around the house.
"Guards," I muttered.
I shoved a chair under the doorknob. Locked.
Then I turned to the bag in the corner — heavy, lumpy, full of last night's spoils.
I jammed my pockets with gold and jewels until they bulged, then dragged the bag to the center of the room.
There. The ceiling. Alex and I made it years ago — a weak spot in the roof. Emergency exit.
I climbed onto a chair, pushed the wooden panel, and peeked out.
----‐-‐------
Outside, Eden's guards had surrounded the house.
Shotguns in hand. Eyes scanning. Hearts probably thudding harder than mine.
The burglary from last night — they traced it back to a mortal. A fool called Yellow. Me.
Some witness must've sold me out. And the bait? My idiot friend.
Their captain stood across the street, leaning against a wall, cigarette between his teeth. His patience dying faster than the light in his eyes.
Twelve hours. That's all he was given to find the thief. Inner district burglary? That was a death sentence if unsolved.
Then he saw it.
Me. Yellow hair catching the breeze.
And my bag, stubbornly refusing to follow me out the roof.
The captain squinted. His mouth twitched.
"HE'S ON THE FUCKING ROOF!"
Everyone — the guards, Alex, and even me — looked at him like he was stupid.
Why scream like that? Did they not teach stealth in the Academy?
Even I knew that.
But hey — their stupidity was my freedom.
---
I gave the bag one final pull and hauled it over the roof.
Below, a guard climbed up. Another broke formation to flank. Alex ran with the meat bag in hand — he must've been caught mid-grocery.
"Good luck, Yellow," he muttered as he bolted.
The captain didn't stop him. I was the prize.
I slung the bag over my shoulder. The wind hit my face like a slap.
All around me: flat, rectangular rooftops stretching out like a maze of metal and stone.
I chose a direction.
I clenched my legs.
Then ran.
"WHOOOAAAAAH!" I howled, my voice soaring as I jumped from roof to roof.