"AHHHHHHH!!! Wh-what… what happened? Liz… Elizabeth…" I screamed in terror, jolting upright from a nightmare that left me drowning in mixed emotions.
My body slick with sweat, as if I'd just climbed out of an icy lake. My eyes darted around until I realized I was back in the same room where I always slept. The same cracked walls, the same furniture… and the same cold breeze curling in through the half-open window, brushing against my skin exactly as it had in the dream.
"What the… Fuck. Was it all just a dream?" I muttered under my breath. "Damn, that was one crazy-ass dream for sure."
Relief washed over me—the world wasn't ending, everything was in place. With a sigh, I decided to roll over and drift back to sleep like nothing had happened.
Then I heard it—footsteps approaching, quick and light.
"That must be Liz," I thought.
The door banged open and Liz bounded into the room, her small frame launching onto the bed, making the mattress dip beneath her.
"Papa!… papa!!! Wake up!"
I froze. The exact same words I'd heard in the dream. My stomach tightened. Curious now, I decided to test it—to predict what would come next.
"Five minutes more, sweetie," I said, carefully repeating the exact words I remembered saying in the dream.
She pouted, tugging at the blanket like a determined little warrior. "No! Mom said she won't give you food if you don't wake up!"
Hearing the exact same reply made the hairs on my neck rise. This wasn't coincidence anymore. I had to keep going… just to confirm.
"You go tell Mom that I am the man of this house, and I'll decide when to wake up and when not to," I declared, pulling the blanket tighter around me and pretending to drift off again.
"Okay… just don't regret it."
Her footsteps padded away. Silence settled over the room.
I stayed still, waiting. My heart thudded in my chest.
A few moments later, it came—Elizabeth's voice, loud and sharp from the hallway.
"ASHER!!! YOU BETTER WAKE THE FUCK UP BEFORE I GET THERE!"
My eyes shot open. That was it. That was the final confirmation. This wasn't just a dream. Something was wrong.
Trying to sound normal, I called back, "I'll come after a shower, luv."
The bathroom mirror greeted me with another shock. My body… it was different. Lean muscle defined my arms and chest, far more than before. Scars—ones I didn't remember earning—were scattered across my torso.
"What the hell… These weren't here yesterday…" I whispered. "Maybe hormones…"
I dressed quickly and left my workroom, stepping into the main room where Liz and Elizabeth waited.
Then it came.
"W̸̧̨̟͕̝̘͑̾̽̎̀̽a̶̩̤̕͝k̷̪̯̤͌̈̀ȅ̵̱̈̓͆̇͝ ̶̮͊̊́͂͆u̸͉͉̓̄͝p̶̘̠̩̄͂̎…"
The distorted voice slithered through the air like ice down my spine. My eyes scanned the room frantically, but nothing seemed out of place.
"Uh… Luv, did you hear that?"
Elizabeth glanced up, her tone casual and innocent. "Nope, don't know what you're talking about. Now sit, come on."
She slid a plate toward me—bacon and eggs, my favorite.
Still unsettled, I glanced around. "Uh… where's the orange juice?"
She chuckled, brushing a hand through Liz's hair. "You don't like orange juice, so why would I give it to you?"
I gave a faint, pitiful smile. "Ah… right. Thanks."
My steps carried me toward the kitchen. My hand closed around a knife.
When I returned, I asked evenly, "Honey, how much do you love me?"
Elizabeth smiled warmly. "More than anyone could ever imagine."
"I see…"
The blade plunged into her throat.
Her crystal-blue eyes widened in shock, her voice rasping out a single word—"Why…"—before blood gushed from the wound, flowing down her neck and pooling on the floor. Her hands went limp, dangling off the chair.
A droplet of her blood landed on my cheek, sliding slowly down to the tip of my nose.
I turned to Liz. Her wide, frightened eyes filled with tears. "Dad… what did you do to Mommy?"
Tears welled in my own eyes as I knelt before her. "Everything will be fine, sweetie…"
The knife flashed again, sinking into her small neck. Her lips trembled, gasping for air.
I cupped her cheek gently. "Sweetie… I'll always love you, okay?"
She gave a faint, warm smile. "I know… Dad."
The light faded from her eyes. Both her and Elizabeth's bodies shimmered before disintegrating into drifting dust, their final smiles lingering in my mind.
I stood in the now-empty room, covered in blood of my wife and daughter. "What took you so long?"
The walls began to warp, peeling away decades in seconds. Green moss spread across cracked stone, and the air filled with the scent of earth and age.
A green light flared in the center of the room. From it stepped a man—slender, with fire-red hair, pale skin, and sharp emerald eyes glimmering with mischief. A golden crown with curved horns rested upon his head.
He was breathtaking—beautiful enough to rival my wife, though not quite her equal.He was breathtaking—beautiful enough to rival my wife, though not quite her equal.
"Loki."
A charismatic smile spread across his face. "Haha… sorry for being late, Partner. I was helping an old lady cross the road."