As I sat in bed, words couldn't even begin to express how happy I was.
These were actual people. They existed. I wasn't alone.
That realization felt like the brightest light at the end of a long, dark tunnel, and I embraced it with everything I had. For the first time since this whole nightmare started, I felt relief. Hope.
But after the initial wave of happiness faded, the serious questions had to be answered.
Who were those people?
Even though I could tell they were teenagers, like me, I still couldn't see their faces clearly. So how was I supposed to find them? And to be honest… did they even want to be found?
How long had they been there? Longer than me, maybe? And most importantly, were they good people? Could I even trust them?
As these questions spun in my head, I reminded myself that I still had to go to school. Only this time, my outlook wasn't as bleak. The memory of seeing those other people kept me going.
When I got to school, though, I noticed something strange.
I felt… weird.
It was like someone was calling me, but I never heard a voice. No one said my name. Still, I couldn't shake it off. My gut told me to follow the pull, so I did, wandering aimlessly until it led me to one of the empty classrooms.
This room was hardly ever used, not since the school's "incident." I didn't want to think about that right now. I just stepped inside, shut the door behind me, and waited.
"What's supposed to happen now?" I muttered, pacing around.
Minutes passed. Silence.
"This is dumb," I said grabbing my bag, ready to leave.
That's when the door opened.
Four people walked in.
I froze, staring.
I didn't recognize any of them. But something about them felt, connected. Like they were supposed to be here with me.
"Uh… hi," I said awkwardly.
And the moment the words left my mouth; it was like all our minds synced up all five of us together. We didn't need proof. We already knew.
The first to speak was a girl.
"Did you all have that dream too?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Because now I feel just as creeped out as I did in the dream, before entering that white space."
The look on our faces must've been enough to answer her.
"So you were actually there," she whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks.
I realized I wasn't the only one who felt joy at not being alone.
She wiped her face and introduced herself. "Hi. I'm Lia Gomez. I'm in the coding club. And for a few nights now… I feel like I'm gonna die and not wake up. It's been a lot."
The next was a boy. He fidgeted with his hands before speaking.
"Hi, I'm-uh-m-m-sorry I'm , Simon. Simon West. I stammer when I'm nervous. I've been so terrified. I don't know what to do anymore. So I'm glad to be here."
Then came another guy. Broad shoulders, sharp eyes, he looked familiar.
"I'm Leo Walker. Track athlete. Pretty sure you guys know me. And, yeah… I guess you could say I'm scared." His voice cracked slightly, and we could all tell yeah he's definitely been though it, the trauma hidden beneath his practiced confidence is clear as day .
Finally, the last girl spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Hello… I'm Emily Harper. I don't really know people here. I'm kinda new. And to make things worse… I'm basically hunted every time I sleep."
That was all it took for Emily to break down, sobbing into her hands. Lia immediately moved to comfort her, patting her back gently.
Watching them, a thought came to me: Maybe this is what safety feels like.
Then it was my turn.
"I'm Nathan Frost," I said. "And I've been scared. Anxious. Confused. Just… so urghh, I don't even know. But yeah. Same as you all."
Lia nodded at me, her eyes tired but warm. "I feel like every time I sleep, I won't wake up. Like those things will get me."
"Nightmares," Simon said suddenly, his voice louder and more terrified than before.
We all looked at him.
"Let's call them that. Because that's what it feels like-every time I sleep. A constant nightmare."
We all exchanged glances, and without needing to discuss it further, it was unanimous.
Nightmares.
That's what they were.
"First off," I said, "how did you all get here?"
"You mean this classroom?" Simon asked.
"Well, yeah… but also the dreams."
Lia answered for the group. "We all just… felt like we had to come here. Same pull, same feeling. We met on the way, talked a little, and then found you here. Honestly, Nathan, I thought maybe you called us."
"Sorry to disappoint," I muttered.
The energy in the room dipped, heavy with doubt and exhaustion. So I asked another question:
"Okay then. How did you all end up here? Who's going first?"
Simon stood up slowly.
"So, um… I used to feel safe while I slept. At least, I used to. But my twin sister recently passed away. We were so close. She was an extension of me and I couldn't bear the loss With that in mind, I found out about lucid dreaming online, from this weird site."
"Wait, you too?" Leo cut in.
Simon nodded. "Yeah. I only tried lucid dreaming to see my sister again. And out of curiosity, when it happened… I asked her one of those questions. That's when everything went to hell."
A tragic story. My body felt weak as I heard it another reminder that all this is real.
"Well, Leo," I said, "you mentioned the site too. Is that how you ended up here?"
"Yeah," Leo sighed. "I'd lucid dream sometimes. It was fun. Games, flying, stupid stuff like that. Until I found that site. And one night I asked one of the questions for fun. Now I'm stuck."
I turned to Lia and Emily. "I assume it's the same for you guys, right?"
They nodded grimly.
"What about you, Nathan?" Lia asked. "Was yours different?"
"It was the same," I admitted. "Only difference is… I feel like I'm the dumbest one here. I wasn't looking for anyone. I just chased the thrill. And now… I regret it."
The next few hours passed with us sharing details of our dreams. Comparing notes. Going over every twisted moment.
And the strangest thing? The similarities.
At some point, each of us ended up in the maze. We all saw the nightmares. We all ran from them. They chased us, hunted us, made us feel like prey.
But when I told them one of mine asked me if I was "ready," the group fell silent.
They never went through that.
"Well… I guess I'm special," I muttered sarcastically, internally though I screamed Why me? Why single me out?
Before we could dig deeper, the classroom door creaked open. A teacher.
We'd forgotten entirely that school was still going on. We scrambled to leave, grabbing our things, mumbling excuses.
As we slipped into the hallway, Leo tugged me aside.
"Look, Nathan," he whispered. "I don't know you, but you seem alright. Just, don't trust Simon."
"What? Why not?" I asked, confused.
Leo glanced back at Simon, who was walking with Lia and Emily. "He's the one from the rumors going around school. The one who tried to… you know. That girl."
I didn't know how to feel. "Seriously? He doesn't seem like the type"
"Just… let's talk later," Leo said quickly.
We regrouped outside a class, agreeing to meet up at my house later to keep talking. To figure this thing out together.
Before parting, though, we made one rule.
A pact.
Everything we discussed, dreams, nightmares, fears it stays between us.
No one else could know.
Nothing gets out.