What do you do when there's someone standing in front of you that you've never seen before?
Not just anywhere, but here inside the white room. A place where no strangers should exist. A place that was supposed to be safe.
I don't know about you, but my answer was simple: confront the person. Because at least it's better than confronting a nightmare.
"Who are you?" I asked. My voice cutting through the silence. Cause apparently the others were too shaken up to speak, which I understood. Still, somebody had to say something.
No reply.
He just stood there, watching us. Observing. Like he was analyzing every inch of our beings.
"Hey, old man, answer him!" Leo finally snapped, stepping forward.
"Hey, hey. Calm down," the stranger said, lifting a hand. "And 'old man' is a bit harsh, isn't it? I'm only in my fifties."
His tone wasn't threatening. If anything, it was calm. Too calm. But that didn't mean we could trust him.
Before I could push further, he continued talking.
"Look, I know what this looks like. A stranger you've never met before suddenly showing up in the white room, a place that's supposed to protect you. I get it. But before anything else, you should probably tell your bleeding friend to calm down. The white room heals wounds inflicted by the nightmares, but only if you let it. And being all tense and guarded won't help."
"Guys," Lia whispered, her eyes widening. "Leo's wound, it's actually getting better."
We all glanced at him. She was right. The glowing light that had been leaking out was fading.
"Maybe… we should hear him out," Lia said hesitantly.
I sighed. "Alright, stranger. We'll listen. But only from a distance. Don't you dare come closer."
Our stance was clear defensive and untrusting. He had to respect that.
The man nodded. "Fair enough. But being called 'stranger' won't get us far. How about an introduction? I'm Theo. As for a last name, those things don't really matter here. So why say them?"
We exchanged cautious looks.
"And even though you might not believe me," Theo continued, "from the bottom of my heart, I'm happy you're alive. Sure, you're a little banged up and traumatized. But at least you're alive."
"Just who are you?" I asked, suspicion mixing with curiosity I didn't want to admit.
Theo's eyes darkened. "I was part of the people who came here before you. The first generation, in a manner of speaking. And now, sigh I'm the only one left."
My stomach sank.
"You're saying there were others? That people came here before us?" My voice cracked louder than I intended. "And you're the only survivor? How do we know this isn't a trick? Some nightmare deception-or worse, this stupid place itself trying to screw with us? Nothing makes sense here, and we won't be tricked again!"
Theo sighed. "I understand. But there's a lot we have to talk about. And obviously, we can't do it now. You're all about to wake up. So think about it in the real world, and when you're ready, I'll be waiting right here."
He paused, his gaze heavy.
"Please. Just lets all survive another night."
That was the last thing we heard before we were ripped back into the waking world.
I woke up groaning. "Ughhhh. Why does crazy stuff keep happening?"
Some random man had wished us well, called himself the "first generation," and claimed he was the last survivor.
Confusing wasn't even the right word anymore. I needed a new one, because "confusing" didn't cut it.
But on the off chance he was telling the truth…
Answers.
Finally, answers.
And I hated myself for even thinking it, but it was a risk I might be willing to take. Of course, it had to be a group decision.
Speaking of the group-what the hell were those powers? Emily shot fire out of her hands. Lia made walls appear out of nowhere. Leo moved faster than humanly possible. Did that mean Simon and I could do something too? Or was I doomed to just stand here, useless, while everyone else got cool nightmare-fighting abilities?
Too many questions. Too much noise in my head.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA," I laughed out loud to myself, clutching my temples. "I refuse to go insane in my own mind. Or maybe I'm already insane. I hate this."
Right on cue, my phone alarm buzzed. Time for school.
"God, I wish school would just blow up," I muttered. "Wouldn't that be nice?"
But no such luck. Another day of surviving.
"I loved it," Leo said the second we met up at school.
"Are you serious, bro?" I shot back. "No 'good morning,' no 'how are you'? You just loved it?"
"Obviously you know what I'm talking about," he said with a smug grin. "And to clarify, I mean the powers. I tried to use them again when I woke up, but nothing happened. So I think it only works in the dreamscape."
"That makes sense," I admitted. "Let's meet up with the girls and Simon. We need to talk about Theo."
"Hey guys!" Emily's voice rang out as she waved at us. She was smiling, genuinely smiling. Which was weird to see.
"Wow, Emily," "You're actually happy?"
"Of course I am!" she said, her tone light. "I tried to shoot fire out of my hands this morning, and nothing happened. Total relief."
"I tried too," Lia added. "Tried to… well, I don't even know what to call what I did. But nothing happened either."
"Still," Simon said, smiling faintly, "I'm just grateful to be alive. That's good enough for me."
"Alright, so," Lia cut in, "what are we gonna do about Theo?"
"Wait, we can't talk about this out in the open," Emily whispered quickly, her brief joy fading.
"Which means we're going back there aren't we,"
Emily groaned. "Already depressed again."
"Yeah, we're going there," I confirmed. "Best privacy in the whole school."
When we finally got to the abandoned classroom, we sat down and voted.
"So do we trust Theo?" Lia asked.
"I vote yes," Simon said immediately. "Purely because we don't know much about the dreamscape, and he seemed to have answers. It's worth a shot."
"I vote no," Emily countered. "The nightmares are connected to us. And we don't know how. Trusting him could mean walking into a trap."
"I vote no too," Lia added firmly. "We've already been through too much. Someone is already dead. We don't know what the nightmares are capable of."
"Well, surprisingly, I vote yes," Leo said. "He pointed out I needed to relax in the white room, and he was right. He didn't act scared even though we outnumbered him. And he genuinely wished us the best. Didn't feel like there were ulterior motives."
That made it a tie.
And then all eyes fell on me.
"You're the deciding factor, Nathan," Lia said.
I swallowed hard. "Guys look; we've been through a lot. We're learning new things every day, but it still feels like we're going in blind. And that almost cost us Leo. If Emily hadn't done whatever she did, Leo might not be here. And it seems like you've all forgotten-we don't know what happens when the nightmares kill us. My gut says death would be a luxury compared to what they'd do."
I paused, my voice firming. "So yeah. I say we work with him."
Lia sighed. "Alright then. I hope he's nice. Or at least stays nice."
The day dragged on as usual, boring classes, frustrating teachers, the weight of waiting for night.
And, as always, night came.
But this time, something was different.
We didn't fall into the maze.
We woke up in the white room instead.
"Not the maze?" Simon muttered, his eyes wide. "How is this possible?"
"Second generation," Theo's voice cut through. "There's a lot you don't know."
He looked at each of us in turn.
"So, I'll ask again: are you prepared to hear me out?"
We all nodded. Hesitant. Nervous. But ready.
"Alright then," Theo said, his tone grave. "I hope you're ready. Because here come answers. And you might not like what you hear. Still, answers must be earned. And to get one"
He leaned forward.
"You must ask a question. So… ask away."