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Your eyelids felt heavy as you slowly opened your eyes. Laying on your stomach on the cold, hard floor made your chest and shoulders sore. It took you a couple of tries before you were finally able to sit up. You gently rubbed your chest as you glanced around.

It’s morning.

How long have you been asleep? All you remember was the light, and then, well, everything went dark.

You stood up, pressing your hands on Lone man’s bed for support. The sun shone brightly, bathing the entire room with dancing shadows from the nearby trees not affected by the decay.

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“Moving… shadows?” You almost tripped as you ran to the window. You slide the window open. A cold breeze touched your skin. “How?”

You looked back, making sure that you’re still in Lone man’s room. And then you looked at yourself—you're still you. You quickly went out of the bedroom through the window.

The decay starts a few feet away from the house, where all the greenery has been destroyed. You glanced at the trees and saw the first life you'd ever seen in the forest—a bird. It flew away the moment you let out a laugh.

“He did it! They did it!” You said.

You ran to the front of the house and to the dandelion field. You stopped when you realized that half of it was dead.

Shielding your eyes from the sunlight, you saw a figure standing in the middle of the field. A man wearing a dark coat, his brown hair getting gently tousled by the wind. You can’t see his face clearly, but you do think you know who he is.

———

Run to him — 347