After the Scream - 1 Billion Universes remaining

'What should I do?'

'Should I leave?'

These were the two questions Jason pondered as he stirred his cup of Eternity. This drink was known for its two unexplained properties. It was made entirely of water but changed color depending on the drinker's emotions. It could also alter its taste depending on the person who extracted it from the Lake of Eternity, the very source of its name. It seemed inexhaustibly available since there were countless lakes in every universe Jason had visited. Given the dark blue color that Eternity had taken in his cup, Jason must have been in deep thought.

After finishing his cup, he stood up. Around him, there was a simple bed and a flask-shaped container holding the remaining Eternity. In one corner of the room, a single window overlooked the city. The street below was, as usual, mostly occupied by merchant stalls and potential buyers seeking to negotiate better prices.

'It's time for me to leave,' sighed Jason, retrieving his coat hanging on the wall. It was made of simple materials that showed signs of time. Many buttons were missing, and some threads were frayed at the sleeves. After grabbing his flask, Jason approached the door and began to turn the handle. As he started to hear the creaking of the door, everything stopped.

All the colors disappeared. They seemed to be frightened by something or someone. Through Jason's eyes, there was now only a dull world composed of shades of black and white. Remaining perfectly calm, Jason left the dilapidated apartment and descended to the street. The vendors and buyers were silent, frozen in time. Thieves fleeing in the streets with stolen purses had stopped dead in their tracks. This scene had a sinister atmosphere, as if all these people were awaiting their own judgment, a certain death that a higher entity would deliver without them even being aware of it.

Jason continued to walk through the streets, following his instinct. He was now heading towards the city's central square. He hadn't quickened his pace, merely walking at the same speed as he had during strolls with his wife in the past. It took him only about ten minutes to reach his destination.

In the central square, there was a long procession following the sculpture of a deity unknown to him. Its followers were kneeling on the ground like statues, their faces pressed to the ground in a heavy silence. In this square, one man stood out among all the humans around. He too could move in this immobile world that seemed to have been deserted by all life. His hair and eyes were a blazing violet, the only source of color in this world, and it was a face Jason knew very well.

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"Orion, is that you?" Jason asked the man leaning against the fountain.

"You know what we have to do, don't you?" Orion asked him without even bothering to answer.

"Find that man," Jason replied, his gaze unconsciously shifting to the horizon.

A silence settled between the two men, both lost in their thoughts.

Jason finally broke the silence. "Why should I help you in your search?"

"Because we are alike, you and I," Orion replied.

Jason remained silent because he knew Orion would not answer any questions about what had happened to him. He also knew deep down that finding this man was the only way to answer all his questions. They both remained silent, but they both knew they had reached an agreement.

After this implicit arrangement, Orion put on the glasses he was holding. The world around them began to resume its course: Orion's hair and eyes regained their golden color, the water in the fountain in the middle of the square resumed its incessant splashing, and the passersby and merchants regained their movements, as if aware that they had brushed with death and wanted to make the most of the years they had left to live.

The hubbub marked the return to reality. It made one realize the life and almost limitless energy emanating from the people around. To Jason's astonishment, the serious expression that had so far inhabited Orion's face evaporated almost immediately, as if he was unaware of the entire conversation they had just had. A wide smile formed on Orion's lips as he noticed Jason's presence.

"Hi, big brother!" he exclaimed, extremely happy to see him.

"How are you? What am I doing here? Why did you cheat in our game of hide and seek?" he continued, bombarding him with questions.

Hearing all his questions, Jason's face began to fall into incomprehension and confusion. A mass of questions formed in his head, but one more important than the others slipped out of his mouth unconsciously.

"Since when am I your big brother, even though, beyond not having any blood ties, you are older than me?" Jason grimaced as he asked the question.

Jason then began to doubt the mental health of his companion with whom he had to find a man neither of them had ever met or seen, except in their dreams. All this, of course, while ignoring which universe he could be in. He still remembered the phrase uttered by Orion despite his growing headache:

'We are alike, you and I.'

He sighed, resigned to his fate. He now regretted not having enjoyed the calm of the morning a bit more.

He then asked Orion, "How about a little trip?"

His eyes widened with excitement.

"Going on an adventure with big brother? I'm in!" he replied instantly, his smile now seeming to stretch to the stars.

This might have been the second worst decision Jason had ever made in his life.