I was in a bit of a pickle. With my new firearm, I couldn't exactly hold two axes at once. It wasn't as though I hadn't thought of just keeping it in my pocket, but I couldn't shake the thought of the gun accidentally going off down there. Plus, it would be my most reliable weapon for what was to come.

Sighing, I wiped the blood off my axe before opening my bag. Using the blanket from earlier, I wrapped up both axes before placing them back in the bag. The bag gained some weight from it, but that wasn't something I couldn't handle.

The cold metal of the pistol gave me confidence as I locked eyes with Viktor. One of us would have to die soon. I didn't trust him, and he didn't trust me either. In a dream like this, it definitely wouldn't be wise to let someone like him be around me. Lisa, one of my concerns in attacking him, didn't seem interested in being involved.

'I guess they're not as close as I thought.'

Maybe she didn't really have anything to gain from helping either of us.

'Or there could be a deeper reason for not involving herself.'

Speaking of her, by now, Lisa had already brought Aurora to the front of the tunnel, and Viktor and I followed closely behind. None showed any hesitation as we walked into its gaping maw.

The light thunking of our footfalls filled the otherwise silent corridor. We'd been walking for quite some time now. It was rather dark, but I had managed to keep track of Viktor, and I could feel him doing the same for me. That would change soon though; I could see some light further up.

Our pace slowed down as we entered its soft embrace. At the view of what lay in front of us, it would have been a gross understatement to say I was mesmerized.

A gentle breeze carried evergreen leaves as they danced between the verdant trees before us. Their thick trunks were surrounded by small shrubs and bushes. All of this was illuminated gently by two pale moons in the sky and the brilliant sea of stars surrounding them.

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Something wet rolled down my eyes as I saw it. More soon followed it. I barely stopped the flood threatening to drown me.

For the second time today, I cried without understanding. I had seen forests and skies in reality, why was my dream affecting me in such a different way? A headache threatened to surface, making me promptly drop the topic.

Still, my body reveled in the fresh, sweet forest air and the cool night breeze. It was nice. I didn't let myself get carried away though. I still had people to keep an eye on. I focused on my immediate environment.

We seemed to be in a small clearing with a dirt path leading out of it into the deep dark of the forest.

"This... This isn't good," Lisa broke the silence, and she wasn't wrong. Even though I couldn't tell the time, dawn couldn't be too far away, and yet, there was no sign of the so-called shelter.

"We better get moving then," Viktor said this time, and nobody argued with him. With that, we sprinted down the path. Lisa held Aurora in the front, with Viktor and me following closely behind, weapons drawn, watching each other.

---

We hadn't been running for too long before it was time to make my move. There was quite a gap between Lisa and us; multitasking slowed us down, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

I could tell Viktor didn't plan on doing anything now; he probably wanted to get to the shelter fast. Fighting would delay that, which made it just perfect for me.

With an abrupt shift, I shot in the direction of his head. However, nothing was there. Before I could react, I heard the rattling of gunshots followed by sharp bursts of pain in my lower legs.

Without hesitation, I used the momentum of the bullets to jump into the woods beside me. My knee cracked as it smashed into a tree, but I successfully gained cover. My legs were immobilized, and the maddening pain didn't make it any better. I merely gritted my teeth at it; after all, I was quite intimate with pain.

The situation wasn't as bad as it seemed; my gun was still in my hands. Crawling with my hands, I looked through a small gap in the bush.

Viktor still stood there, taking a moment of hesitation as he looked between the bushes and the road forward, before pointing his weapon at the bush. That moment, however, was all I needed.

I took a shot, a small cloud of blood bloomed on his abdomen. I didn't stop there; I took another, and another, and another until my clip was empty. Some hit, some missed, but in the end, the man known as Viktor was naught but a bloody mess.

My wrist was in shambles now, broken by the recoil. Gritting my teeth, I dragged my body out of the woods before reaching Viktor. There was still a little light in his eyes.

Grinning, I grabbed his warm neck with my usable hand, squeezing and choking away the last traces of life from him. It was rather enjoyable.

After the moment of bliss, I felt rather woozy. The cold forest floor was starting to look more and more inviting. I slapped myself out of it. If I lay down, I was very sure this dream would end. While I didn't care if I died, I was sure that the moment I died in this dream, I might never be able to come back. Only God knew if I'd wake up in the hospital again. I shivered at the thought. I couldn't die yet.