I opened my eyes as I sat up in bed, sweat covering my entire body while I struggled to find my breath. First I placed my hand on my cheek where the deer originally grazed me and felt nothing but smooth skin. Then I remembered the larger wound on my chest and struggled to take off my shirt that was dampened by my sweat.

There was nothing there. No blood, no exposed wound, nothing that would’ve caused me to harm or threatened my life. Didn’t I just almost die?

Actually, where was I now or am I in another dream? I checked my surroundings and let out a large sigh of relief at the fact I was in my room. That’s right it was all just a dream…

“Connor! Hurry up and get ready or else you’ll miss the bus for school!” My mom yelled from downstairs. She was probably getting ready to leave for work, and I’m glad she didn’t see me now. She’d probably think I was crazy.

Why didn’t I wake up to my alarm though? I looked for my phone all over my bed and finally realized it fell on the floor. I tried to turn it on but it was dead, so I had no clue how much time I had until the bus arrived.

I jumped out of bed, took a quick shower and brushed my teeth in the bathroom, and started getting ready for school. The weather was still warm since it only became fall two weeks ago, so I settled for a simple t-shirt and flannel combo with cargo pants.

I went downstairs and quickly ate the breakfast my mom made for me, as the news detailed the events that led to another missing person. That’s the 3rd person that mysteriously vanished this month, and the crazy thing is the police can’t find any leads. No video footage, no witnesses, nothing that can help solve any of these cases.

The news started showcasing pictures of each victim.

A 67-year-old Black woman.

A 20-year-old Asian man.

A 31-year-old Caucasian woman.

None of them had anything in common.

I mean it’s crazy knowing this stuff is happening in my community but I can’t do anything to stop human trafficking. I’m just a regular 18-year-old teen that’s not even sure what they want to do in college. I got more important things to worry about like dealing with this class project for biology.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

I heard a screech through the window which let me know that the school bus arrived. My eyes lingered on the news for a few more seconds, before I turned it off and headed outside to the bus.

----------------------------------------

The ride to school was uneventful, I just sat and listened to my music. My first period was study hall which meant I just got to relax for around an hour.

“Hey Connor, what’s up man?” A familiar voice spoke as they pulled out a seat and sat with me.

“I mean there might be something you could he-” I quickly shut my mouth before I finished my original train of thought.

“You good bro?” Erik waved his hands in my direction until I finally answered.

“It’s nothing…I was just confused on our English assignment but I think I can figure something out.” I couldn’t ask Erik for help he’d make fun of me for the rest of the semester. There was a term he used to describe people obsessed with these novels, especially Japanese web content.

“If you say so but we both know you need help with writing your papers.” Erik gave me his renowned smirk as he pushed his glasses up.

“Screw you, dude. Ms. Johnson just doesn’t like me because I accidentally tackled her freshman year!”

“You still haven’t explained how you “accidentally” tackle someone.”

“Whatever man.”

“You want to come over to my place after school and play some games?”

“I wish I could but my dad is going to pick me up. He’s probably gonna take me on one of his patrols again.”

“Is that even legal?”

“I don’t know but he’s obsessed with making me a cop like himself.”

“How are the police and your dad handling these missing people by the way? It’s the only thing my parents talk about at home, and they’re even considering not letting me go out by myself anymore.”

I glanced around a few times to make sure no one was listening in on our conversation before I replied.

“You didn’t hear this from me but…They have no clue what’s going on. None of the victims have anything in common, so right now they’re just waiting for this organization to slip up.”

“Damn…I hope this doesn’t mess with our graduation. Imagine if we had to do it virtually or something.”

“Me too.”

“Have you figured out where you’re going to go to college?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You should stay in-state with me. We could even dorm together, I’ve read a lot of roommate horror stories and it’d make me feel better if I was living with you.”

The bell ringed signaling it was time to head to our second-period classes. Erik and I both started packing our stuff but I knew he was seriously asking me to stay.

“I’ll think about it.”

Erik gave me a look like he knew I was full of it.

“I really will Erik.” Staying home for college was the worst-case scenario. If I did that my parents might try to force me to stay at home or

“Yeah, whatever.”

“I’ll text you later.”

“See ya.”

I went about the rest of my day and even got a phone call that my dad couldn’t take me on his patrol today. That meant I was free after school so I could screw around or play games with Erik later.

As soon as I got home, however, the exhaustion of the day piled up on me and I couldn’t help myself from taking a quick nap. I hope I don’t have another weird dream.