CHAPTER 1: THE VISION
The first time it happened, Natalie dismissed it as a nightmare. The kind that leaves a strange, lingering weight in your chest long after you’ve woken up, even if you can’t quite recall the details. It wasn’t until the second time, when the same face flashed before her eyes, that the unease settled in her bones.
The man - middle-aged with salt-and-pepper hair - always looked the same: sitting alone at a diner counter, stirring his coffee, his eyes vacant. And then it happened. A sharp intake of breath, a convulsion, and he would collapse to the floor, his hands clawing at his throat. It was quick, and in the dream, nobody moved to help him.
When she woke up, drenched in sweat, her pulse hammering, Natalie forced herself to shake it off. She had enough to worry about—senior year was supposed to be fun, not filled with creepy death dreams. Maybe it was stress, or maybe she’d watched too many crime documentaries with her best friend, Maya. They always stayed up too late, spooking themselves with “one more episode,” even though they both knew it would result in restless sleep.
But the third time? The third time made it just entirely impossible to ignore.
It was a crisp autumn morning, and the chill in the air reminded Natalie why she loved living in this small New England town. The leaves had turned into vibrant shades of red and gold, and the soft crunch beneath her feet as she walked to school provided a distraction from the nightmare still clouding her mind.
Maya met her at the corner as always, her blond hair pulled back into a high ponytail and her usual bright smile faltering when she saw Natalie’s face.
“Hey, you okay? You look like you didn’t sleep,” Maya said, nudging her with her elbow.
Natalie managed a weak smile as she adjused her backpack. “Rough night, but I’m fine. Just weird dreams again.”
Maya gave her a sympathetic look. “Is it the same one? The guy in the diner?”
Natalie nodded, fiddling with the overly long sleeve of her flannel shirt. “Yeah, but... this time it felt more real. I don’t know, it’s probably nothing.”
Maya frowned but didn’t push. “You should drink some of my mom’s herbal tea. She swears it fixes everything.”
Natalie chuckled, thankful for the lightness in Maya’s voice. She wasn’t ready to admit how unsettling it all felt, not even to herself.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur, and Natalie tried her best to focus on her classes. But it was hard. Every time she closed her eyes for more than a few seconds, she saw the man’s face again. His empty gaze, the way his body crumpled to the floor. She hadn’t even told Maya about the worst part—the feeling she had during the dream, like she was there with him, like she could feel the panic and confusion rushing through him just before his final breath.
It was too much.
'I need to stop overthinking this,' she told herself. 'It’s just a dream.'
By lunchtime, Natalie was starting to believe that maybe it was all just her imagination. She sat with Maya and a few other friends in the crowded cafeteria, forcing herself to laugh along with their conversations about the latest gossip at school. For a moment, everything felt normal.
Until it didn’t.
Across the room, through the throngs of students milling about, her eyes locked onto a familiar face—a man sitting alone at a small table near the window. He was older than the other students, wearing a brown jacket and a worn expression, his salt-and-pepper hair slightly disheveled.
Natalie’s blood turned to ice. It was him.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and the noise of the cafeteria faded into a dull hum. She blinked, hoping it was just a trick of her mind, but when she opened her eyes again, he was still there—stirring a cup of coffee, just like in the dream.
“Maya...” she whispered, her throat tight. “Do you see him?”
Maya followed her gaze, confusion flickering across her face. “Who? The guy sitting by the window? He’s probably a substitute teacher or something.”
Natalie’s breath hitched as she stood up, her legs moving on their own. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew she had to get closer. The man’s movements were eerily familiar—the way he stirred his coffee, the vacant look in his eyes. This couldn’t be a coincidence.
As she approached, time seemed to slow. Her heart thudded in her ears, and she could feel the pulse of dread building in her chest. The man lifted the cup to his lips, just like he had in the dream. And then, it happened.
The cup slipped from his hand, shattering on the floor as his body went rigid. He gasped, his hand clutching at his throat, and his eyes widened in shock and terror. He toppled off the chair, collapsing onto the floor.
Natalie froze, her entire body rooted to the spot. It’s happening. It’s really happening.
“Someone call 911!” a voice shouted from the crowd that had begun to form around the fallen man. But Natalie couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe.
Suddenly, a hand grasped her arm, snapping her out of the trance. She turned to see a boy standing next to her—tall, with black wavy hair that framed his sharp jawline. His dark, soulful eyes seemed to stare straight into her, and for a moment, the chaos around them faded.
“You need to leave,” he said, his voice steady but commanding. There was something unsettling about the way he spoke, like he wasn’t just suggesting it—he was telling her. “You’re not supposed to see this.”
Natalie blinked, trying to make sense of his words. “What—what do you mean? I—”
“There’s no time to explain,” he interrupted, his grip tightening slightly. “Go. Now.”
The urgency in his voice sent a jolt of fear through her, and before she could respond, he released her arm and disappeared into the crowd, moving toward the man on the floor.
Natalie’s head spun, her heart still racing. She wanted to help, to do something, but her feet seemed glued to the ground. Her mind screamed at her to run, to get away, but she couldn’t. Not until she understood what had just happened.
A moment later, paramedics arrived, and the crowd was ushered away as they worked to revive the man. But deep down, Natalie already knew it was too late. She had seen it in her dream. He was gone.
As the chaos unfolded, she caught sight of the boy again—standing off to the side, watching. His expression was calm, too calm, as if he had expected this all along. And then, before she could process what was happening, he glanced at her, nodded once, and slipped out the door.
Natalie’s pulse raced as she stood in the middle of the cafeteria, unsure of what had just happened. The man’s death, the boy’s cryptic warning—it all felt like something out of a nightmare. But this wasn’t a dream. This was real.
'How did I know?' she thought, her mind spinning. 'How did I see it before it happened?'
'And more importantly... who was that boy?'
---
Natalie spent the rest of the day in a daze, barely aware of what was happening around her. Maya had tried to talk to her after the incident, but Natalie couldn’t bring herself to explain what she had seen. How could she? How could she tell her best friend that she had seen that man die days before it actually happened?
When she finally made it home, she collapsed onto her bed, the weight of the day pressing down on her. The vision had come true. It wasn’t just a dream. And that boy—he knew something. Something about her, about what was happening.
She needed answers.
As she lay there, staring up at the ceiling, her phone buzzed. She reached for it, expecting a message from Maya, but her breath caught when she saw the screen.
Unknown number: We need to talk. Meet me at the park tomorrow at 5. — Leif
Her heart skipped a beat. Leif? That must be the boy from earlier. But how did he get her number? And more importantly, how did he know about her visions?
Natalie stared at the message, her mind racing with questions. She didn’t know who this Leif was or what he wanted, but one thing was clear: he had answers.
And she needed to find out the truth—no matter how terrifying it might be.
