Tears of Dream

It was over

Conan was about to look, but I stopped him.

“Let’s just go. Is your house nearby?” I asked.

“Sort of,” he said, still confused.

We kept walking, ignoring the voice.

“HEY, YOU TWO!” The voice boomed again.

“I think they’re calling us?”

Damn it—my escape plan wasn’t built for this part! I thought we’d already gotten away!

“They’re not talking to us…”

“But there’s no one else here,” he said, trying to look back. I stopped him again. So stubborn!

Then I heard footsteps behind us. My chest tightened further when someone yanked the umbrella from my hand so hard I let go instantly.

He threw it away. Now Conan and I were face-to-face with all five of them. They looked terrifying—definitely not here for anything good.

“Are you deaf?! When someone calls you, you turn around!” the leader shouted.

Conan grabbed my hand, his eyes serious as he faced them.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“You don’t need to know who I am,” the man said with a smile. Conan’s face stayed serious.

Why didn’t he look scared at all? Meanwhile, I felt like my heart was going to burst from fear, anxiety, and frustration. If we didn’t get out of here soon, I might cry.

We couldn’t take them on—there were five of them and only one of us who could fight. I sure as hell couldn’t beat them up.

“Okay,” Conan replied.

Okay?!

The leader seemed irritated by Conan’s response. Conan’s face held no fear, only disinterest. How was he pulling that off? If there were a mirror in front of me right now, my own face would probably be unrecognizable.

“You’re Conan Exiles Romero, aren’t you?” the man said, smirking again like he was about to taunt him.

Conan’s grip on my hand tightened, but his expression didn’t change.

“What do you need from me?” Conan asked. The smirk faded from the man’s face.

He probably didn’t even understand the question—moron.

“I told you, speak in Tagalog—”

“You’re so stupid,” I muttered without realizing I’d said it out loud.

“What did you just say?!” the man roared, glaring at me. Crap—did I really say that out loud?!

I don’t want to die here. I still have dreams.

“Stupid?! You’re calling me stupid?!” I flinched at the sheer volume of his voice and hid behind Conan.

“Boss, calm down. She’s still a girl,” one of his men said.

“Shut the hell up, Alfredo! Did I ask for your opinion?!” he snapped again, making the guy go quiet.

Do they just let him treat them like this? They’re all idiots.

“What do you want?” Conan asked again,

“You’re the one we’re after, Conan Exiles.”

Conan didn’t even flinch. I reached into my pocket to prepare my backup plan.

“What do you want from me?” Conan asked seriously.

“Someone paid us to beat you up,” the man said with a laugh. Who would pay them to do that? Does Conan get into fights often?

“Who the hell—”

The man laughed again—fake laughter this time. He probably just wanted to look intimidating.

“Enough talk, Romero. Let’s get this started,” he said, then turned to me.

“As for you, miss, I’ll give you the chance to run. You’re not part of the plan. And you should dump Romero—he makes girls cry.

You wouldn’t want to go home in tears, would you?” He laughed. What was so funny about that? He even glared at his men so they’d join in the laughter.

Like obedient idiots, they laughed too. A whole group of disgusting jerks.

I pulled my hand free from Conan’s. He looked surprised, but I gave him a meaningful look. He frowned, clearly not understanding what I was trying to tell him.

I just hoped my escape plan would work.

This was the first time I’d ever done something like this—that’s why I needed to be brave. Be brave, Railey! Just think you’re in an action movie, and you’re the badass main character.

I stepped forward. The men stopped laughing, looking a bit confused.

“What are you waiting for, miss? Run, while Boss is still being nice,” one of them said.

“Or you could run straight to me,” another one chimed in, and they all burst out laughing again. Even their i***t boss joined in.

I had no idea which part of what they said was funny. It would’ve been nice if they pointed it out so I could laugh along.

“Last chance, Miss Cutiepie. Run,” another one added to the punchline. Cutiepie? That bastard!

They still weren’t stopping, so I decided to take the chance to shut them up.

I pulled out the g*n from my pocket and aimed it straight at them. Instantly, they all fell silent and stepped back one by one. Even Conan looked shocked—I could see him tense up beside me.

“So… why aren’t you running yet?” I said with a smile. Fear was clear on their faces, though they tried to hide it—especially the i***t standing right in front of me.

“What is that, a toy?” he asked, clearly trying to convince himself and his men to laugh. And they did. The sound of their laughter filled the air again, grating on my nerves.

“We’re not in a crossfire here, baby girl,” one of them said, making the others laugh again.

Their laughter only stopped when I c****d the g*n and aimed it at them again.

“Sorry, I’m not really into playing games like that,” I said with a smile. They all swallowed hard. The only one still staring at me seriously was their dumb leader—but you could still see the worry in his eyes.

“Do I need to repeat what I said earlier?” I asked. “Or should I just fire this now?!” I shouted, making them all flinch.

“Boss, let’s go. There’ll be other chances!” one of them shouted.

“Yeah, boss, let’s go, she might shoot!” another added.

But their boss—who probably never made it past second grade—didn’t seem to hear them.

“Why don’t you listen to your i***t lackeys?” I said with a smirk. His glare darkened.

Still glaring, he was finally pulled away by his lackeys. I kept my g*n aimed at them as they each got on their motorcycles and sped off.

When they were finally out of sight, my strength drained all at once. I would’ve collapsed right there on the road if Conan hadn’t caught me.

It was over…

“Are you okay?” he asked with concern.

“What time is it?” I asked. I needed to know.

“Why are you asking?” he replied.

“What time is it, Conan?” I asked again.

He checked his watch.

“6:45 p.m.”

The moment I heard it, all the fear and heaviness in my chest disappeared.

It was done… I did it. I saved him! Hearing that time from him, my body finally gave in. He quickly supported me, but I had no more strength left. My legs wouldn’t move, and tears began to well in my eyes.

I did it…

“Rai… hold on to me,” Conan said.

I just let him do what he needed to do. My strength was gone. What mattered, Railey, was that it was over…

But… was it really?