The Dream That Stayed

7.The Investigation

# Part 7 The Investigation

Later that night, they all had fun and played board games. Since they didn’t know what the future held for them, they decided to cherish the present they had been given like a gift.

As planned, Preet and Ethan started researching the virus what it was, how to stop it, and whether an antidote could be created. They also began investigating who might have created it. They dug into everyone connected to the hospital: doctors, nurses, medical students—anyone could have been involved. But they only had one clue: whoever was behind it had some connection to Win Corporation and Bright’s family.

On the other side, Bright was doing everything within his power to gather crucial information about his family’s businesses and especially his uncle.

During the daytime, everyone stayed busy with their professional lives. But every evening, they gathered at the bunker house that Lily built and worked there until midnight before crashing for the night. The next morning, they would return to work again as if everything was normal. They spent weekends with their families, but they never shared anything about the apocalypse because they didn’t want to worry them.

Days passed.

One Friday evening, they gathered once again in the living room of the bunker house to discuss their progress.

Arjun stood in front of the whiteboard and began explaining his findings and plans.

“I’ve been using the dark web to hide my location from legal authorities,” he explained. “And with Bright’s help, I successfully breached Win Corporation’s sensitive data.”

Everyone looked at him seriously.

“So far, nothing suspicious has appeared. All the transactions and exchanges look clean,” Arjun continued. “Honestly, without Bright, breaking into a system this heavily protected would’ve been impossible. Most of the highest-level security encryptions require Bright’s biometric access—his eye scan or hand scan.”

Next, Bright shared his progress.

“I’ve been spending more time with my uncle lately,” he said. “I’ve also been staying close to his daughter—taking her out, buying her flowers and gifts, trying to earn their trust. I’m doing everything I can within my limits.”

Then Lily and Ryan explained their side.

“We tried talking to military lieutenants and captains,” Ryan said, frustrated. “But we couldn’t convince them. They kept asking for proof and witnesses.”

“They said they can’t mobilize thousands of soldiers just based on someone’s intuition,” Lily added quietly. “Not without evidence.”

Later, Bright spoke up.

“I contacted someone about the weapons,” he said seriously. “Tell me what kind of guns or rifles we’ll need to import. I’ll arrange the deal.”

Lily immediately looked toward Lisa.

“Liss… what kind of weapons would actually be useful if we ever had to fight zombies?”

Lisa stayed quiet for a moment before answering softly.

“I’ve only ever shot at targets,” she admitted. “Never at actual humans. And even zombies are still humans in a way… I don’t know if I’d be able to shoot them.”

Her voice sounded heavy with sadness.

Preet gently hugged her.

“It’s okay, Liss,” she said comfortingly. “We’ll do our best to stop the apocalypse before it even begins. Hopefully, nobody will ever have to get hurt.”

Ryan, however, looked more practical about the situation.

“But without military support, we can’t handle something this massive alone,” he said seriously. “If the outbreak really happens, we’ll be completely outnumbered. We need to prepare for the worst.”

Lisa stayed silent for a few seconds before finally speaking again.

“Okay… I have a plan.”

Everyone looked at her.

“I’m physically fit, and I’m already good at shooting,” Lisa continued. “I’ll apply as a military trainee. Once I get inside, I’ll try to build connections with someone powerful enough to handle a situation like this.”

Lily immediately nodded but added carefully,

“Liss, remember we can’t talk about visions or teleportation yet. We still don’t even know which theory is true.”

Lisa gave a confident smile.

“Don’t worry, guys. I won’t let you down.”

Then she added softly,

“And honestly… I always wanted to join the military after college anyway.”

Ryan smiled slightly.

“I’ll talk to my dad about your recruitment,” he said. “He’ll help you get in.”

Then he looked directly at her.

“Stay strong, Liss. We trust you.”

Lisa crossed her arms dramatically and smirked.

“Good. Because I trust you guys too.”

As everyone continued discussing their plans, Lily slowly fell silent.

She remembered Ethan telling her that Lisa would join the military in 2056.

Another prediction had come true.

And with every passing day, Lily’s belief grew stronger that her visions were not dreams at all… but fragments of a real future waiting for them.

The next day, with the help of Ryan’s father’s connections, Lisa officially got accepted into the military.

All of her friends went with her to say goodbye.

Before she left, they all pulled her into a tight group hug.

“Our Liss is the strongest and bravest person in this g**g,” Arjun said proudly.

Lisa rolled her eyes dramatically, trying to hide her emotions.

“Obviously,” she replied. “You people would fall apart without me.”

Everyone laughed softly, but deep inside, they were all worried about what the future might hold.

After returning to the bunker house, everyone went back to working on their respective tasks.

Preet and Ethan stayed busy inside the lab researching the virus.

Arjun worked in the computer room, trying to uncover more secrets hidden inside Win Corporation’s systems.

Meanwhile, Ryan and Lily went out to buy supplies for the bunker—canned food, water, snacks, medicine, and extra groceries to store inside the walk-in refrigerator.

While returning home, Ryan suddenly stopped near a 7-Eleven store.

“It’s freezing today,” he said with a grin. “And it’s been forever since we had beer. Wait here, Lily. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Lily nodded and stood near the sidewalk scrolling through her phone while Ryan went inside the store.

Suddenly—

She heard someone crying.

A painful, broken voice echoed from nearby.

“Why…? Why me…?”

Lily immediately looked up.

The voice sounded familiar.

Her heart skipped a beat.

No…

It was Lisa.

Lily quickly shoved her phone into her pocket and ran toward the sound.

As she turned the corner, she froze in horror.

Lisa was sitting on the ground while leaning against a wall. A long rifle rested beside her.

She was crying uncontrollably.

“Why did everyone die…?” Lisa sobbed. “Why was I the only one left alive? Why couldn’t I save any of you…?”

For a moment, Lily couldn’t breathe.

Then she rushed toward her and knelt down in front of her.

“Lisa!” Lily cried. “Liss, what’s wrong? I’m here… I’m right here…”

She reached out to wipe Lisa’s tears—

But her hand passed straight through her.

Lily froze.

Her entire body turned cold.

Slowly, she backed away in shock.

Lisa couldn’t see her.

Couldn’t hear her.

Lisa's clothes were torn, blood was splattered across her hands and clothes.

Lisa lowered her forehead against the rifle and continued crying.

“I miss you guys so much…” "I miss you mom I miss you dad.. "she whispered painfully. “But before I join you guys in heaven… I’ll make sure the people who did this suffer first.”

Lily stood there speechless.

Then suddenly—

A loud growling sound echoed through the street.

Lisa immediately stood up and loaded her rifle.

She pointed the g*n toward the road ahead.

Confused, Lily slowly turned around—

And her blood ran cold.

Dozens of infected people were rushing toward them.

At least twenty… maybe thirty.

“Lisa, RUN!” Lily screamed desperately. “RUN!”

But Lisa stood her ground.

Tears rolled down her face as she started firing at the infected.

“I’m sorry…” she cried while pulling the trigger repeatedly. “I promise I’ll punish the people who turned you all into this…”

Suddenly, Lily heard someone shouting from far away.

“Lilyyy!”

She turned around sharply.

It was Ryan’s voice.

Realizing he was nearby, Lily immediately ran toward him.

“Ryan!” she cried breathlessly. “We have to save Lisa! Please—we have to help her!”

Ryan grabbed her shoulders in confusion.

“Lily… what are you talking about?” he asked worriedly. “Lisa is at military training right now. I literally spoke to her on the phone earlier.”

Lily stared at him in panic.

“No! She’s over there fighting infected people!”

She pointed desperately toward the street behind her.

Ryan slowly turned around.

There was nobody there.

No Lisa.

No infected.

Nothing.

Lily’s breathing became uneven.

“B-But… I saw her…” she whispered shakily.

Ryan immediately pulled her into a hug.

Then, still worried, he took out his phone and called Lisa while still hugging her.

After a few seconds, she answered.

“Hello, Ryan?” Lisa said from the other side. “What happened? Why are you calling again? Everything okay?”

Ryan glanced at Lily before replying calmly,

“Yeah, Liss. Everything’s fine. I was actually trying to call Ethan by mistake. Sorry.”

“Oh,” Lisa laughed softly. “It’s okay.”

Then her voice became quieter.

“Take care of yourselves, okay?”

Ryan smiled faintly.

“You too.”

There was a brief silence before Lisa added softly:

“Miss you guys already.”

The call ended.

Lily stood there frozen.

Because the broken future version of Lisa had said the exact same words just moments earlier.

Lily looked completely confused.

Without saying anything, Ryan gently carried her on his back and started walking toward their car giving her a piggy-back.

“Lily,” he asked softly, “why didn’t you wait for me near the supermarket? Why did you suddenly go there?”

Lily stayed quiet.

Ryan continued,

“When I came back outside, you weren’t there anymore. I thought maybe you went to the restroom, so I kept the groceries inside the trunk and waited for you. Then suddenly, I heard you screaming Lisa’s name.”

His voice became more worried.

“When I followed the sound, I saw you standing there alone… talking to yourself.”

He tightened his grip around her legs slightly.

“What were you doing there?”

Lily slowly rested her head against his shoulder.

“Babe… can we talk about it later?” she whispered weakly.

Ryan sighed softly.

“Okay.”

He carried her to the car and drove back to the bunker house quietly.

The moment they arrived, Lily walked straight inside without saying a word.

She ignored everyone and silently lay down on one of the beds placed around the living room sofa.

Meanwhile, Ryan started unloading the groceries from the car.

Arjun, Ethan, and Preet also came outside to help him carry everything inside.

Ethan noticed Lily lying there silently and immediately started teasing her.

“Why isn’t Princess helping us today?” he joked dramatically. “Did your prince forbid you from doing any work, Your Royal Highness?”

Usually Lily would’ve thrown a pillow at him or argued back.

But this time—

She didn’t even smile.

She didn’t respond at all.

Ethan slowly stopped laughing.

A strange feeling settled inside him.

He quietly picked up the last grocery bag with Ryan and asked in a lower voice,

“Brother-in-law… what happened to your darling? Did you guys fight?”

Ryan shook his head slightly.

“I’ll explain everything after dinner.”

Ethan assumed it was just another lovers’ argument and didn’t think too deeply about it.

Later that night, after dinner, everyone gathered in the living room again.

Some were lying on mattresses around the sofa while Ethan stretched himself lazily across the couch.

Lily silently drank some water before walking toward Ryan’s bed.

Without saying anything, she rested her head on his lap and closed her eyes.

Ethan stared at them in confusion.

“Wait… I thought you guys fought,” he said. “Then why is she sleeping on your lap like a baby panda?”

Ryan looked serious now.

Slowly, he explained everything that had happened outside the supermarket.

The moment he finished, the room became silent.

Preet immediately looked toward Lily with concern.

“Lily,” she said gently, “can you tell us exactly what happened? Don’t keep everything to yourself. We’ll help you.”

Lily slowly sat up on the bed.

Then she began explaining everything she had seen.

Lisa crying.

The rifle.

The infected.

The words she had spoken.

Everything.

As Lily spoke, Ethan quietly climbed down from the sofa and sat in front of her.

He gently held both her hands.

“Listen to me, sis,” he said softly. “You’ve already seen too many terrifying things. Maybe you’re overthinking because of all the pressure and fear about the future.”

He smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be okay.”

But suddenly—

Lily’s eyes widened.

“I know what I saw,” she whispered.

Everyone looked at her immediately.

“It was the future.”

The room went silent.

Lily’s breathing became uneven as she continued speaking with growing certainty.

“I couldn’t touch Lisa… and Lisa couldn’t hear me.”

She slowly looked around at everyone.

“Because I’m already dead in that future.”

Everybody froze.

“And Lisa was the only one left alive,” Lily continued quietly. “She was still fighting the infected… alone.”

Arjun frowned deeply while thinking.

“So… you’re saying your atma was there,” he said slowly. “Not your physical body.”

Ethan blinked in confusion.

“What’s atma?”

Preet answered softly,

“He means soul.”

Then she looked toward Lily thoughtfully.

“Actually… maybe Arjun’s theory makes sense. Maybe it really was Lily’s soul seeing Lisa in the future.”

Lily immediately nodded excitedly.

“Yes! Yes, exactly!” she said. “That’s the only explanation that actually makes sense!”

Ethan stared at her for a few seconds before suddenly laughing nervously.

“Wow, sis,” he said dramatically. “You still have teleportation powers even after dying?”

Despite the tension, a few people let out weak laughs.

Then Ethan stretched lazily again and said,

“Anyway, I’m telling Bright about this tomorrow.”

Lily suddenly looked around the room.

“Wait… where is Bright?”

Ethan replied casually,

“He didn’t come today. His family gathered for a dinner today, so he stayed back.”

Lily nodded slowly.

Something about it made her uneasy, though she didn’t know why.

Eventually, the lights were turned off one by one.

And slowly, everyone drifted off to sleep.

-To Be Continued...