The Dream That Stayed

11. The Butterfly Effect

# Part 11: The Butterfly Effect

They had a journey of 3 hours, flying 1,490 miles from Amsterdam to Santorini, Greece.

As they reached Santorini, a black luxury van was waiting for them. The guide took them to the luxurious villa called Aloia Villas.

The villa was very beautiful. The scenery and the interior were very pleasing to the eyes.

Arjun asked, “Bright is this your family’s Property”. “yes it is Bright replied.”

The guide greeted Bright.

“Welcome to the villa, sir. Please take some rest for now. I hope you had a nice trip here.”

“Yes, we had a comfortable trip, Mr. Kyros,” replied Bright.

Ethan asked, “Mr. Kyros, what is special about Santorini?”

Mr. Kyros replied, “What makes Santorini special is that the island sits around a huge volcanic caldera, a giant crater formed by an ancient volcanic eruption. The crater filled with seawater, creating the breathtaking views Santorini is famous for. Especially the sunset view. The reflection of the setting sun in the Aegean Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea, is a blessing for the eyes. I hope you guys enjoy the trip and collect beautiful memories from here.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kyros,” they all said together.

Kyros smiled.

“Always at your service.”

Then he left.

Everybody freshened up and sat together on the balcony to watch the sunset. The balcony had stairs and sofas around it.

As they waited for the sunset, they missed Lisa.

Lisa couldn’t make it to the trip as she had already attended too many graduations, proposal functions, weddings, and other events. She had to stay back.

Lily stepped onto the balcony and froze.

Below her stretched the deep blue waters of the Aegean Sea, sparkling beneath the afternoon sun. White villas clung to the cliffs of Santorini’s caldera, while yachts drifted peacefully across the water.

“Wow, guys! come here The sun is setting. Come fast!”

Everyone were mesmerized by the beauty of the sunset.

The next day, Mr. Kyros started taking them to famous places like:

**1. Oia**

The most famous village in Santorini.

White houses and blue-domed churches.

“Wow, this place is awesome for clicking photos!”

Everyone started clicking selfies. Ryan started recording videos and having fun.

**2. Fira**

The capital of Santorini.

Here they visited shops, cafés, restaurants, and experienced the nightlife.

**3. Red Beach**

Famous for its red volcanic cliffs.

Everyone had fun at the beach.

**4. Akrotiri**

An ancient city buried by a volcanic eruption.

They also enjoyed several activities together:

Luxury yacht cruise around the island

* ATV rides through villages

* Beach day at Red Beach

* Sunset dinner in Oia

* Shopping in Fira

* Swimming and snorkeling

For five days, they enjoyed themselves as if it were their last day alive.

When they returned to the villa after visiting the beach, everyone was tired.

That night, they ordered dinner at the villa and sat together to eat.

They called Lisa.

“We miss you, Lis!”

Making a sad but funny voice, Lisa replied,

“Aww… when are you guys coming back to me?”

“Two more days and we’ll be back,” said Bright.

After the call ended, Bright looked at everyone.

“Guys, we have changed the future, right?”

“Yes, we did,” said Ryan.

“So the wedding happened earlier. It was supposed to happen in 2058, but it happened in 2057.”

Everyone listened quietly.

“Lis is still in the military. Her training has been completed, and she’s now going to be appointed as an officer. But according to Lily’s future, Lis only stays there for a year and then returns.”

Lily found it strange.

“What are you implying, Bright?”

Bright looked at everyone.

“If you observe things carefully, the events have only changed their timeline. The events themselves are still happening. Nothing from the future has disappeared. It only changed the timing.”

“Ethan proposing to Preet.”

“Ryan and Lily’s marriage.”

“Lis joining the military.”

“The suspicious things happening at the hospital.”

Ethan frowned.

“Oh, come on, Bright. What are you actually trying to say?” he shouted.

Arjun immediately stepped in.

“Ethan, calm down. But what Bright is saying does make sense.”

Bright took a deep breath.

“What if we don’t have two years?”

The room went silent.

“What if the apocalypse doesn’t happen in 2059?”

Nobody spoke.

“What if it happens in 2057?”

“What if it happens in 2058?”

“What if it happens now itself?”

His voice grew more serious.

“If other events can change their timing… then this can too.”

Everybody’s breath stopped for a second.

The realization hit them all at once.

Panic spread through the room.

Without wasting another moment, they immediately booked the earliest flight and returned to Amsterdam overnight.

As they reached the city, they ran to their houses and brought all their parents and family members to the bunker house.

As everyone sat together in the living area, they waited for an explanation from their children.

“Why have you brought us here?”

“And what is this place?”

Meanwhile, the others were in the computer lab, discussing how to convince their parents, as they couldn’t tell them anything about zombies and the apocalypse.

Arjun said,

“Okay, I got an idea. Let’s tell them that some kind of virus, like a plague or something, is spreading out there. That’s the reason we rushed them here. For now, let’s tell them this. Later, we’ll sort something out.”

Everyone agreed and headed to the living area.

Ryan started explaining.

“Some kind of virus is spreading, so as a precaution, we brought everyone here.”

Lily added,

“This is a bunker house. I designed it for a client, but the client doesn’t need it at the moment. So we’re using it as a safe shelter.”

Lily’s mom felt suspicious.

She knew Lily had been going through something, but after dating Ryan, Lily seemed okay, or at least that’s what she had thought.

Ryan’s father asked,

“What is this virus, Ryan? Is it as dangerous as the coronavirus?”

“Something worse than that maybe.” Ethan replied.

The parents had already lived through the coronavirus pandemic during their youth and teenage years.

Ryan exchanged glances with the others before replying,

“We don’t know much about it yet, Dad. We’re just taking precautions until we know exactly what’s happening.”

The parents were still confused, but seeing how serious their children looked, they decided not to argue.

For the time being, they agreed to stay in the bunker house.

As all the dads were having a chat in the living room, the moms were chatting in another room, and some of them had already gone to sleep.

Lily and her friends gathered once again in the computer lab. They started planning and reviewing the security footage.

Suddenly, Arjun noticed something suspicious.

“Haahmm… guys, I think someone is roaming around the bunker. I can see him on the camera.”

Preet immediately looked at him.

“Like, right now?”

“Yeah. He is standing near the bunker right now.”

Ethan frowned.

“Is this the same guy we saw with Dr.Ron?”

“I don’t know. He’s wearing a black jacket, a mask, and a hat.”

Ryan stared at the screen.

“Guys, I think this is the same guy who was following us to the airport. I think someone is keeping an eye on us.”

“But how did he find out about us?” asked Lily.

“And how much does he know about us?” Preet added.

Bright stood up.

“Ryan, Ethan, Arjun… let’s go outside and catch him. This is the only way we’re going to make progress, and we don’t have much time.”

Everyone nodded.

“Let’s split up and surround him.”

Then Bright looked at the girls.

“You girls stay inside.”

The boys quietly went outside.

Slowly, they approached the man from different directions.

Ryan and Arjun suddenly grabbed him from behind.

However, the man was incredibly strong.

Within seconds, he flipped both Ryan and Arjun to the ground and started running.

Ethan and Bright rushed in from the other side.

The man suddenly found himself surrounded with nowhere left to run.

Without hesitation, he pulled out a g*n and pointed it at them.

Inside the bunker, Preet and Lily were watching everything through the security cameras.

Panicking, they ran outside.

Lily grabbed a rifle and pointed it directly at the masked man.

“Who the hell are you?” she demanded.

The man looked at all of them.

“What are you guys planning?”

Ryan tightened his grip on his weapon.

“Drop your g*n, buddy, and we’ll talk. But first, who the hell are you?”

Just then, Ryan’s phone rang.

It was his father.

Ryan answered immediately.

“Is everything alright, son?” Ryan’s father asked.

The girls quickly signalled him.

“Yeah, Dad. Everything is alright. We’re just… playing around. Don’t worry.”

“Okay, son.”

The call ended.

The masked man looked at Ryan carefully.

“Even Officer David is involved in this?”

Ryan froze.

Before anyone could react, he grabbed the man’s collar.

“How do you know my father’s name? Who are you?”

The man slowly raised his hands.

“Relax. I’m a soldier.”

Everyone remained silent.

“I was sent by the Lieutenant General.”

Everybody froze.

Lily slowly lowered her rifle.

“What?” she asked.

The man continued,

“Ryan kept coming to the base asking for Captain Noah’s help over and over again.”

Ryan’s expression darkened.

The soldier pointed toward the bunker.

“Then your friend Lisa joined the military.”

Everyone listened carefully.

“And this bunker made us suspicious about your intentions.”

He looked directly at them.

“Lisa is constantly trying to spend time with senior officers instead of trainees. She’s been asking questions about military strength, training strategies, defence systems, and emergency protocols.”

The group exchanged nervous glances.

The soldier continued,

“What exactly are you people up to?”

His voice became serious.

“Because if it’s something illegal…”

He pointed his g*n toward the ground.

“I want you to drop the idea right now.”

“And one of you has to come with me to the base right now.”

Ryan replied,

“We will come in the morning.”

The soldier shook his head.

“No. One person comes with me right now.”

Ryan stepped forward.

“Okay. I’ll come.”

Bright immediately stopped him.

“No. Your dad is inside the bunker. If we go without you, he will definitely sense that something is wrong. Let me go instead.”

Ryan looked at him.

“My parents have already gone to sleep. Even if they ask about me, just tell them I went to the company to handle something.”

After a moment of silence, Ryan nodded.

“Okay.”

Bright looked at the soldier.

“We’ll be there in the morning. Don’t worry.”

Ethan, Arjun, and Ryan hugged Bright before sending him with the officer.

As Bright reached the military base, he noticed that Lisa was already sitting inside an interrogation room.

A soldier escorted Bright inside and seated him in the same room.

Lisa’s eyes widened.

“Bright? What are you doing here?”

“Lis, our bunker was exposed.”

“How?”

Just as Bright was about to explain, the door opened.

A high-ranking officer entered the room along with his junior, General Lucas, and Captain Noah.

Lisa immediately stood up and saluted.

“Lisa Vale, 02901, sir!”

Bright also stood up and slightly bowed his head as a sign of respect.

The officers took their seats on the opposite side of the table.

The atmosphere inside the room became tense.

The senior officer folded his hands.

“Okay. Now you two are going to tell us everything without hiding anything.”

Nobody spoke.

“Otherwise, we will have to take your friends and family into custody.”

Bright took a deep breath.

Lisa started sweating.

Captain Noah leaned forward.

“Let’s start with something simple.”

He opened a file lying on the table.

“Why did you build a huge bunker outside the city?”

He stared directly at Bright.

“And why does it look like a massive terrorist operation?”

Bright remained silent.

Captain Noah continued,

“Mr. Bright, you recently purchased several firearms legally.”

He slide a document across the table.

“But why so many?”

His voice became sharper.

“And not just ordinary firearms. These are weapons commonly used in military operations.”

Lisa nervously glanced at Bright.

Captain Noah tapped the table.

“What exactly are you people planning?”

Nobody answered.

The room fell silent.

Then Captain Noah asked the question that had been bothering the military the most.

“Are you planning an attack on the city?”

His eyes locked onto Bright.

“What is your motive?”

Both of them came clean about the Zombie Apocalypse, explaining everything they knew.

However, the officers didn’t trust them.

The General leaned back in his chair and looked at them coldly.

“You two may spend the rest of your lives in a cell if you’re messing around with us right now.”

Neither Bright nor Lisa spoke.

The General continued,

“Tomorrow, we will talk with your friends as well. But for now, your mobile phones are confiscated.”

A soldier immediately collected their phones.

“You are not allowed to communicate with them by any means.”

He stood up from his chair.

“You will remain in a cell until morning.”

The officers left the room.

A few moments later, soldiers escorted both Lisa and Bright to the detention area.

Meanwhile, Ryan and the others repeatedly tried to contact them.

No matter how many times they called, neither of them answered.

The group couldn’t sleep that night.

Not because of the officers.

Not because of what might happen to Bright and Lisa.

But because of one terrifying thought.

**What if the apocalypse had been preponed?**

Back at the military base, Lisa and Bright were placed in separate cells directly opposite each other.

The detention block was quiet.

Only the sound of distant footsteps echoed through the corridor.

Bright sat on the edge of his bunk.

“Lisa.”

“Hmm?”

Bright looked through the bars.

Explained everything again. About Lily’s visions, the bunker, Dr. Ron, the hospital, everything they found.

Lisa nodded.

“I know.”

“They still don’t believe us.”

“Not yet.”

Bright sighed.

“What if they never do?”

Lisa remained silent for a moment.

Then she smiled slightly.

“I have enough connections to convince the General.”

Bright raised an eyebrow.

“Good. How did you do that?”

Lisa smirked.

“I’ll explain later.”

Bright shook his head and laughed.

“You’re unbelievable, you know that?”

Lisa smiled.

“Maybe.”

The two sat quietly for a few moments.

Finally, Bright spoke again.

“Okay. In the morning, let’s tell all of this to our pals.”

Lisa nodded.

“Yeah. Let’s hope they listen before it’s too late.”

The corridor fell silent once again as both of them waited for morning to arrive.

Neither of them fell asleep that night.

As the light emerged through the small window of their cells, they both took a deep sigh.

Finally, the time had come.

It was 5:30 in the morning.

Outside the military base, Lily and her friends were already waiting for the gates to open.

At exactly 6:00 AM, the gates opened.

However, they were not given permission to meet Bright and Lisa.

Instead, the military separated them and took them into different interrogation rooms.

Each of them was asked the same questions.

And each of them gave the same answers.

Hours later, they were all brought together and made to sit inside a single interrogation room.

Outside the room, General Lucas and Captain Noah discussed the situation.

They decided to use a common interrogation tactic.

The General entered the room and looked at everyone.

“Your friends have already confessed everything.”

Nobody reacted.

“You don’t need to hide anything anymore.”

The group exchanged glances.

Ryan spoke first.

“Captain, please don’t harm them. We’ve already come clean.”

Captain Noah looked at Ryan.

Noah had been a good friend of Ryan’s for years, but right now Ryan was an accused suspect.

He couldn’t simply let them go.

Captain Noah subtly signalled with his eyes.

**It’s serious. I can’t help.**

Ryan understood immediately.

He clenched his fists.

“Where are our friends? Are they safe?”

General Lucas replied calmly,

“Yes. They are safe.”

He paused.

“They are being interrogated by another officer in a different room.”

The General slowly walked around the table.

“But if you people don’t open your mouths…”

His voice turned cold.

“…we cannot guarantee their safety.”

Everyone remained silent.

“We will treat them the same way we treat other criminals.”

The room became tense.

General Lucas stopped walking and looked directly at Ryan.

“Military tactics used to obtain the truth are powerful enough to make even the dead speak.”

Ryan panicked.

“We ARE telling the truth!”

The General slammed his hand on the table.

“I don’t think I can continue listening to this nonsense any longer.”

He turned toward Captain Noah.

“I’m going to inform his father.”

Lily’s heart started racing.

She desperately tried to remember something…

Anything from the future that could make them believe her.

Fragments flashed through her mind.

Faces.

Voices.

Documents.

Military files.

Then suddenly —

She remembered something.

Lily immediately looked at General Lucas.

“L2013.”

The room fell silent.

“MG6672.”

General Lucas froze.

His face instantly changed.

“What…?”

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

“How do you know that?”

The General’s voice was no longer calm.

Captain Noah frowned.

“What is she talking about, sir?”

General Lucas didn’t answer.

Instead, he slowly reached for his holster.

Click.

He drew his revolver.

Everyone’s eyes widened.

The General stood up.

Then he loaded the revolver and pointed it directly at Lily’s forehead.

The entire room froze.

Even Captain Noah looked shocked.

“Sir!”

Nobody understood what was happening.

General Lucas stared at Lily with a mixture of anger, fear, and disbelief.

His finger rested on the trigger.

“Tell me.”

His voice shook slightly.

“How do you know those codes?”

-To Be Continued..