The Dream That Stayed

# Part 1 The Beginning It all started with a dream—more like a nightmare. Lily, a 20-year-old girl living in a city called Amsterdam. It was the year 2050, a Friday evening in August. Lily came back from college, had snacks and coffee, and went to her part-time job tutoring kids. After work, she met her friends. They asked her to join them for dinner. She called her mom for permission and later joined them. She had a “best friends forever” g**g of seven, and her brother Ethan was also part of the group. After reaching home, Lily and Ethan went to their rooms. There, while checking her phone, Lily found out that her boyfriend had cheated on her. She cried for hours and eventually fell asleep. Suddenly, she heard screams. Many of her neighbours were dying right in front of her. She was at a party—an inauguration function for some hospital. Everybody was running and screaming. Some people were biting each other. She couldn’t understand anything. Then a man jumped on her, grabbed her neck, and started strangling her. He bit her shoulder. She screamed. When she opened her eyes, she was at home. Her mom hugged her. Covered in sweat, Lily explained everything to her. The dream felt so real—even her shoulder hurt, like someone had actually bitten her. Ethan came into the room and teased her, saying she had been watching too many zombie K-dramas. But Lily still felt uneasy about it. Later, she got ready and went to college. She was quiet and distracted, so her friend Arjun asked if she was okay. “What’s wrong? You’re so out of it today,” he said. She explained everything and opened up about her breakup. He consoled her. “Sometimes too much pressure can make things feel unreal. Don’t worry—everything’s going to be okay.” “Hmm,” she murmured, resting her head on Arjun’s shoulder and hugging him. On the weekend, she met all her friends at their usual place—the basement of Ryan’s house. Ryan was a rich guy who was into martial arts and modeling. Lily told them about her dream and breakup. Her friend Lisa said, “I always knew Josh was a jerk. I warned you many times, but you were so blind in love and deaf too. Now stop giving a damn about him and move on. Ryan has liked you since eighth grade. You should’ve dated him instead.” Ryan rolled his eyes angrily at Lisa. “Shut up, Lis. You’re not helping. You’re making things worse.” Lisa replied, “Stupid, I’m taking your side.” “Well, I don’t want you to,” Ryan said. Both of them made grumpy faces at each other. Then Ryan looked into Lily’s eyes, lowered his head, and quietly said, “I’ll bring some snacks. Lisa, can you help me?” Lisa sighed. “Oh well, let’s go.” They went upstairs to get snacks. Meanwhile, in the basement, Lily, Arjun, and Preet sat together. Preet, Arjun’s twin sister, hugged Lily while sitting beside her on the couch. Arjun sat on a bean bag. “Let bygones be bygones. Let’s just have fun tonight,” Preet said softly. Ryan and Lisa returned with snacks and drinks. They played games for hours, and eventually everyone fell asleep in the basement. Suddenly, Lily opened her eyes and found herself bleeding. Her shoulder was covered in blood. She was in Ryan’s arms as he ran desperately through the streets. “I’ll definitely save you. Don’t worry,” Ryan kept saying. She was rushed to a hospital. After the treatment, Lily hugged Ryan tightly. “I’m sorry for everything,” she cried. Ryan gently held her shoulders. “Lily, stop crying. Wake up, Lily… wake up.” When she opened her eyes again, she saw Ethan standing beside her. He had come to Ryan’s house to take her home. Everyone looked worried because she had been screaming and crying in her sleep. After Ethan took her to the car, her friends suggested that he take Lily to a doctor. They said she needed help because she was going through trauma. They also told him about Josh and the breakup. Days passed, and Lily slowly lost herself more and more. The nightmares kept repeating. She could no longer differentiate between dreams and reality. She suffered silently, both mentally and emotionally. One Saturday evening, they all gathered once again at their usual place—Ryan’s basement. Lily had not arrived yet. “It’s been five years. I still don’t know how to help Lily overcome her fear,” Preet said sadly. Preet practiced medicine. Both she and Arjun were geniuses. Arjun worked as a software engineer and was known as a coding prodigy, Ethan had also studied medicine in the hope that he might someday help his sister. Just then, Lily and Ethan entered the basement. Ryan immediately walked toward Lily and hugged her. “Want your favourite snacks?” he asked with a smile. Lily smiled back softly. “Yes.” They spent the evening laughing, dancing to music, drinking, and enjoying themselves. Later, everyone fell asleep as snow slowly began falling outside. Lily woke up in the middle of the night and stood near the window, watching the snow drift from the sky. Ryan walked over to her, wrapped his jacket around her shoulders, and hugged her from behind. “If you ever feel confused about whether you’re dreaming or awake, hug me,” he whispered softly. “If you feel warmth, it’s real. If you can hear my heartbeat, it’s real. If you can’t… then it’s a dream.” He held her a little tighter. “Come to me. I’ll always be here for you.” Later, they both fell asleep on the bean bag, hugging each other. Early morning sunlight fell across Lily’s face. She slowly opened her eyes and groaned. “The sun is literally slapping me. Preet, can you close the window?” she mumbled sleepily. Everybody burst out laughing. “Good morning, lovebirds,” Lisa teased. Ethan smirked and said, “Are you two done cuddling, or can we finally go home now?” Lily immediately pulled away from Ryan, embarrassed, while Ryan awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Suddenly— BANG! BANG! BANG! Someone started pounding hard on the basement door.