The Man who Remembered Tomorrow

Ethan Cole woke up to the sound of the alarm clock going off at 7: 00 AM in his heart racing as if he had been through a marathon. His eyes bouncing around the room lit by low bulbs, his breaths coming in small, shallow breaths. Something was off. He knew it. The dream... or were they just a memory? -- stayed in his head like an icy cloud: he'd been there, in that damn dark alley, bleeding with blood. He'd heard someone scream: sharp, ominous noise. And then, the flash of a blade. He bowed his head, then ran for the bathroom, and splashed his face with cold water. “That’s just a nightmare, ” he whispered; but far and away he knew better. It was not the first time he had woken up like that, surrounded by images of things that hadn’t happened yet. A television was blaring in the background as he poured himself a cup of coffee. The morning news anchor's voice was clear, repeating the events of the day. Ethan couldn't catch him when she mentioned a missing woman. It was Claire Donovan. She had disappeared near the same alleyway that he had looked at in the dream. Ethan's grip on the coffee mug tightened and his knuckles almost turned white -- not a coincidence. He could still see her face in the vision -- terrified, crying. The coffee mug fell out of his hands and shattered on the floor. He needed answers. --- Ethan spent the day researching Claire Donovan. She was a freelance reporter and so well known for her knack for reporting on corruption and high profile scandals. The cops had no leads at all, but Ethan knew where she had been taken. He could see it in his head—the flickering streetlamp, the graffiti on the walls, the dumpster. By the time Ethan got home at night, he was standing on the edge of the narrow alleyway. It was near quiet, the air tense and sinister. He moved his feet carefully. Was he really about to enter a crime that hadn’t yet been committed? A bit of movement caught his eye. Shadow. Ethan slipped out behind a dumpster, his heart racing. Several seconds later a man in a black hoodie pulled a struggling woman down the alley... Claire. Shelved, Ethan's breath blew hard. Was happening just like he had seen it. But now he had a choice. He could take action. He could control the future. Shivering, Ethan ran out of the way. “Hey! ” he shouted, his voice still trembling but determined. He glanced up, his face obscured by the hood as he pulled out a knife (the blade of which flashed gleaming under the streetlamp ). Ethan panicked, having no weapon, no plan. “Let her go,” Ethan demanded, his voice steadier now. The man lunged at him. Ethan dodged, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He grabbed a metal pipe from the ground and swung it with all his strength, knocking the knife from the attacker’s hand. Claire gasped for air as she fought free of the man's grip, but without Ethan giving in, the threatening man ran off into the darkness and disappeared as fast as he had appeared. Ethan looked at Claire, shaking but unharmed. “Are you alright? Nodding through tears, she took a deep breath. “ How did you know... how did you find me? ” Ethan took a second to breathe, afraid not to say the truth. That he had seen it all before it had happened? “Just... I had a hunch, ” he said with a sad smile. When the sound of sirens played in the air Ethan knew it all started in earnest. The visions weren't merely nightmares – they were warnings. And if he didn't figure who would do it for them, nobody could feel as lucky as Claire. --- Cliffhanger Ending: Back in the dark of his apartment, Ethan sat in the dark looking at the flickering TV and then hear the news anchor again (breaking news: a second woman has disappeared close to where I last saw her. More people are urged to be careful... ) Blood ran cold down Ethans spine. Another vision came in sharper this time. Another victim, another alley. This time he didn’t know if he would make it in time. ---