Perhaps Wiro was right; what happened wasn't exactly a dream, but it still felt unreal.
For example, right now.
Alexis looked around at the long corridor, a seemingly endless path stretching to the front and back, with no beginning or end in sight.
"What kind of place is this?" - Alexis muttered.
She was still wearing her pajamas, which meant she was dreaming. This could be a lucid dream, a phenomenon that normal people experience.
Specifically, it's a dream where you are fully aware that you are in a dream. This state allows you to control and manage your actions within the dream.
Alexis looked out the window and saw nothing but a thick white fog. Looking down the corridor, she saw many wooden doors. She didn't know where these doors led, but they were locked with sturdy chains, as if to prevent anyone from discovering them or whatever was inside from escaping.
Among them, one was unlocked, its chain lying on the ground. It was as if it wanted her to open it. As she approached, a loud banging suddenly erupted on the door. The banging grew louder and more frantic. Alexis's mind raced with fear, wanting to run, but her body wouldn't move. Instead, she slowly moved closer to the door.
"No...no...no...stop!" - Alexis screamed.
The banging grew even more intense, as if whatever was inside was losing patience and wanted to burst out immediately. It made her want to fall, but she couldn't.
Alexis's hand grasped the doorknob and slowly turned it. The door fell silent, but as she pushed it open, a horrifying sight met her eyes.
_______
Alexis woke up with a start, her forehead hitting something hard, causing her to fall to the ground, groaning in pain. She finally came to her senses and saw her classmates and the female teacher staring at her.
"Are you alright?"
"No, I'm fine. It was just a nightmare." - Alexis
Hearing this, her classmates returned to their seats, whispering irritably.
"She really startled me."
"She's always like that, always wanting attention."
"Maybe she'll do something with those psychic tricks?"
Alexis had heard those words too many times to care, because after all, not everyone in the world believed in the supernatural or mythical creatures. Initially, Alexis was skeptical about these things and always wondered if they really existed, sometimes wanting to give up and live with reality.
But now, those supernatural things have actually happened; things that only existed in books or stories are real.
Right now, instead of going on a mission, she's on a class bus going on a trip. The bus enters a large tunnel, the yellow lights shining in the dark tunnel. Today is the school's trip to a mountain village, where they will experience the life of farmers.
Being separated from the modern life of the city will probably help her feel better. After all, her senior reminded her that she needs to heal herself.
Suddenly, a chill ran through her, causing Alexis to instinctively look out the bus window. It seemed like something was standing outside. She stood up and looked behind the bus, seeing nothing but the fading light at the end of the tunnel.
Wiro the wolf was right beside her, but the others couldn't see him. Because they were just ordinary people, they couldn't see such a creature.
"Alexis, you'd better be careful." - Wiro
"Wiro?" - Alexis
"There's a rather foul smell." - Wiro
"Really? Maybe someone farted?" - Alexis
Saying that, Alexis sat back down in her seat and took out her headphones to listen to music. Lately, she hadn't been sleeping well, always nodding off, so she took a nap while she was still on the bus.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the bus remained lively, seemingly unaware that everything was gradually sinking into the silence of sleep.
Even after traveling through a long tunnel, the destination was still in sight. The driver was distracted, his vision blurred, and his eyes felt heavy. His hands were slowly loosening their grip on the steering wheel.
In the rearview mirror, the driver's head was slumped over. Wiro saw this and rushed to the driver's side.
However, the driver's face had changed; where his eyes should have been, they were gone. The bus continued moving as if controlled by an invisible force, with two tunnels ahead. One side was illuminated, the other pitch black.
"Shit..." - Wiro
Turning his head back, his classmates on the bus seemed unaware of anything unusual, as they were fast asleep.
Wiro ran towards Alexis to wake her up, but she showed no sign of waking; instead, her face showed a look of discomfort. Cold sweat trickled down Alexis's forehead, and her body trembled slightly, causing the wolf cub to bite hard on her arm, startling her awake with pain.
"Ouch! What the fuck was that?!" - Alexis
"What else? We're in danger!" - Wiro
Alexis looked towards the driver and saw the steering wheel turning. She ran to grab the steering wheel, but strangely, it wouldn't turn.
The steering wheel automatically turned towards the darker tunnel, and the lights in the bus automatically switched on. The bus's speed increased rapidly, leaving Alexis confused and unsure what to do.
"Use the knife!" - Wiro
"That's right!" - Alexis
She took a knife from her pocket and slashed downwards. At that moment, invisible hands appeared on the driver's body, covering his eyes. The blades were cut, and his eyes returned to normal.
"What happened?"
"Look at the road ahead! Drive carefully!" - Alexis
Alexis's scream jolted the driver awake, only to find something enormous blocking the road ahead. He swerved the steering wheel, causing the bus to spin and crash violently into the wall. The impact was so strong that Alexis hit her head against the bus door.
In the moment before losing consciousness, Alexis saw the windshield shatter, and figures seemingly manipulated climbing through it. Then everything went dark.
Something patted her cheek. Alexis opened her eyes and saw Wiro's gaze, the wolf looking at her with concern. She felt heavy as she sat up, only to find the bus overturned, empty, not even a body in sight.
"Where is everyone?" - Alexis
Suddenly, her phone vibrated. It was a call from Etham.
"Hello?" - Alexis
[Where are you?] - Etham
"I don't know, it seems like one of the tunnels. But wait, there's something more important. My classmate, the driver, and even the teacher are gone!" - Alexis
[What? Can you be more specific?] - Etham
"It's like this—" - Alexis
"Hey, let's talk later, we have a more serious problem." - Wiro
"What?" - Alexis
From the silent darkness, there was a low growl and the clattering sound of hard objects on the ground. From the shadows, not just one, but a pack of dog-like figures emerged.
"Run...Run now!" - Wiro
Alexis quickly pulled out the Page of Wand card; this time she knew how to use tarot cards better than before. The card immediately summoned a small firebird that flew away to find the knot, and Alexis chased after the bird to escape danger.
As they ran, the faint glow of a bird flickered in the dark tunnel, the walls covered in nonsensical graffiti, the path damp and moldy. It took a long time to reach the other side of the tunnel, and they breathed a sigh of relief, no longer hearing the creatures chasing them.
However, Alexis noticed something was wrong. The concrete road was gone, replaced by a dirt mountain path and surrounding forest.
"What's going on...where are we?!" - Alexis