D R E A M W O R L D

D R E A M W O R L D

I unravel the napkin and let the cutlery fall to the table, I pick up the fork and begin twirling it between my fingers. She's late, I'm nervous, the restaurant is heaving, hot and loud. A delicious scented steam floats through the air and catches me for a while, I glance up at the clock, it is five past the hour. Ok, so not that late, but still late and late is never good. I look at the tables around my own, all but a few are full; couples on dates, families laughing, dinner between friends. Here I am, sat alone, waiting for a woman who I'm not even sure exists, let alone sure will show.

Saline is a name I'd heard only a few times before Dare had really brought her up. She was a Prescriber, supposedly. I'm not really sure what a Prescriber is, Me and Dare have taken an educated guess or two. I don't really care what she does, so long as she can help me get back Jhan. I realise I've been staring at the table to my left for about a minute now, the people seated there have realised this too and so I quickly steer my eyes back to my own table. I freeze. Sat in the chair opposite me is a woman, immaculately presented, stunning really. I look her up and down, quickly; black dress, black hair, long, past her shoulders, green eyes, dark lips. Saline. I don't even question it, this is her. I open my mouth but she hushes me instantly.

“Elliott,” her voice rings clearly over the hum of the other customers, I nod, “I am Saline, our transaction must be completed by the time I finish the wine.” Her polished nail taps a sparkling glass of deep red, it chimes quietly. I nod again. She lifts the glass to her lips, oh God. I reach in to the inside pocket of my suit jacket and pull out the crystal blade Dare had given me before we'd set off to the restaurant. I fire my hand forward with what I hope is a deadly sort of precision, I release the blade at the last moment.


For a single second it hovers before me in the air, I watch as Saline's eyes widen over the brim of her wine glass. The blade pierces it silently, the wine ripples in the air as the glass shatters outwards. It isn't until the blade passes through Saline's teeth that I hear the wine glass shatter, with harsh clashing sounds. Her eyes blacken as the crystal leaves through the back of her skull. She falls forwards onto the table in a pool of blood and wine, dead.

The floor rumbles, the walls shed a layer of what looks like dust. I look down at the cutlery and watch as it slowly turns to sand, the table quickly follows suit and a fierce wind begins to rip through the room. No one makes a sound as they begin to fall to pieces, the walls twist and tear apart, everything begins to spin. All I can see is a churning wall of beige. Suddenly a light burns through, Saline appears, a ten-thousand foot siren pushing the Earth deep into the desert that surrounds me.
 

I fall through miles of cloud, freezing rain splinters against my skin, the blue of everything burns my eyes. My stomach blurs and my heart skips as I hit the floor, Saline and the desert disappear. I blink and realise I am sat in a restaurant, I look up at the clock, it is five past the hour. I look to the chair opposite me, Jhan smiles tentatively. “Ready to order yet?” I blink again.