She awoke from a terrible dream in the dead of night.
*pant, pant*...
Mary shot up in bed, her breathing shallow from fear.
The hour was still late.
She glanced at Charlotte beside her, who was rubbing her eyes after being disturbed by her companion’s sudden movement.
“Is something the matter, Mary?”
“Oh... Just had a nightmare,” she replied.
“Aw, poor thing. What about?”
“Um, huh?” asked Mary before pausing.
Although the finer details of the dream began to fade, it was the image of harm coming to Charlotte that shook Mary to wake.
“...I forgot,” lied Mary.
“Right. That’s okay. Some nightmares are better left in dreamland,” Charlotte replied with a giggle.
However, Mary had trouble letting go of the thought as easily as her friend suggested.
“Hey Charlotte,” she said, “Let’s not go to the surface tomorrow.”
A plan had been hatched for all of the survivors remaining in the Liberated District the following day to escape the cursed prison once and for all.
This initiative included members of the Dawn, the Blood Maidens, and an angel-like entity tasked with leading everyone to the promised land above.
While at first Mary was eager to join Charlotte along with the others, something about her dream led her to doubt whether or not to stay underground.
“Why can’t we stay behind and live like before?”
“You know we cannot. The people of the Dawn and the Order of the Sun are all heading for the surface. We have to go where we can survive,” responded Charlotte.
“I mean, we do have my matches...”
“I told you, those are precious. Besides, there are no more cores underground. All you’ll see are hallucinations. Imagination won’t fill our stomachs.”
She was right. Knowing how poorly she would fare from hunger, Mary nodded reluctantly.
“Once we reach the surface, there will be so many more opportunities for us. So let’s rest up.”
“Okay...”
Mary buried her face in Charlotte’s chest, her worries melting away as she drifted back to slumber.
　 ◯ But Charlotte realized her ability to “see” the future was fading...
Had it never left her... What would she have done?