World War III; Life as a Nomad; Afterlife; After-After Life

The most epic dream I have had in a while (in case you couldn't tell). This follows the weird dream I had the other night about a weird guy in my house wanting to hurt my nephew (permanently). I asked him to give me 40 minutes with him, since it would be the last time. During that 40 minutes, I called 911, had to wait, and finally got the cops. I don't know what happened to him though.

Summer night. Warm, comfortable...taking the nephew and niece home from playing at the park. It is around 9-10 PM. July 4th. No one is out but us. I hear noise in the sky, loud. I see tons of planes, wondering why there are so many commercial airlines flying together.

Fireworks near where the planes are. Silence. We are mesmerized. For some reason, I snap out of it, realize it's a trick, and take my kids inside. Seconds later, my thoughts are confirmed. Explosions, bullets...the perfect time too...no one would expect anything at night on the 4th.

Wake up to my body's own biological clock. This dream is too epic. Roll over, go to sleep.

I'm suddenly in the neighborhood of my grandparents' house. We are still running, and finally find refuge in my grandparents' house. No one is home. We go upstairs...that's some sort of safe haven...make camp. Soon, more people are there. Two, to be exact. Suddenly, movement is heard from downstairs. The enemy. Downstairs. Waiting. We have a little time before they come upstairs.

Quiet. Silence. I signal for my friend to give me my running shoes. As I switch footwear, someone runs up the stairs, and as she makes it to the top, she is shot multiple times. It's time to leave. We make a b-line to the backyard.

Opening the door, we find an eternal backyard, a field chock full of trees, shrubbery, etc. I'm now running with only one person, someone significant to me. I say we have to run for the trees, and they warn me of what's ahead. 7-9 wolves are running at us. Fighting their own war, I run even faster, and find some thick, tall grass covered by trees to hide in. No one will find me here. No one. I stay there for the whole winter.

I wake up to an alarm clock. No. Not yet. This must finish.

It's now night, in a warm season. My friend A is driving me once again, my ex is in the passenger seat, and someone who I have only just met is sitting next to me. We stop at a convenience store, but no one is there. The towns have been cleared of all inhabitants.

Inside the convenience store, I learn a bit more about the man next to me. He's an interesting fellow, my age...now that I'm used to a life of a nomad/refugee with weaponry, my mind thinks of love again. It's time to move.

On the road, my ex, in a rare show of anger, expresses his distaste for my new friend. I defend him, asking why he is so upset for my finally moving on after years of me being caught up on him, watching him go through a partner or two. He is silent. Driver A tells the ex that I'm right. Ex sits, arms crossed.

We reach our destination, somewhere I've been before (in another dream). Barbed wire fence, troops patroling the inpenetrable boundary. Something of cruciality lay on the other side of this fence. I ask A, because he knows, and seems to be at a mental crossroads.

"What is so important that the enemy stalks the perimeter?" I ask.
"Rescue."
"Rescue?! Why are we standing here?!"
"We have to die to be rescued."

Baffled, I inquire further. This war spans past the mortal world. Apparently, thousands have died just to be guarded in the fortress ahead. A life of running and hiding is really getting old. I already lost my ex and my new pal (somehow)...there's nothing left in this world for me.

I walk on the path that the troops are patrolling. Two of these horrendous beings smile. I'm the most action they've gotten in a while. They take out their weapons and kill me.

I wake up in a bed. I feel new. I still have the same form, but there is no law. No shame. No sin. Just a pre-learned knowledge of the rules of this new place. I look around and find somebody. I ask where I am. He tells me exactly what I wanted to hear. The afterlife.

I go and search for my friend. We can finally explore our options without the pressure of a war. I find him, but he for some reason still hides his sexuality from his roommate. He welcomes my embrace though. Everything is perfect.

That is, until we find out that the war is still on. The troops, after years of trying, have found a way to get through the barrier. They were coming to seize the fortress. Confused, we all ask what's next.

"We don't know what lies ahead. We hoped this day would never come. Unless you want to die at the hands of the enemy again..." I already know what the choice is; the lines for elevators to nowhere are already super long. I get in line.

It's finally my turn. The enemy is climbing onto the fortress, breaching the doorway. This is it. The final leap of faith. I walk into the elevator, turn towards the door. "So what's going to happen?" I ask someone in charge.

"The floor you are standing on is going to disappear, and you will fall. It'll seem like an eternity, and your legs will break, but we're hoping it's worth it. If all works out, there is no way the enemy will find us."

Accepting the fate ahead, I take a breath. Life was good. The afterlife was getting good. I was the last person to make it in, and I was the last person to hop on the elevator to nowhere. The enemy shuffled into the hallways. My guide runs to hold them off. He has sacrificed himself once again for the sake of our survival. I close my eyes. I fall.

Darkness. Fear. Excitement. Numbness.

I am not alive. Yet the feeling is exhilarating. Down. Down. Down. Crack.

My legs are broken.