The restraints felt like burn marks on my skin. I couldn’t breathe, and I felt like I was on my deathbed. There was no way for me to escape. Why is this happening again?

As I tried to break through the restraints, he walked in. His white surgical uniform covered in blood sent chills down my neck. I couldn’t escape this time. He has me, and he’s not going to let me go this time.

There’s a malicious look in his eyes as he plays with the surgical equipment in his hands. He always did enjoy toying with his patients before the experimentation began. I struggle to calm myself as he brings his scalpel dangerously close to my face.

“Are you ready to begin, 173?” I try to give a response, but my voice failed me. He takes notice of this and lets out a quiet yet disturbing laugh. As he begins to prep for the surgery, I get a sudden surge of adrenaline and begin to shout at him.

I scream as loud as I possibly can, with no real words coming out. I desperately try to break through the restraints to no avail. He nods towards one of his assistants and they place a muzzle over my mouth. My screams continued even through it.

With the first incision, I feel a sharp pain in my abdomen. There never was any anesthesia with those surgeries. My screams grow even louder as I manage to sit up from the operation table. I look around the room, searching for the doctor and his assistants. Instead, I find myself in my room.

Still panicked from the dream, I decide to do the one thing I know best. It may risk revealing my identity, but I need to know if they’re near. I relax and let the sense of time flow over me. A light shade of green covers my senses as I look into the flow of time.

I’m able to relax for a moment when I see that there are no threats in my future, only the second-worst place on earth. My old high school. However, I know why I’m seeing it. Dr. Lewis still works there, and he’ll be able to have all the answers I need.

It’s 6:37 AM, so I should have time to get ready and stop by before school begins. Knowing Dr. Lewis, he’s probably there by now. I get out of bed to get ready, but not before checking my eyes in a mirror. I knew I shouldn’t have used my powers.

Once I was ready, I made it to school before 8. That’s probably the only time I’ve ever been early to school, Dr. Lewis would be proud. I made my way through the school until I made it to the science hall. As much as this hall freaked me out, it was nothing compared to my dream.

I walked down the seemingly perfect hall until I found his room number. I could tell he was in the room from the upbeat music and the blonde hair in the back of the room. He jumped when I opened up his door.

“Noah, what are you doing here?” He walks towards me and seems happy, but I can tell he’s anxious. I don’t usually show up while he’s working, and he knows how I feel about the science hall.

“I just had a question about dreams. Those are science related, right?” I walked up to his desk and he followed me.

“You would know if you paid attention in my class Noah.” He had a patient smile on his face. I gave him a hesitant smile in return. Even though he was a decent teacher, I never cared much for biology.

“Well, I was just wondering what it means to have the same dream for several nights in a row. Is there anything…weird about that?” I didn’t quite know how to phrase this, and I didn’t want to alarm him with this specific dream. He looks me up and down, then settles on my eyes.

“Why are you wearing sunglasses? Did you lose your regular glasses?” He caught me. Trying to redeem myself, I give him an awkward laugh.

“Dr. Lewis I don’t think-“

“Arthur.” I don’t think I’ve ever gotten used to calling him by his first name.

“Arthur, I don’t think that’s relevant to what I’m asking you. I just want to know what having the same dream means, that’s all.” Dr. Lewis is a smart man, so he knows when something is wrong. He waits a moment before he continues to talk. This time, he uses a hushed tone.

“You used your powers, didn’t you?” My expression must have revealed the truth, and his face went from concerned to disappointed.

“I thought we talked about this, you can’t use them unless it’s a dire situation.” My face drops as he continues to scold me. I won’t be getting any answers from him before school starts, so I try to wrap this up quickly.

Before I can get a word out, one of his students arrives. Great. Dr. Lewis doesn’t even miss a beat before shooting me off and welcoming his student. I leave the school getting yelled at and with no answers.

As I head back home, I couldn’t help but feel anxiety rushing into me. What was the dream really about? They weren’t memories of mine, they were new events entirely.

Suddenly, I felt as if someone was watching me. I tried my best to act nonchalant about it, but the nagging feeling wouldn’t go away. Against my better judgment, I looked up towards the top of one of the buildings near me.

There, I saw her. A girl with pure white hair, eyes, and skin. She alone wouldn’t have been bad, but the man standing beside her made my blood run cold. There, with his hands on her shoulder, was the man with the scalpel. The man who gave me the scars. The Doctor.

He had come back to haunt me, whether it was in my dreams or my city. The worst part was that he brought another innocent soul into this. An innocent soul who I had known well.

As I tried my best to calmly walk away from their eyes which followed my every movement, I knew what I had to do. I had to call Jackie. We have some work we need to do.