The campfire crackled softly. Aiden sat with his knees drawn to his chest, the shadows dancing over his face. He hadn't spoken a word since he returned. The flames offered warmth, but no comfort.
Eventually, sleep took him.
In his dream, he was back inside the plane—but it wasn't crashing. It was silent. Cold. Empty. A thin layer of frost covered every seat. Then—voices.
Two figures stepped out from the cockpit.The pilots.Their skin was pale, eyes hollow, expressions unreadable.
"You killed us," one said."Every dumb decision… you never thought about anyone else," the other added.
Before Aiden could speak, a shadow rose behind him.
It was the man he tried to save.His eyes were pure black—devoid of light, emotion, or forgiveness."You left me behind."
Aiden took a step back, shaking, his hands trembling.
Then she appeared.
The girl.
Standing inches away, her voice cracked."I thought you loved me…""…but you just watched while I was—"
She didn't finish.
Her figure flickered like a broken signal, her eyes locked onto his.
Aiden fell to his knees. "I tried… I really tried…"
The darkness began swallowing the plane. Their faces—accusing, hollow—melted into the black.
Aiden jolted awake, breathing heavily, eyes darting around.The fire had died down.But the nightmare remained.
Some things weren't just dreams.Some things stay with you—burned into memory.