The night was far from peaceful.City lights went out one by one, as if an invisible hand was pulling down curtains along each street. In the air floated imperceptible particles, occasionally reflecting faint glimmers invisible to the naked eye. People began to share the same dream—a dark tide surged from the horizon, swallowing streets, consuming skyscrapers.
The Bureau called it the "Afterwave."The media, however, gave it a more sensational name—the Dark Plague.
Ethan sat in the Bureau's briefing hall, staring at the projections on the wall. Maps flashed one by one, red zones spreading like spilled blood soaking the earth.
"This looks like a failed chef just smeared ketchup all over a world map," he muttered, raising a hand."So… the question is—can Nightmare energy now be contagious? Should we suggest everyone wear masks, maybe get a booster shot too?"
Karl couldn't suppress a chuckle, immediately covering it with a cough. The female inspector at the briefing desk shot them both a sharp glare.
"This isn't a joke, Ethan," she said coldly."The Afterwave is spreading at an unpredictable rate. Previously, we thought Nightmare energy needed a host, but now… it's like air. It can be inhaled, infected, and even… inherited."
Silence fell over the hall.Some instinctively covered their mouths and noses, as if it could protect them from immediate infection.
Ethan raised an eyebrow:"So, if tomorrow I dream that I've turned into a winged crocodile, that's not a psychological problem… it's a biological problem for the world?"
No one responded.Because no one could guarantee that this absurd joke wouldn't become reality in the next infected zone.
—
After the briefing, Ethan and Karl stepped out of the hall. The dim corridor lights flickered as if ready to go out at any moment.
"This is bad," Karl muttered."I interrogated an infected person last night. He said when he woke, he still heard the 'shadows' from his dream whispering. It's like… the Nightmare didn't leave completely."
Ethan rubbed his temples:"Great. Nightmares are now homework. Work all day, extra class at night, and… following you home as well."
Karl didn't laugh."If this power gets out of control, human society will collapse. Sleep will no longer be rest—it'll be another plague."
They opened a window, and the night wind of the city swept in. Below on the streets, police had surrounded a frenzied young man. His muscles convulsed violently, mumbling incoherently, his eyes completely black as if filled with ink.
"Let him go!" the officers shouted, but the youth suddenly lifted his head. In the next instant, the ground shattered like glass, and a plume of black mist erupted into the air.
Ethan instinctively drew his gun."Damn it… this is what I meant—the Nightmare has become like a portable WiFi. The signal's everywhere."He pulled the trigger. The bullet tore through the youth's shoulder, forcing the mist to disperse. Yet, before it vanished completely, he thought he heard a whisper:"We are spreading… we are awakening…"
—
The Shadow of the Afterwave
In the office late at night, Ethan sat alone. He flipped through dossiers on his desk—case reports from around the world:
North America: Twelve families in a row suffered insomnia in one night, all went insane the next day.
Asia: An entire town dreamed of the same lake, which in reality had actually dried up.
South America: A "sleeping plague" emerged; infected individuals died in their dreams, their hearts stopping in reality.
"The Dark Plague…"Ethan whispered the words, feeling the air grow icy.
The phone rang.
A superior's order: he and Karl were being deployed overseas to investigate the source of the large-scale Nightmare contagion.
Ethan chuckled bitterly as he hung up."Fantastic. I was hoping for a vacation. Looks like I'll have to request long-term leave from the afterlife once I die and go to the Death Realm."
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.The shadows of the Nightmare had already begun to stretch into the real world, like an inescapable net.And he… was right in the center of it.