Time Walkers: Awakening

Tik…tok…

Tik…tok…

The bedroom clock ticked away, its rhythm echoing across the silent room.

Eren Solas stared out the window from his bed, his black scruffy hair spilling over brows still glazed with sleep.

“Another day, another dollar,” he muttered to himself, sighing as he stretched.

Well, time to get up for school, I suppose.

He glanced at the clock.

Great. Late again.

Eren swung his legs over the side of the bed and stumbled toward the ensuite. The floor was a battlefield of football boots, manga volumes, half-eaten snacks, and an abandoned PlayStation controller.

I better clean this mess after school or Mum’s gonna kill me.

He stepped into the bathroom just as a loud knock hammered his bedroom door.

“EREN! YOU’RE GOING TO BE LATE!”

“I know, Mum! I’m nearly ready!” he shouted back, toothbrush dangling from his mouth.

He cracked open the door, making sure to block her view of the disaster zone behind him.

Standing there was Lyra, his mum, a petite woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, holding his two-year-old sister Mina on one hip and a basket of laundry in the other. Mina waved at him sleepily.

“Sorry, Mum. Slept through my alarm,” Eren said, knowing full well it wasn’t true — he’d been gaming until 3 a.m. with Tariq, Rina, Deb, and Haruto.

“I packed your lunch. Don’t forget it,” she said, eyeing him. “And have you grown another foot? You’re even taller this week!”

Eren chuckled and kissed her and Mina on the cheek.

“I don’t think so. Still a pipsqueak compared to Dad.”

At 6’5”, Dorian Solas was impossible to miss — especially with the intensity he carried in every step.

Eren ran down the stairs and grabbed his lunch off the kitchen counter.

Dorian, already in his police uniform, sat at the dining table reading the morning paper with a look of a man hellbent on correcting everything wrong in the world as he read. He looked up over the rim with a sharp glance.

“Late again for school, I see,” he sighed.

“Sorry, Dad. I slept through my alarm,” Eren replied sheepishly. His dad was a stickler for time.

Dorian sighed again. “Well, at least you’re not as late as yesterday. Do you want a lift?”

“No thanks, Dad,” Eren said, shaking his head. “I’m gonna meet the guys and walk in.”

“Ah, the usual suspects, I assume?” Dorian asked.

Eren was already out the door before he could answer. The cold Manchester air hit him like a hammer. He zipped up his coat and jogged toward the road, where the gang was waiting for him before the chill could freeze him solid.

“Always late, Eren!” shouted Tariq as he approached. The rest giggled.

Tariq Khan, a Bengali boy with warm brown skin and curly black hair, stood grinning. Beside him was Rina Mbeki— a Black girl with cornrows reaching her hips and thick black spectacles perched on her nose. Then there was Dez Morano — or Dezi, as everyone called her — a fiery redhead with a temper to match. And finally, Haruto Tokiwa, a quiet, short Japanese boy with straight black hair with thin framed glasses who was so quiet people often forgot he was there.

“Haha, very funny,” Eren said. “Just got chewed out at home for being late, so don’t need it from you lot too.” He yawned. “Anyway, let’s get going. I need a kip on the roof — I’m absolutely shattered.”

“You’re not the only one,” Rina muttered. “Could barely keep my eyes open. Last night was a disgrace — we got our arses handed to us.”

“Yeah, well, we might have done better if Haruto didn’t keep weighing us down!” Dezi snapped.

“I’m sorry, Dezi… I just wasn’t feeling it,” Haruto mumbled. “Didn’t you feel something strange in the air last night?”

“No, Haruto. I did not!” Dezi exclaimed, smacking him lightly on the back with her school bag. “You need to stop being a scaredy cat.”

“Alright, alright — leave Haruto alone,” Eren said. “Let’s get going or we’ll miss the rooftop window before Mr. Fox starts his rounds.”

The group picked up the pace at the mention of Mr. Fox.

As they reached the school gates, a collective sigh passed through them. Standing at the entrance was a short man with a thick moustache that looked like it had ambitions of devouring his mouth — and possibly his chin too. Mr. Fox, the principal. Strict as they came. He seemed to wear the same outfit every day: a white shirt, a brown tie, a brown tweed suit, and shiny black shoes. His glasses perpetually hung at the tip of his nose.

“Ah! Tariq Khan. Rina Mbeki. Dez Morano. Haruto Tokiwa. And last — but certainly not least — Eren Solas,” Mr. Fox said with theatrical disappointment. “I was wondering if I’d missed you sneaking in late today. But no, the pigs haven’t flown just yet.”

“A shame,” Eren said with a smirk. “I hear flying pigs are forecast for tomorrow.”

Mr. Fox shot him a glare. “Detention. All of you. And count yourselves lucky. Now off to form before I think of something worse.”

The group trudged inside, slipping into their form room and slinking to the back. Thankfully, Mrs. Bramley hadn’t arrived yet.

When she did, she took the register and read the morning bulletin. A few minutes later, the school bell rang, signalling the start of first period.

Eren glanced at his friends and nodded. It was time to execute the plan.

They melted into the hallway crowd — a mass of sleepy teenagers pushing through like lambs to the slaughter — then slipped through a side door Rina unlocked. It was a door they’d stolen a key for years ago, back when they first started secondary school.

They ascended the spiraling staircase to the rooftop. Hidden from teachers, it was their secret den — a spot no one ever checked because the staff thought the rooftop door was permanently locked.

“Ah, finally. Time for some well-deserved kip,” Tariq grinned, dropping to the floor.

The others joined him, curling into their makeshift camp and drifting off one by one.

Just before Eren slipped into sleep, he heard Haruto’s voice faintly.

“You alright, Eren? You’re giving off a weird vibe. Like the one I fell last night…”

Eren mumbled, “Yeah, man. I’m good…”

And then he was gone — pulled into dreams that felt like they were from another world.

….

Eren woke with a start, sweat dripping from his forehead, his clothes clinging to his damp skin. He sat up, heart racing, glancing around the rooftop enclosure. The others were still fast asleep—except for one.

Haruto was gone.

Weird. He probably dipped to class early, Eren thought.

The others slowly stirred. Dez rubbed her eyes and looked over at Eren, raising an eyebrow.

“You good? You look like you’ve just stepped out of a shower.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Eren replied. “Just had a crazy dream. My parents and Mina were there—but Mina was our age. They were running from some weird robot angel thing, and then this creepy machine with a human skull came from the sky and pulled them in.”

“Definitely the gaming,” Rina said, rubbing her temples.

“Yeah, probably,” Eren agreed.

“Sounds like you’re taking last night’s loss a bit too personally,” Tariq joked, clapping him on the back. “Come on, let’s bounce before they clock we’re not in lesson.”

As the group began heading down the spiral staircase, Eren called out, “Did Haruto wake any of you before he left? Bit weird he didn’t say anything, right?”

None of them responded—they were already ahead of him working their way back to class avoiding the ever present Mr Fox.

Back in the form room for afternoon registration, Eren noticed something off. The others had taken separate seats. That was strange. He figured it was just a tactic to avoid raising suspicion with Mrs Bramley.

Still, something gnawed at him.

As she read down the register, Eren’s ears pricked up. Haruto’s name never came up. No explanation. No raised eyebrows.

That’s strange, Eren thought. Maybe he went home sick?

After a long day of school and the ramblings of Mr Marsh during detention who told the kids in detention a very lengthy story of how he had met the queen which no one hardly believed, the group peeled off in different directions, leaving Eren walking home alone.

When he reached his front door, he slid his key into the lock—nothing. The key wouldn’t turn.

Huh?

He tried again, but the door refused him. Frowning, he pulled the key out and examined both it and the lock. Everything looked normal.

He knocked.

Footsteps.

The silhouette of his mum approaching behind the frosted glass gave him some comfort—until the door opened.

“Yes? Can I help you?” Lyra asked.

Eren blinked. “Are you joking, Mum? My key’s not working—what kind of prank is this?”

“Mum?” Lyra repeated, confused. “I think you’ve got the wrong house, mate. Are you on something?”

Eren froze.

A girl his age appeared behind her.

“Everything okay?” she asked Lyra.

“Yes, Mina, sweetie. I think this boy’s not well. He’s calling me his mum.”

Mina?

Eren’s eyes widened. No, it can’t be he thought. The baby sister he knew was standing there—his age!

“Dad! There’s a weird guy at the door!” she shouted.

Dorian appeared, towering in the doorway. He stepped between Lyra and Mina and stared hard at Eren.

“Look, pal. I don’t know what you think this is, but you need to leave. Now. Before I call the police.”

“Da…dad? Is this some kind of joke?” Eren stammered. “What’s going on?”

Dorian’s voice dropped an octave. “I’m a copper. You’ve got ten seconds to get off my property.”

The door slammed.

Eren just stood there. Frozen.

What the hell is going on?

As he turned to walk away, he saw Dorian through the window, phone to his ear. Eren didn’t need to guess who he was calling.

He pulled out his phone and fired a message to the group chat: “yo guys, meet me at the rooftop. my parents are being weird AF”

No replies came as he walked through the cold evening back to school.

As the school came into sight, Eren messages the group chat again “?”

Still nothing.

At the gate, his phone finally pinged. Tariq had messaged.

“Proceeding to your location”.

Weird phrasing, Eren thought. Whatever. He shrugged and texted back: “K.”

He climbed the gate and slipped in through the side door, retrieving the hidden key from a loose brick—just like old times. He headed up to the rooftop and dropped into the enclosure, pulling out his phone

I’m here @Tariq. When you gonna get here bro?

Message failed to send. No signal.

“What is going on today…” Eren muttered, burying his face into his arms.

He waited as the sky shifted from blue to red to black.

Then the rooftop door creaked open.

Tariq stood there.

“You took your time,” Eren called out, standing up.

Tariq didn’t reply. He walked over slowly, hood up. Eren felt a strange stillness settle in the air. A faint whisper tickled the back of his neck—but he ignored it, blaming the stress of the day.

Tariq sat beside him in silence.

“You alright, bro? I don’t need you going awol on me today too, ‘cause my parents are acting proper weird.”

Tariq chuckled, but it didn’t sound right. “Yeah, sorry. Zoned out a bit.”

Eren began explaining what had happened at the house. Tariq listened, unmoving, his eyes locked on Eren like a predator watching prey.

“You good? You’re looking at me mad sus you know,” Eren asked.

“I’m all good,” Tariq replied flatly. “Just… not feeling well.”

He looked up at the stars.

That whisper again—stronger now, but still indecipherable.

Eren noticed a scar on Tariq’s cheek, stretching from temple to chin.

Had that always been there?

The skin beneath seemed… off. Slipping.

“You sure you’re okay, bro? I don’t know if I’m tripping or what, but your face—”

“Oh. You can already see that?”

The whisper grew louder. Now it was voices. Soft, overlapping murmurs, all chanting the same thing.

“Praise the One.”

“What do you mean?” Eren asked, inching backward.

Tariq’s eyes began to glow red. He convulsed violently.

Eren stumbled out of the enclosure, horror dawning.

“Tariq! What the hell, man?”

“Praise the One.”

The chant grew deafening.

Tariq’s hand reached up, tearing off his own face—revealing a metallic skull with burning red eyes. A radiant halo materialised above his head. His clothes burned away in a blaze of light, revealing metallic wings cutting through the flesh and unfurling from his back.

Once the flesh has melted away, a humanoid skeleton made of metal stood where Tariq had been.

The whispers were no longer whispers.

“PRAISE THE ONE!”

Eren tried to scream—but nothing came out.

He collapsed, hands over his ears, eyes wide in terror. The angel before him matched the one from his dream earlier in the day.

Only this time he wasn’t dreaming.

It was real.

It was here.