Julian and the crew had a welcome party waiting for them outside the ship, made of what he assumed to be the base commander and other important military people. He was going to be honest, he never studied much about the military so his knowledge falls slightly short when it comes to ranks and other things like that. They must have been informed about his situation, but their eyes still opened wide upon seeing him.

The rest of the crew filed out of the ship and through the hangar. Dylan offered Julian a sympathetic look as he walked past him. He looked toward the leader of the party and gulped. She had an ice-cold stare, which he hoped was just for show. As he was about to greet them however, she started speaking.

“Are you the one from the past?”

Julian looked down, unable to meet her gaze. “Yeah.”

“Follow me then. We have much to discuss,” she said, turning around and walking at a brisk pace, forcing Julian to jog a bit to catch up.

Julian, not a fan of the awkward silence that was settling in, decides to try to make casual conversation. However, he has already found it difficult enough to even look the woman in the eyes.

“So, this is the future, huh? Pretty crazy stuff,” he said, cringing internally at how pathetic he must have sounded.

The woman lets out a small chuckle and Julian feels himself relax a bit. “It must be, considering when you come from. Speaking of which, when do you actually come from? Matthews didn’t tell me the date, just that you’re from the past.”

‘Aha! Success!’ he thinks to himself, feeling accomplished at dissolving the imposing might of the woman. “I’m from 2021,” the woman’s eyes boggle for a moment, but she conceals it before Julian can see. “Dylan made it seem like these sorts of things aren’t too uncommon.”

“We do get the occasional person from the past every now and then, but it’s been a few years since the last one.” The group stopped in front of a door. “Julian, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Base Commander Sarah Hughs, and the other people with me are Lieutenant Colonel Adams, Major Richards, and Captain Williams. We are in charge of this base, and you are someone we would like to get to know more.”

Julian was taken aback by the statement. He couldn’t imagine himself being worthy of the attention of such highly ranked people. However, on the other hand, he did come from three hundred years in the past. That ought to be something worth noting. “Well, alright then. Let’s get to it.”

Nodding, Sarah opens the door and signals for him to enter the room. “Come in here. This will be your room for the duration of your stay with us. Don’t worry, you aren’t some prisoner. You’re allowed to leave whenever you would like. We’ll give you an identification implant so you can come and go as you please.”

Julian’s eyes narrow. “I’m sorry. Did you say, identification implant?”

“Yes? Did you not have those in your time?” Sarah asked.

“Definitely not. I mean, we had I.D. cards, but nothing that drastic.”

“There’s no need to fear the implant. It’s just a minor injection. You won’t even feel it,” she said, casually dismissing any other questions Julian might have had. “However, I do not recommend you leave for a little while. You don’t know anything about how the world has changed since your time, and I can guarantee you, things have changed. At least, from what I’ve read in the history books.”

Julian can’t help but agree with the statement, seeing the validity in it. He looks around the room that would be his for the foreseeable future. It’s nothing special, but it is slightly bigger than the infirmary he had called home for the last week. There is a bed, something that vaguely resembled a tv, a small couch, and a door which he assumed led to a bathroom.

“I’ll come find you later to talk, but for now, feel free to relax or wander around the base. I’m sure you could use some time to adjust.”

As if prompted by her words, Julian feels drowsiness setting in. He thanks Sarah and says goodbye to the others. After that, he ungracefully flops onto the bed and falls asleep.

Julian knows he’s in a nightmare, but that doesn’t make the situation any better.

He’s back home having breakfast with his parents. Everything is just how he remembered it. The sun is shining at the perfect angle to cause the light to glare in his eyes. The yellow tablecloth has no stains on it and is perfectly flat and smooth against the table. His mom hated it when the tablecloth got messy and was always sure to meticulously clean it. He had even caught his mom using the iron to get rid of wrinkles while it was still on the table once.

The food on the table is his favorite meal: scrambled eggs and bacon with a slice of toast. Everything is perfect. His mom and dad are seated across from him laughing as if jointly recalling something. Julian reaches down to take a bit of food, but when he brings his fork up to his mouth, the fork is covered in mold and maggots. He drops the fork onto the table with a clatter.

He looks at his parents and stares in horror as they physically age in front of him. One second they are perfectly fine, and the next they’re dead. Their faces are permanently contorted in fear and pain. Their bodies decompose in front of him. His dad’s cranium falls to the table with a knock, followed by his mom’s skeleton with another knock.

Julian wakes up drenched in sweat. Someone is knocking on his door. He gets up and answers the door. Sarah looks at him with worry, seeing the sweat covering his face.

“Hey Julian. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. I just had a bad dream.”

“It’s okay. Do you want to talk about it? I brought us dinner,” she said, holding out a plate in her hands.

“I think that might be for the best. This transition is going to be harder than I would have imagined,” he said with an empty laugh. “What’s on the menu, Commander?”

Sarah washes away the worried look in favor of glee. “We lucked out tonight. We only get this, at most, once a month. It’s steak night!”

With their stomachs full of steak and veggies, Julian tells Sarah about his nightmare.

“I’m not surprised by your dream, Julian. After such a drastic change, I’m shocked you haven’t had anything worse,” she said, “Now, how about you tell me about 2021.”

Not wanting to disappoint, Julian talks about his life. He talks about his family, his friends, school, and other worldly matters. Ultimately, Sarah has to cut him off because it’s already ten. He had been talking for over four hours. After saying goodnight to Sarah, he sits back down on his couch. He lets out a sigh as a weight he didn’t even realize was on his chest lifts.

“Maybe this all won’t be so bad after all.”