Author note: Edited some major spelling mistakes I noticed and added some flavor text.
Conflicted. A perfect description of the expression plastered on Damien's face as he stood within the vacant white void. Towering before him was a set of impossibly massive reels commonly seen on the cheap slot machines at some hole in the wall casino. This alone would be enough to raise several pressing questions, but this wasn't the reason for Damien's concern. The most pressing questions on his mind involved the results the slot reels had landed on.
Did he feel cheated by the series of events that lead to this moment, hopeful of what could come after, or just overall confused that this had suddenly become his new reality? It was hard to say. All he could do was try to retrace his steps to make sense of it all. Thinking all the way back to his very first sensation of the day--weightlessness. A sudden feeling of freedom that quickly shifted to the feeling of gravity's cruel grasp pulling down on him.
Damien's eyes forced themselves open as he instinctively shifted his body. Twisting his hips to force his upper body to face the quickly approaching danger he felt drawing toward him. Making sure to urge his hands up to block whatever mortal threat he was about to face. His open palms crashing against an immovable wall--or floor; in this instance.
As he stared at the hard concrete floor of his shitty studio apartment. The light of the florescent billboard flooding past his worn curtain as the icy chill of the outside air wormed its way inside. Crashing against the cold sweat clinging to his skin, He could only gasp out one word along with the breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding
"S-scary..."
Taking a moment to gather himself, Damien slowly got to his feet. Shaking his head lightly to try to urge his cloudy mind awake before making his way to the bathroom. His amber eyes struggling against the harsh white light of the room as he stared at his own reflection. Studying himself in it, he made note of his gloomy complexion. The dark marks under his eyes and his long black hair contrasting heavily against his generally youthful appearance. He hadn't been sleeping much. That much was for certain, but he couldn't really worry about that now. He'd finally managed to make some headway in his life and he had no plans to ease up his pace yet.
Putting the matter of his appearance aside, Damien splashed some cool water on his face and got ready for the day. Quickly making his way back out of the room to get ready for the day. Though this time, he took another pause to glance at the hard floor at his bed side. An eerie premonition threatening to worm its way into his mind of what could have been--had he not woken up in time. Before that thought could fully take hold, Damien quickly shoot his head again. Instead urging his thoughts towards his plans for the day. He was already awake, so he may as well make use of the time. Glancing over at the clock at his night stand to plan his day.
"Just shy of 4 hours...not bad. I should be able to get a head start on Mrs Digs yard. She's been generous enough to pay well and lets me use her equipment... After, I should be able to help watch over the kids at the daycare...after that, I'll have to wait to slip a few bites in while I'm on washing duty. I won't have much time after daycare to make it to Jake Steak." Damien thought as he recalled his gig at the new steak house on the other side of town. He'd been delighted to know they'd hire him full-time and even give him 6 twelve-hour shifts per week. Like his landlord, they didn't bother to verify his age. So they wouldn't have known he was only 16 and still considered a minor, which only benefited him more.
It meant his income had become much more stable and he'd spend a lot less time traveling between odd jobs. Giving him time to drop by the library to pick up a few new books and even catch a few comic book chapters he'd been wanting to read. Something Damien was more than eager to take advantage of. All that aside, Damien swiftly finished getting ready and set out to start his day. Eager to take another step towards his goals....
----
After several long hours, the day quickly came and went. A new day had now began and it was 2 in the morning. As Damien lazily waved goodbye to the kitchen staff, the dark under his eyes even more pronounced. He could only feel regret that the day didn't go as planned. The elderly lady upstairs nearly took him out with a flower pot she'd been trying to water in the early morning, a pack of stray dogs chased him the long way to Mrs. Digs home, and when he'd been ready to start his mower, he suddenly found himself uneasy about using it. No matter how much he tried to urge himself to pull the cord, he felt something horrible would happen if he did. These feelings were rare, but he learned early in life not to ignore them. Especially when they started flaring like this. Meaning he had no choice but to tell Mrs. Digs her mower was broken and he'd have to put off mowing for now and get a head start to the daycare.
Figuring he now had a couple hours to kill, he tried to visit the library near the daycare. Unfortunately, he again couldn't muster up any courage to follow thru. He knew something dangerous was waiting past the door and that he shouldn't go in. Meaning he could only helplessly wait for the Daycare manager to show up.
Inside the daycare was not much different. It genuinely felt like the little gremlins were actively trying to kill him. Scissors thrown, toys left as trip hazards, a kid who apparently wanted to test if electricity really liked water like he'd seen on TV, and a close call with a flour bag falling from a broken shelf made this by far the most hazardous day of his life. By the time the reinforcement staff arrived, he could only throw in the towel and tell them he had to go. Thankfully they understood and thanked me for all the work.
The rest of the day fared no better. It felt like he'd suddenly found himself in the next installment of Final Destination. Everything and anything was actively trying to end his life and he wanted nothing more than to hide away in his room and kiss the day goodbye. Unfortunately, each and every hazard--Including the bus meant to take him across town crashing and burning-- caused him to be late for his shift at the Jake Stake. Meaning he had to work far into the night to make up for it.
His only saving grace now was the day off he had scheduled Tomorrow. Meaning he would hopefully be able to catch the ever legendary 8 hours sleep he'd heard so much about. He even managed to scrape enough money together to take the full day off and not have to work a single side job. Meaning he could potentially catch up on all the newest manga chapters he'd fallen behind on and finish reading a couple of the books he'd checked out. He could already imagine himself diving into the world of comics or learning something new from his books. 'Maybe I should try and learn how to fix mowers...' he thought absentmindedly as he recalled his earlier issue at Mrs Digs home.
As he turned the corner down the next alleyway, Damien was abruptly torn from his exited thoughts as an overwhelming sense of dread gripped at him. The all too familiar cold chill coiling around his spine and down his arms. A feeling akin to electricity escaping his fingertips. This was a feeling he felt he'd become quite accustomed to. If there was one thing Damien could be proud of, it was his insanely acute sense for danger. Today was especially harsh, but it had never failed to keep him out of harms way. Even when he was living in the streets before he scored his new apartment.
"But, damn…" Damien began as a cold sweat formed at his temple. His breathing becoming a bit ragged. "I don't know why it's this intense…. there's only ever been the times I—" Damien was pulled from his thoughts. He felt he was about to say something strange. That he'd felt like this before...but no matter what, he couldn't recall when, exactly, that was.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, he took control of his breathing and focused back on the dark alley. He'd been so comfortable taking it every other night before now, but today was different. "Doesn't matter right now. I just need to find another way home..." Damien concluded before turning away and taking a much longer route to ensure he can miss whatever danger lurked in the dark...or so he planned, but as soon as he was about to cross the street, the sense of dread returned just as intensely as before.
"What the hell!?" Damien grunted under his breath "It's never been this intense for so long! And there's not a soul in sight!" he huffing in frustration. Wishing this dragged out day would finally come to and end as he took a moment to steady his breathing. Starting to consider a new route to take before he suddenly spotted a figure moving across the street. It was a small girl. Maybe 7 or 8 years old playing with a ball on the side of the street. Leaving Damien in a state of shock as he suppressed the urge to scream "The hell are you even doing here! It's almost 3 in the morning!". Deciding it would be best to kindly tell the child to go home. She'd probably sneaked her way outside while her parents were asleep to play.
Before he could, however--with almost comical intention-- The small child kicked the ball into the road. Her making a sloppy attempt at pretending she didn't mean to kick the ball there as she ran to chase after it. Which Damien would have found humorous if it wasn't for what he saw next. Like clockwork, the unmistakable glow of a large truck's head lights came barreling towards the child. Materializing almost as suddenly as the child themselves had.
"Shit!" was all Damien could blurt out as he pushed the dread away and forced his way into the road toward the child. Taking a focused look at the mass of metal barreling toward them, its lights nearly blinding, he became increasingly aware at the likely hood he wouldn't make it in time to save the girl, let along himself. His danger sense blaring at an all new height. Far more intensely than anything he'd ever felt before. A feeling coming over him that he could barely make heads or tails about. An observation- of sorts-- he may have subconsciously taken note of in a desperate attempt by his mind to make it out of this. He would have pushed it aside as ridiculous if not for the sheer terror he was currently experiencing as the light of the truck came infinitely closer to the two of them.
'I-is it aiming for me?' The mere thought seemed insane to his conscious mind, but the sense of danger and his instincts were almost pleading for him to believe. 'What if I'm wrong? Am I really going to risk her life?' The thought came and went quickly as he gave in to the thought and decided to follow his gut. Abruptly stopping his advance, Damien made a faint as if to run back to his starting point, but just as quickly, persisted in his advance toward the child. The truck swerving at the abrupt maneuver and just narrowly missing the two as they collapsed on the floor.
"He really was! The son of a bitch!" Damien screamed out as he sat up abruptly. Adrenaline pumping in his veins like white fire and his heart beat drumming in his ears. Refusing to let this stand, He made sure to turn his full attention to the license plate on the truck that nearly send him to the afterlife. Committing it to memory, it read [ ISK-MFK ].
'I'll remember you, you bastard!' Damien thought as he tried his best to recenter himself and got ready to access any damage. Just then, however-- A childish, but eerily cold voice barely registered behind the sound of his heart in his ears. "Tsk* You're getting rusty, Truck-kun…"
Confusion took over, as Damien looked down at the child he still held securely in his arms. Barely registering the object in her hand as she pressed it to his forehead. The next instant, his field of view switched, and he now stood in a vacant void, white and ever expanding. The floor so reflective, it acted as a mirror. Further disorienting Damien
"What the f---?"