Finn O'Sullivan's fingers hovered over the keyboard, his eyes fixed on the glowing screen in front of him. The clock in the corner of his ancient laptop blinked 11:58 PM. Two more minutes and his shift at the 24-hour tech support helpline would finally be over.
"Come on, come on," he muttered, willing the seconds to tick by faster. As if the universe had heard his plea and decided to mess with him, his headset crackled to life.
"Thank you for calling TechWizard Support, this is Finn. How can I help you today?" The words tumbled out of his mouth on autopilot, a script he'd repeated countless times over the past eight hours.
"Oh, thank goodness!" The voice on the other end belonged to an elderly woman who sounded like she was one wrong button press away from a conniption. "My grandson set up this newfangled internet thing, and now my toaster won't stop playing that Macarena song!"
Finn blinked, his tired brain taking a moment to process the words. "I'm sorry, ma'am, did you say your toaster is... playing music?"
"Yes, yes! It's been going on for hours. I just want to make my toast in peace!"
For a brief moment, Finn considered explaining that TechWizard didn't actually cover kitchen appliances, let alone musical toasters. But the clock now read 11:59 PM, and he was just too damn tired.
"Have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in?" he suggested, falling back on the holy grail of tech support advice.
"Oh! No, I haven't. Let me try that."
There was a shuffling sound, followed by blessed silence. Then, "It worked! Oh, thank you, young man. You're a real wizard!"
"Just doing my job, ma'am. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Please say no, please say no.
"No, that's all. You have a wonderful night!"
"You too, ma'am. Thanks for calling TechWizard Support." Finn ended the call just as the clock ticked over to midnight. He yanked off his headset and slumped back in his chair, letting out a long, weary sigh.
Another day, another dollar. Or more accurately, another 8 hours, another $96 before taxes. Barely enough to keep a roof over his head and instant ramen in his cupboard.
Finn stood up, his joints popping in protest. At 18, he shouldn't feel like an old man, but that's what working three jobs did to a person. He glanced around the near-empty call center, nodding a goodbye to the handful of night shift workers settling in for their own eight-hour slog.
The cool night air hit him as he stepped outside, a welcome change from the stuffy office. Finn zipped up his worn jacket and started the long walk home. The buses had stopped running hours ago, and a taxi was a luxury he couldn't afford.
As he walked, Finn let his mind wander. It was a dangerous pastime, one that usually led to places he'd rather not go. But in the quiet of the night, with only the occasional car passing by, it was hard to keep the thoughts at bay.
Five years. It had been five years since that night, the night that had turned his world upside down. He could still hear the knock on the door, see the grim faces of the police officers standing on their porch. The words "accident" and "sorry for your loss" echoed in his mind, a broken record that never stopped playing.
Finn shook his head, trying to dislodge the memories. Dwelling on the past wouldn't change anything. He had to focus on survival, on making it through another day.
His apartment building loomed ahead, a dilapidated structure that had seen better days. Probably back when disco was still cool. Finn trudged up the stairs, his feet heavy with exhaustion.
The lock on his door stuck, as usual. Finn jiggled the key, muttering curses under his breath until it finally gave way. He stepped inside, flicking on the lights to reveal his humble abode in all its glory.
The studio apartment was small enough that he could see every "room" from the doorway. Kitchen, living room, bedroom - all crammed into a space barely bigger than a walk-in closet. But it was his, and that counted for something.
Finn tossed his keys onto the wobbly table that served as both dining area and desk. His gaze fell on the framed photo propped up next to his ancient laptop.
Three smiling faces looked back at him. His mom, with her warm brown eyes and laugh lines. His dad, tall and proud, with an arm around each of them. And in the middle, a younger Finn, gap-toothed and carefree.
"Hey guys," Finn murmured, his fingers brushing the frame. "Another thrilling day in paradise."
He could almost hear his mom's voice. "Did you remember to eat, sweetheart?"
"Yeah, Mom. Had a feast of microwaved noodles for lunch."
His dad would have frowned at that. "A growing boy needs real food, Finn. How about I fire up the grill this weekend?"
Finn smiled sadly. "Sorry, Dad. No grill here. And I stopped growing a while ago."
He turned away from the photo, pushing down the lump in his throat. Eighteen years old, and here he was, talking to a picture. If his classmates could see him now... Well, they probably wouldn't be surprised. Orphan boy goes off the deep end, film at eleven.
With a sigh, Finn kicked off his shoes and flopped onto his bed - really just a mattress on the floor, but it was better than nothing. He should shower, should eat something more substantial than the vending machine chips he'd had for dinner. But exhaustion pulled at him, weighing down his limbs.
Just five minutes, he told himself. Five minutes to rest his eyes, and then he'd get up and be a functioning adult.
Finn's eyes drifted shut, and he fell into a fitful sleep.
---
The dream started the same way it always did.
Finn stood in a vast, empty space. No walls, no ceiling, just an endless expanse of... nothing. He looked down at his hands, surprised to find them solid and real in this unreal place.
"Hello?" His voice echoed strangely, as if bouncing off invisible barriers.
Then, like a switch had been flipped, the emptiness burst into life. Colors swirled around him, formless at first, then slowly taking shape. Trees sprouted from nothing, grass rippled beneath his feet. In the distance, mountains thrust up towards a sky that hadn't existed moments before.
Finn's heart raced. This was new. Usually, the dream was just endless nothing, a void that left him feeling hollow and alone when he woke. But this... this was something else entirely.
He took a step forward, marveling at the feel of soft earth beneath his bare feet. Wait, bare feet? Finn looked down to find himself completely naked.
"What the hell?" He tried to cover himself, looking around frantically for something, anything to wear. But the landscape, for all its sudden lushness, was devoid of anything resembling clothing.
A warm breeze caressed his skin, carrying the scent of pine and wildflowers. Despite his embarrassment, Finn couldn't help but inhale deeply. It smelled like life, like possibility.
As he stood there, torn between wonder and mortification, a strange feeling began to build within him. It was like an itch just beneath his skin, a restless energy that demanded release.
Without really knowing why, Finn closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. He didn't know what he was reaching for, but something told him it was important.
The air around him seemed to thicken, charged with an energy he couldn't explain. And then, as suddenly as flipping a switch, something... changed.
Finn opened his eyes to find he was no longer alone.
A man stood before him, tall and muscular, with eyes that seemed to hold the wisdom of ages. Finn yelped in surprise, instinctively trying to cover himself.
"Uh, hi?" he managed to squeak out. "Don't suppose you've got a spare pair of pants lying around?"
The man didn't respond. He simply stood there, watching Finn with an unnerving intensity.
Okay, weird dream guy. Got it.
But even as Finn thought this, he knew it wasn't quite right. This didn't feel like a dream, not really. It felt... real. Too real.
That strange feeling was still there, buzzing beneath his skin. Acting on instinct, Finn closed his eyes again and reached out with his mind. This time, he had a vague idea of what he was doing.
When he opened his eyes, a woman had appeared next to the man. Then another person. And another.
"Holy shit," Finn breathed, watching in awe as more and more people materialized around him. Men, women, old, young - a veritable crowd forming out of thin air.
They all stood silently, their eyes fixed on Finn. It should have been creepy, but somehow, it wasn't. It felt... right. Like this was exactly what was supposed to happen.
A laugh bubbled up from Finn's chest, equal parts joy and disbelief. "This is amazing!"
He'd forgotten all about his nakedness now, too caught up in the wonder of what was happening. With each thought, more people appeared. Tens became hundreds, hundreds became thousands.
"Can you all, like... talk?" Finn asked, suddenly feeling very small in front of this enormous crowd.
As one, they responded: "We await your command, Lord Finn."
Finn's jaw dropped. Lord Finn? Him? The guy who, just hours ago, had been explaining to an old lady how to unplug her musical toaster?
"Okay, uh... jump!" he said, figuring he should test this whole 'command' thing.
In perfect unison, every single person leapt into the air. The ground shook when they landed, and Finn couldn't help but laugh again.
"Holy crap, this is insane!" He ran a hand through his hair, mind racing. "Alright, let's see... You, with the green eyes. What's your name?"
The woman he'd singled out stepped forward. "My name is whatever you wish it to be, Lord Finn."
Finn frowned. "But don't you have your own name? Your own thoughts?"
"We exist to serve you, Lord Finn. Our thoughts align with your will."
It was a lot to take in. These people - if they could be called that - seemed real enough. They could think, they could speak. But they had no will of their own.
A small part of Finn's mind whispered that this was wrong, that having this kind of power over others was dangerous. But a louder part, the part that remembered countless nights of hunger and loneliness, drowned it out.
For the first time in years, he was truly excited with something. This was something to go from to build this sad sack of lump into "someone."
"Alright then," Finn said, a grin spreading across his face. "Let's see what we can do."
He divided the crowd into groups, sending some to scout the area, others to gather resources. He wasn't sure if they needed to eat, but he sure as hell did.
As his new followers dispersed to carry out their tasks, Finn looked out over the lush landscape.
He was afraid, who wouldn't? He wanted nothing more than to snuggle up in his, well, floor mattress. But nonetheless a mattress!
But the universe wants him to handle other matters instead.