I am Leo Reyes, age twenty-seven; I am your regular urban dwelling male but on the job; I earn my living as a cashier in a neighborhood supermarket. There were not many exciting moments in life, however, it kept the roof over the head. Most of the time, it was the same old story of scanning groceries, courtesy flushing while trying to ignore line ups, and pretty much thinking that there are better and more hopeful activities out there.
But even this one seemed normal. Or so I thought.
Eight hours of standing and slaving away behind the cash counter was quite a torturous experience and to add to the pain my poor, tortured feet asked for a relief as I headed home to my tiny apartment. The streets were peaceful and quiet, illuminated by the orange-colored sky due to the sunset. The city was so full of life, filled with the honking of cars, and rushing home people around me, but I had only one thing on my mind— a nice hot bath and silence.
I climbed the stairs to my building, unlocked the door to my apartment and walked in. There was not much in the apartment — just a small sitting room with a spent sofa, an unpleasant and more of a reheating kitchen where I cooked instant meals and a bedroom almost filled with a bed and a closet. Nonetheless, it was still, mine, and after all, that had happened throughout the course of the day, it was her reprieve.
The first thing which I did was I made a beeline to the bathroom. After undressing from my office clothes, I switched on the shower and waited for it to warm up. The bathroom became cloudy and I stepped into the water whooshing above me, giving a blissful moan as the hot droplets made contact with my body. It was almost like scrubbing it out – all the anxiousness, the boring heaviness of yet another mundane day.
As I stood under the showerhead, I let my mind wander. "This is it, huh?" I muttered to myself. "Another day, another paycheck." There had to be more to life than this—wake up, work, sleep, repeat. I wasn't asking for much, just a little excitement, a break from the endless monotony.
But life had never been that kind to me. I wasn't a genius, nor did I have any amazing talents. Just a regular guy with regular problems. No fancy career, no special skills—just surviving like everyone else.
After a few more minutes of soaking, I turned off the water, grabbed my towel, and dried off. My mind was still wandering, already halfway into the next day. Tomorrow would be the same routine: get up, go to work, come back, rinse, and repeat.
Wrapping the towel around my waist, I stepped out of the bathroom and walked to my closet. I was ready to slip into something comfortable for the evening—pajamas, maybe an old t-shirt. Opening the closet door, I reached inside, fingers brushing against the familiar fabric of my clothes.
But then... I stopped.
Something strange caught my eye.
Between the rows of shirts and jackets, something shimmered. It was faint at first, almost like a trick of the light, but as I pushed the clothes aside, the shimmering grew brighter. There, behind my everyday clothes, was something impossible.
A glowing, swirling portal.
I froze, blinking at the sight. My first thought was that I must be hallucinating. Maybe I was more tired than I realized. But as I leaned closer, the portal didn't disappear. It just hovered there—this swirling, circular distortion of light, as if space itself had been torn open inside my closet.
"What the hell...?" I whispered, taking a step back. My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at the portal. It was about the size of a door, with its edges pulsating softly. The air around it seemed to ripple like water, making the clothes sway as if they were caught in a breeze.
I should have been scared. Hell, any rational person would have slammed the closet door shut and called someone—anyone. But there was something about that glowing vortex that pulled at me. It didn't feel dangerous. If anything, it felt... inviting.
"What is this?" I muttered, reaching out with trembling fingers. I hesitated, heart racing, and then, against all reason, I touched it. The moment my hand made contact, a warm, tingling sensation spread up my arm. It didn't hurt. In fact, it felt almost pleasant.
I pulled my hand back, staring at my fingers, which were completely unharmed. Was this real? Was I dreaming? I couldn't tell anymore. My heart pounded in my ears, a mix of excitement and fear churning in my stomach.
I glanced around my apartment—the dull, familiar reality pressing in on me. The same four walls I saw every day. The same old couch, the same routine. Was this my chance for something different? Something extraordinary?
Before I could talk myself out of it, I stepped closer to the portal. My hand reached out again, this time more boldly. I took a deep breath and plunged my entire arm into the swirling light.
The sensation was... indescribable. It was like dipping my hand into warm water, but instead of getting wet, it felt like my skin was being pulled forward—softly, gently. My curiosity spiked, and without thinking further, I stepped forward and crossed the threshold.
The world around me warped and twisted, a flash of light blinding me for a brief second. My stomach flipped, and I stumbled forward, as if I'd just been yanked through a tunnel.
When my vision cleared, I realized I wasn't in my closet anymore.
I stood on a dirt path, surrounded by vast fields that stretched as far as I could see. Towering trees lined the horizon, their branches swaying in a soft breeze. The air smelled fresh, like grass after a rainstorm, a sharp contrast to the stale air of my apartment.
"What the..." I turned around, expecting to see the portal behind me, still hovering in midair, but it was gone. There was no sign of it—just an empty field.
Panic bubbled up in my chest as I looked down at myself. I was still in nothing but a towel. Great. Here I was, standing in the middle of a strange world, barefoot, half-naked, and completely clueless about what just happened.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm the rising fear. "Okay, Leo. Don't freak out," I muttered to myself. "This... this can't be real. Maybe I'm dreaming. Yeah, that's it. You're just asleep."
But no matter how many times I pinched myself or slapped my cheeks, I didn't wake up. This was real. Somehow, I had stepped through a portal in my closet and ended up... here. Wherever "here" was.
Looking around, I noticed something strange. Despite the vast emptiness of the landscape, there were no animals, no people—just silence, as if the world itself was waiting for something. A chill ran down my spine.
And that's when I heard it—the faint sound of footsteps approaching from behind.
End of Chapter 1