Solitude
The feeling of being watched didn't disappear even after the "Vacation" was taken, and it terrifies me. I haven't been able to sleep these past few days. It's been horrifying that whenever I look out the window, there's that man across the street watching my house. I tried to alert the NSA about it, but all my attempts failed.
I tried to leave yesterday in my car only to discover that the new battery was completely destroyed, as if something had melted half of it... after that, I understood.
These aren't just vacation days; they're isolating me from everyone... and so Jane spent her days afraid and isolated from everyone.
"Jane, I want you to close your eyes, darling..." said a tearful male voice with clear sadness. "I'm scared..." replied a much younger Jane. "It's okay, darling, just remember that..." before the man could finish his sentence, loud noises were heard and screams, and another voice said "Redlock, burn in hell!" and so Jane awakens from what should have been a restful night, sweaty and agitated. This was just another of the many early mornings from which I was awakened by past memories. The nightmares and paranoia of not being alone wouldn't leave me in peace, but this time was different - after all, the bedroom door was slightly open, something that normally wouldn't be possible since there shouldn't be anyone in the house besides me.
The silence was like torture. She knew someone was in her house, and whoever was there had surely noticed she was no longer sleeping. Minutes sitting on the bed felt like hours; the tension in the air was suffocating.
In a sudden burst of courage and fearlessness, she decides to face whoever was downstairs in her house.
The house was dark; the lights had already abandoned the house. Descending the stairs to the lower floor where the air was icy and had a metallic smell, but contrary to all expectations, there was no one there. "Who are you? I can't see you, but I know you're there," Jane said to the apparent nothingness.
The confirmation that she wasn't alone came with the word "Kill" spoken by a distorted voice that sounded like pieces of iron scraping against each other... From the dark corner of the room, it rises - tall, strong, and unnatural - like a creature straight from hell. It had a human form but clearly wasn't human.
Jane wasn't sure what to do; her body completely froze in front of the creature. That thing wasn't human. That oppressive and heavy aura, the metallic smell from before, and the icy environment made her aware that she would die that night at the hands of that thing.
The thing was fast - in a single second, it crossed her entire living room and was there standing right in front of her, hands squeezing her neck. With tears in her eyes, everything was getting darker by the second until, before completely losing consciousness, another figure appears, breaking through the front door as if it were made of styrofoam. This one was tall, completely covered in black with a covered face. The creature seemed clearly surprised by him as he says "Dharma: Clamor." Whispering voices were heard, and soon everything goes dark...
Upon waking, the headache and near-death experience affected me. Coming so close to death was both transformative and frightening. "Are you alright?" asked the mysterious woman in the corner of the room. I was so lost replaying what had happened that I hadn't even noticed the woman there, and more importantly, where I was.
"I'm fine," I replied briefly and objectively since I didn't know the woman. She just smiled and said, "When you're ready, just go down the stairs on the right," and so she left the room, leaving me alone.
The room where I found myself was old. The dark ancient wooden floor and clearly antique furniture were comfortable for me, after all, I never felt at ease with the city's technological environment - it all seemed strange.
After a while, Jane finally decides to leave the room and descend the stairs, albeit fearfully.
There was a large dining table with people who were already observing her movements, but only one spoke to you - the man had long black hair with red eyes, a strong body, and several rings on his hand. He said, "Good evening, Miss Jane. I'm Atlas, and this is my humble dwelling. Welcome."
At that moment, my life was about to change...