In another life, in another world, Ethan found himself standing on the front porch of a house that felt both foreign and familiar.
It wasn't just the house itself, though it was almost an exact mirror of the one he owned in his waking life—it was the way this life felt like a perfect echo of his own. Beside him was Lena, his partner in this world, her face tinged with worry as they heard the sound of voices—shouting, laughter, the scrape of shoes against pavement.
The kids outside weren't just playing. They were wild, unruly, and had already made several attempts to break into their home. It started as a harmless taunt, then escalated to more daring efforts, testing the boundaries of the house. But tonight was different. Ethan felt a shift in the air, a weight pressing on his chest.
Enough was enough.
He grabbed whatever he could—an old golf club from the closet—and stepped outside, his eyes locking onto the pack of children. He wasn't much for violence, but these weren't just kids playing pranks. These were kids with intent, and tonight, they meant business. As he raised the club, they scattered like shadows in the twilight, but not far enough to escape completely.
The rush of adrenaline pushed Ethan to chase them down the street. He was faster than he expected, his senses sharpened by the strangeness of this world. Behind him, he could hear Lena on the phone, calling for help. The police. She always knew when to act, and right now, he was grateful for her quick thinking.
One of the kids was slower than the rest. Ethan caught up to him, grabbed his arm, and held him in place until the cops arrived. The kid didn't struggle, just stared up at him with a mixture of fear and defiance. Before the officers hauled him away, the boy muttered something under his breath.
"Meet us at the precinct if you want to fix this. Granger Avenue, Roman Boulevard."
It was an odd invitation, but something about it made Ethan feel like he had no choice. If he wanted closure to whatever this was, he'd have to follow through.
The journey to the precinct was strange. As Ethan made his way through the dimly lit streets, he stumbled upon a group of four individuals—three girls and one boy, walking together but with an odd distance between them, as if they didn't quite belong with each other. Their clothes were damp and dirty, and the faint scent of dampness followed them, as though they'd been traveling underground.
The more Ethan observed, the more he realized something unsettling—these four didn't seem to interact like friends or even strangers. One of the girls, with sharp eyes and a cruel smirk, seemed to enjoy tormenting the others, especially the smallest girl in the group. It was senseless, almost like she was doing it out of boredom rather than malice.
Curiosity got the better of him.
"Why are you doing this?" Ethan asked, cutting through the heavy silence between them.
The bullying girl paused, glaring at him as if he'd stepped out of line. "Why do you care?"
Ethan waited for a real answer, but none came. The four of them moved on, their odd dynamic lingering like a question unanswered. He let them go. He had a different path to follow, and soon enough, he found himself at the precinct.
The air shimmered, and as Ethan stepped inside, reality seemed to twist. He felt the pull, the unmistakable feeling of being un-synced from this world. It wasn't a place he belonged, after all—just another parallel life he'd tapped into by accident.
As the dream dissolved, he retraced his steps, feeling the distance between this world and his own grow larger. The journey back to his real body was like walking through layers of fog. With each step, he felt more grounded, more himself. And then, with one final breath, he was back.
Back in his own life, his own house. But the echo of that other life, and the strange encounters within it, lingered like a whisper in the back of his mind.