Elias ran.
The world around him shifted with each desperate step, the alley stretching, twisting, the very ground beneath his feet threatening to dissolve into nothingness. The sound behind him grew—skittering, chittering, something unnatural clawing its way through the dark. He didn't dare look back.
He turned a corner and suddenly found himself in an open courtyard, but it was wrong—half-formed buildings loomed over him, their facades flickering like mirages. The air carried whispers, disjointed voices calling his name, speaking in languages he did not understand.
At the center of the courtyard stood a single doorway, free-standing with no walls to support it. It hummed with a strange energy, pulsing as though it were alive. Instinctively, Elias knew—this was the way out.
A scream echoed from the alley behind him. Not human. Not even close.
Elias didn't hesitate. He lunged for the door, gripping the handle just as the darkness surged forward, an amorphous mass of writhing tendrils and fragmented faces, all reaching for him.
He yanked the door open and threw himself through.
For a moment, there was nothing. No sensation, no sound, only weightlessness.
Then—
He hit the ground hard, gasping as the impact sent pain shooting through his limbs. He groaned, pushing himself up on trembling arms.
The world around him had changed again.
He was back in his apartment.
Or at least, it looked like his apartment. But something was…off. The air smelled sterile, too clean, like a place untouched by time. The light filtering through the window had an unnatural stillness to it, as if the outside world had been frozen in place.
Elias stood slowly, his mind reeling. Had he escaped? Was he awake now? Or had he simply fallen deeper?
A soft knock came from his front door.
His breath caught in his throat. He turned toward it, dread curling in his stomach.
The knock came again.
And then, a voice—low, familiar, impossible.
"Elias. Open the door."