The scent of damp carpet flooded Alex’s nostrils as he made his way down the hallway toward the elevator. The silence that lingered pressed against him. The only sounds were the pale fluorescent lights blinking overhead and Mrs. J’s radio, still playing station 9.

  Standing by the elevator, Alex watched as the numbers ascended. Seventh. Eight. Ninth.

  His gaze never left the arrow.

  The elevator shaft groaned to a halt, doors sliding open with a rustic ring that sounded too loud than it should.

  Stepping forward, his leg paused halfway through the doorway. His heart dropped. Something slipped past the edge of his vision

  An Eerie smirk. A flat cyclical hat, and a long black robe.

  He snapped his head toward the hallway. Empty. For a brief, suffocating second, Alex was certain he had seen him. The man for the mirror-like sea. The man who held a book that swallowed light.

  No one stood there.

  ‘What are you doing Alex?’ he muttered under his breath.

  The question lingered, a simple question met for himself yet he had no answer. Or perhaps he simply didn't have the strength for one. A lot had happened and maybe just maybe his mind was compensating.

  He exhaled slowly, letting the thought die. Then, he pulled out his earbuds and slid them in, navigating to his favorite playlist.

  He pressed one and the elevator began its descent.

  *****

  Outside the world greeted him.

  Warm air brushed against his skin, carrying a mix of engines, footsteps, and distant chatter that filled the morning breeze. It was all life in motion.

  Alex walked without direction. He wanted to get away. Away from the confinements of his apartment. Away from for the refusal of his mind to stay silent.

  Though he knew the truth. And the truth was, the mind does not stay behind.

  Still he walked.

  The world around him blurred at the edges as he walked. At a crossing, he stopped, waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green. His tired gaze rested on the signal. Unfocused. Then, slowly almost mechanically, his eyes drifted forward and settled on a figure ahead.

  Alex’s breath paused. His heart slammed hard against his ribs, the pounding swallowing the music in his ears. He felt the world titling, like the ground had shifted a fraction.

  Ahead of him stood Iris.

  Pale. Too pale. One arm gone, the torn fabric of her sleeve hanging uselessly where flesh should have been. Blood had dried dark against her skin, no longer bright, no longer urgent.

  At the center of her chest was a hollow wound. Not torn or ragged, just empty. Soft light spilled from it, steady and quiet.

  She looked at him. And she smiled. The same small, gentle smile she gave him as he ascended the stairs. The one that meant… it’s okay.

  Stolen story; please report.

  His throat tightened. There was no smell of blood in the air. No sound. Not movement in the world around. Just her. Standing there as if she had been waiting.

  Alex blinked, he wanted to call out, but swallowed the name. She was gone. Only strangers waited at the crossing. Cars passed and someone behind him coughed.

  The pedestrian light turned green. But Alex did not move. Everything around him went by in blur, and he stood there, motionless, as the world slowed and the music faded.

  His daze was shattered when someone bumped into him, causing his ear buds to fall off.

  “Watch where you're going,” a man spoke. Alex didn't pay much attention to him, his gaze lingered down, searching.

  Slowly he picked up the bud and continued walking.

  After a long while of aimlessly walking, Alex found himself sitting on a bench by a large pod. The sun had begun to set, painting the world in warm hues of red and orange.

  He sat quietly, the ear buds had long died. Now only the music of the world played. The breeze was cool, blown in by the numerous trees around. Songs of birds were constant and the scent of freshly cut grass filled the air.

  All around chatters and laughter could be heard, another reminder that the world was oblivious. It all gave birth to questions, questions he didn't want to be asked.

  Then, a soft gentle voice called out Distant at first but familiar.

  “Alex!”

  He didn't move. He feared if he did it would be nothing but the mind’s mirage.

  “Alex! ”

  The voice came again, closer now, from somewhere behind him.

  To his better judgement he turned, slowly. He was expecting another illusion. However, standing just a few steps from him was a woman.

  She wore a light beige cardigan over a soft blue blouse, sleeves pushed slightly past her elbows. Her long black silky hair fell neatly over her shoulders, catching streaks of sunset gold. A thin silver necklace rested against her collarbone, glinting faintly in the fading light.

  A soft graceful smile tugged her lips. Warm and familiar.

  Alex,“ she said again, breathless but amused. “Already sightseeing without me?”

  The world did not glitch, the air did not thin. She cast a shadow exactly where it should be. Yet Alex's heart fluttered. It was not in fear but in confusion.

  “Clara?” he said slowly. The name existed in his memory. Apartment 1102. New neighbour. A weekend plan. But something felt… delayed. As though recognition arrived half a second later than it should have.

  Clara tilted her head. “That’s usually my line. People tend to forget my name, you see.” she chuckled softly, stepping closer. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Alex studied her carefully. “Sorry,” he muttered. “...Long day.”

  She stepped closer and sat beside him without asking, the bench dipped slightly under the added weight. “I figured,” she said softly, her eyes fixed at the pond. “… It's a nice place to relax and let the mind drift.”

  Alex's eyes flickered to her for half a second before settling back to the pond. He wanted to say something. Instead he remained quiet.

  Clara glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “You’re still on for Saturday, right? You promised me the grand tour.”

  A faint pause.

  “Yes,” Alex said, a faint smile tugging at his lips, yet he didn’t know why. “Yeah. I remember.”

  Clara’s eyes widened, reflecting the skyscrapers that painted the world in long shadows as the sun dipped behind them. She smiled again. “Good. I was starting to think you were the mysterious type.”

  He blinked, almost laughing. If only she knew… wait was he? He had never thought of himself in that sense. “Who knows?” he said.

  Clara chuckled softly, “Right, I guess we’ll know soon enough.”

  A comfortable silence followed, filled with the soft lapping of water against wood. A man in the boat adjusted his line, the faint splash echoing across the pond.

  The breeze carried the scent of grass between them. A bird took flight across the pond and somewhere, someone laughed too loudly.

  Normal sounds. Normal evenings. And a normal girl who sat beside him.

  And for the first time since… the crossing. Alex felt the world settle. Not fixed, rather steady. And yet… a small part of him watched the water carefully.

  Just in case.