Chapter 1, Xander’s New Reality…
The time was now 10:42 AM. I had just finished talking to one of my good friends, Zack.
Zack had told me that there was a big storm coming later today so I had better stay inside for the rest of the day.
I remembered seeing the storm on the news that morning as I was getting ready for school. However I didn’t think much about it, because I was already late and was rushing. Zack also said that he had read in the school paper that we should be careful around here because there was a murderer on the loose, but somehow, they’ve never caught him or physically seen him. I wondered why they hadn’t seen him and I didn’t understand why they didn’t try to find out who this guy was. Anytime they found a weapon next to the killer’s victim, there were no fingerprints of blood on the weapon. “Do you think they’ll catch the guy on the loose?” Zack asked. “I’m not too sure.” I replied. Zack was already concerned because the killer had got to one of his really close family members that lived nearby.
I headed home early after school because of the storm, and Zack came with me since my house was brick and more sturdy,his house was wooden with some kind of different pieces on it and not as safe during the storm.. We arrived at my house and no one was home, which was strange because my mom didn’t have a job so she stayed home everyday.
I shook it off because I was thinking she just went to go get groceries we didn’t have anything to eat. “Mom! You home?” I shouted, but there was no reply. “Maybe she just went to go do a few things before coming home.” Zack said reassuringly.
I shrugged my shoulders and brushed it off but my mind was spinning either way because I always worry about my parents being out.
“Hey Zack, go upstairs and grab the PS4 or something.” I said. I hoped we could play a few games before my parents got back. “Okay, but is your mom okay with it?” He asked, with a concerned look on his face as he began to walk upstairs. “Yeah she’ll be fine, no worries.” I said back to him, smiling to convince him to go grab it. My mom is strict about video games, but she wasn’t home at the moment so I took matters into my own hands.
Zack ended up never coming back down the stairs, but I figured he might’ve fallen asleep while he was up there. I didn’t even think about going up there to check on him, instead I fell asleep myself. I was exhausted from the hard day at school, and I was worried about the storm so I wanted to sleep through it.
Chapter 2, The Nightmare
When I woke up I was in some unknown area I had never seen before in all of my sixteen years of living. It’s like I was in some kind of game. There were palm trees everywhere, a few were dead and a few were alive. I remember seeing green grass and dirt that were colored as if I was in an actual video game.
The atmosphere didn’t feel right at all, and I had the worst feeling in my body and stomach. I didn’t travel for too long before I saw an unknown entity in the world I was in. He was tall, he had dark blue fur with quills that almost touched the ground. His eyes were dark with small bright red, glowing pupils, his smile had blood dripping down from it, and it almost looked melted.
He didn’t seem to be a threat because he didn’t ever try to physically hurt or chase after me. I think it’s a warning of some sort. “Who are you, and what do you want from me?” I said, my voice was filled with curiosity as I never took my eyes off this creature. He never replied to me, instead he just kept staring at me. He never moved. I needed answers, and I had so many questions.
I heard the most unsettling voice speak to me, coming from the being in front of me. The only thing he said was the word, “Xenophanes”. I didn’t understand what he meant by that, and that was the only thing he said. I wondered if that was the name of either the world or the creature I blinked my eyes once, and he had started to chase after me. I had never seen a being like this before, so fast and confident. I couldn’t move at all, my body was hurt, I was stiff, it was over.
Right before he tried grabbing me, my eyes opened back to reality. I was in a hospital bed, and my family and friends were surrounding me. “What’s going on?” I asked, as I looked around at all of them surrounding me. The doctor walked in and saw that I was awake. “You got hit by a moving vehicle and went into a coma, it’s been about five years since it happened.” Said the doctor, as he handed my mom some paperwork.
I was relieved. I thought whatever happened was real. Or was it?…