The Reality Meltdown by Dan Cray

Author:Dan Cray [Cray, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Delcominy Creations, L.L.C.
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-THREE

THE MOST FRIGHTENING thing about losing consciousness is waking. That’s when you understand that until a moment ago you had no thought processes, no awareness, no individuality, no nothing. You didn’t exist in any intellectual manner, meaning your body was an empty shell with a head that might, or might not, have ever refilled. Seriously, is there anything as scary as a mental time-out?

Not for me, there isn’t. My living room isn’t pitch dark, but it’s close enough that I can’t see anything. Wait—it’s never this dark inside my house, not even in the middle of the night. The white noise is different, too… there’s a faint, ongoing whirr, and the ambient smell is much heavier on carpet fumes.

This isn’t my house! Where am I?

I blink my eyes, unnerved that I also have no idea how much time has passed or whether I’m still in danger, understanding only that I have so little energy that eye-blinks are the most strenuous activity I’ll undertake. I’m on my back, prone atop what feels like thin, rough, indoor-outdoor carpet. No pain, though my hand—especially the pointer finger that got zapped—isn’t happy when I try moving it. A quick feel of my chest and legs tells me I’m still wearing my jacket, T-shirt, and jeans.

Reviewing what happened amounts to remembering that I was an idiot. But that remote… did I truly misplace it? If my electrocution was pure chance, the answer is yes. If it was part of a planned attack, then somehow the remote was shoved out of sight or else I would never have considered touching the television’s power button.

What was it Sofia mentioned about tubes that roll, and so forth? Could the couch cushions have created enough of a gap to hide the remote? Did the toilet flood the carpet by design? Shouldn’t I consider the possibility they were Leopards, especially since Sofia had just phoned with a warning?

Sofia! She wanted me to meet her right away!

I bolt upright, feeling the way I might have expected to feel after being fried: stiff and sluggish. My hand aches something fierce, and I get the idea it’s probably scarred with burns, but the room I’m in—if it’s actually a room—is too dark to tell for sure. A sudden thought sends my other hand darting to my pockets; Agnes is still inside, along with Sofia’s stuff, but I can’t find—

An underground rock song blasts my ears, launching my heart into my brain as I see my missing phone on the floor. It’s right next to me, lighting up my corner of a small room, so I’m able to grab it without moving. The volume’s not up very high, but in the quiet room it sounds like the band’s right there, playing the music live. I send the incoming call to voicemail, though according to the screen there isn’t an incoming call. It’s just blank.

A door opens, broadening a narrow shaft of exterior light until it fills the room. My heart pounds. Squinting, I watch an angular-headed silhouette lean inside.

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