A/N: Hello there, thanks for deciding to check out this story of mine, Fractals of Time! This is my first time writing and posting something Life is Strange related and I'm extremely nervous. Kinda reminds me of when I posted my first ever fanfic to this site tbh.
I would like to give a huge thank you to Protocol115 for helping me get started with this story, whose actual birthday is the same day I'm posting this. Happy birthday, man! He's helped me so much with this story and without him, this story would probably never exist. He doesn't have any stories posted atm but definitely be on the lookout for when he does post, I'm sure it'll be fantastic.
I would like to give another huge thank you to BHBrowne, who really helped me out with this story and helped me with things I struggled with. His birthday isn't today but he has posted some stories, some great ones at that. Be sure to check out his amazing work, you won't be disappointed!
Enough of me talking, you guys came here for the story, at least I hope so...I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter and if you did please let me know! If not, please let me know how I could improve my writing for the future, I'd really appreciate it! Anyway, thank you again for deciding to check out Fractals of Time and I'll hopefully see all of you guys again soon!
Chapter 1
A Strange Day
An ear defining crackle echoes across the sky, startling the teenage boy against the cold ground. His eyes flutter open as he cranes his neck to face away from the dirt. The boy ducks his head as a bolt of white light strikes a tree a fair bit away from him, the crackling following right behind it. Not a second later, fire engulfs the tree, grasping almost every branch and every leaf it has.
Where the hell am I? What's going on?
His eyes rise again, catching the leaves jumping off of their burning homes, the ashes of leaves falling towards the ground like the dirt slipping off of the boy's hands as he raises them.
Wings flap effortlessly in the pouring rain from the dark sky, the boy tilting his head towards its source. Above him, a black creature flies through the sky, maneuvering around the dropping daggers, not paying any attention to them and instead at the pitiful excuse of a man that watches it. The mysterious creature guides itself towards the tree of flames, flapping its wings rapidly as it lands atop one of the only branches not yet consumed by the blaze. The raven sits as still as a statue on the branch, like as if the flames weren't even there as it eyes the boy to see what he will do next.
The boy stares at the palms of his hands, dirt and leaves covering them. They turn side to side as he shakes them, but only the leaves fall off while the dirt remains. The cold spears of rain land on his palms covered in dirt as he holds them out in hopes of washing them clean. The dirt liquefies into mud as the boy shakes his hands again, the palms now cleaner than before, but not completely.
His clothes tighten and latch harder and harder, irritating his cold skin as the pouring rain pounds on him with its brutal, freezing punches. The boy shakes as he reaches for the sides of his arms, wrapping his cold fingers around his skinny biceps. He cranes his neck to face the brightening tree, the raven staring down its curved beak at the kneeling boy. He catches the creature staring at him and can't help but to keep staring back at it.
What kind of place is this? Why am I in this storm?
In a seemingly endless battle, the two stare at each other, no-one ready to turn away from their epic contest. A fulmination of light strikes the tree once again, the fire increasing in size. Launching out of the tree, a burning branch flies into the colorless sky towards him. The boy jumps back as the branch lands a couple feet away from him, causing him to blink his eyes and end the rivalry. The boy opens his mouth to conjure up a word but only leaves it open without a peep.
The sleeves of his shirt gripping his arms get tighter as he reaches for the burning branch that launched towards him. Barely getting his dirt covered fingertips on the branch, he manages to grab the bottom of it, the part where it wasn't burning of course. The heat illuminating from the flaming branch warms his wet face as he pulls it towards him, burning wood filing his nostrils. The warm and inviting sensation doesn't last long as the pouring rain strengthens, putting out the dancing flame and putting the boy back into the darkness.
His head tilts towards the killer of the flame, the raindrops taking their turns slapping him one by one, trying to kill him as well. Long branches reach out from the towering oak trees, trying to touch the cold drops of rain as they fall. The boy rises as he gathers the strength, still staring at the darkening sky as the raindrops increase every minute in quantity.
Turning away from the cloud-covered sky, he stares at the raging inferno of a tree as it continues to rage, the pouring rain no match for the flares. He searches for the raven, unable to find where he last spotted it.
A deep, raspy croak echoes through the air, cutting the whistling gusts of the raging winds. The boy raises his head again, the falling rain slapping his face again and again. The raven flies above him in a circular motion, staring down at him again with its judging jet black eyes.
What is it doing? What the hell is it still doing here? What the hell am I still doing here?
The raven stopping its circular flight path, embarks on another, this one going away from the boy. Speechless, he watches as the mystical creature swoops and soars gracefully away from him, disappearing into the swaying trees, away from view.
"Hey, wait up!" Following the mythical creature's path, the boy runs across the wet and bumpy landscape, the terrible scent of wet dirt mixed with burning wood and clean grass strengthening as he continues his sprint. His feet sink into the ground with every step he takes, dirt and water filling the soles of his shoes, almost slipping several times. The sky continues to darken as smoke emits from the burning tree as it rages on, not intending on stopping anytime soon. The surrounding trees move sporadically, waving their branches at the boy as he runs past them, some a little too hard as their branches break in half and fall to the ground.
The snapping of branches as he steps on them, the vocals of the quick winds as they strengthen, the background of the pouring rain, and the crackling of the burning leaves falling off of the tree ahead made for a terrifying song. To accompany the tune, leaves flutter around and slice through the air, branches from the trees move around in quick motions, and the flames dance a beautiful tango with the wind, fighting for dominance.
The boy slows his sprint to a jog as the rain continues to pour, tightening the grip of his clothes, slowing him down. Despite this he continues to follow the path of the raven, not giving up yet. Jogging down the path, a massive burst of lightning plunges from the sky, striking a tree ahead of him, a crackle louder than before following its presence. Flames grasp the branches of the tree as the winds push it towards the boy's path.
Oh shit!
Despite the pouring rain weighing him down, he sprints towards the flaming tree as the other tree in front of him falls, the trunk getting bigger and bigger as it leans closer towards the ground. The trunk crunches as it snaps, the tree falling faster than before. "Fuck!"
The boy increases his speed as the tree falls, his jeans scratching his legs and dirt filling his shoes. He loses his balance and stumbles forwards. Another bolt of lightning strikes the tree opposite of the one falling, blinding him with light and revealing the massive shadow of the falling tree meer feet above his head. In the blink of an eye, the light goes away, the shadow disappearing along with it as the boy gets past the falling tree and stumbles to the dirt. The floor vibrates as the tree slams into the ground, inches away from his dirt and water-filled shoes.
Groaning, the boy raises his eyes off the ground and jumps back at the sight before him. Perfectly still, the black creature he ran so far for stands right before him, almost mocking him in a way. The boy pushes himself off the ground with his now covered dirt hands, dirt falling from his shirt and landing on the ground like the dirt from his hands. The raven raises its hooked beak as the human before it stands tall, towering over it. "What is going on?"
The raven turns away from the boy and launches into the air, soaring towards the burning tree, not answering him. But instead of landing on the tree like it used to, the raven veers away from it and towards another path, disappearing into the view of many swaying trees.
What the hell am I doing? Am I really talking to a bird right now?
The boy jogs towards the massive fiery tree and instead of following the mystical creature, he stays in front of the tree, the inviting sensation of fire alluring him. Branches fall one by one, landing on others to bring them down too. Some dirt from the ground burns as ashes of leaves fall from the tree, landing on the dirt, creating a small pile.
A small flame ignites on the boy's right shoulder as one of the pieces of ash lands on it. "Oh shit!" Reaching for his burning shoulder, the flame gets burnt out. But not by the boy, but by the pouring rain. He takes his gaze away from his shoulder and stares at the tree one last time before he pulls away from the fires warm embrace and towards where the raven went.
As he walks down the path, the number of trees being pushed around by the raging winds diminish until there are none left in sight. He almost slips several times as he climbs uphill, the winds trying their hardest to push him back down. He fights through the winds and makes it to the top, but the raven isn't there. Something out on the raging waters of the ocean in front of him pushes the raven out of the boy's mind and captures his attention.
Flying trees, cars, boats, houses, and debris surrounds an enormous cloud of destruction, dragging them all into the air and forming a ring around it. An array of lightning strikes and raging waves thrash the beaches and towns in the distance, flooding the streets of the town, burning the remaining trees, and destroying buildings with ease. "Holy shit! That tornado's huge!"
Water from the ocean crashes against the cliff the boy stands on, splashing water onto his face. His throat dries as the salty sea water enters his open mouth, irritating his tongue. Boats from the town not too far away went towards the huge tornado like a fish on a fishing rod as its powerful winds drag them towards it and into the air, making them fly around their new owner. The raging winds drag the boy's body down as he struggles to walk towards the enormous tornado, making it almost an impossible mission to walk just a couple of steps.
A long burnt orange flag on top of a white wooden stand waves around as the winds continue to rage on. The boy manages to walk a couple of steps and gets to the fluttering flag, the flag calming down as he grabs the end of it. At the top of the flag, a massive letter B, written in white, is surrounded by a fancy white square. His eyes run down the flag and he gasps when he reads the words "Blackwell Academy."
No, no it can't be.
The boy lets go of the end of the flag and it flies away from him, another victim of the enormous tornado of death. Now where the flag used to be, a map laid on top of the stand. The jet black raven swoops towards the boy and lands on the corner of the map farthest from him. The raven watches the boy closely as he stares at what it led him to. Near the bottom of the map, he runs his wet hand across the black words that read "Arcadia Bay." He picks his head off of the map and stares at the town in the distance. Waves crash into the town and cars fly out of the streets and into the hands of the massive tornado as it joins the rest of the things already picked up, all of them in a ring around it.
"No, no this can't be, it can't." The boy stares at the raven who stares back with completely blank eyes. Droplets of water fall from his hair and onto the raven and the map it stands on as he shakes his head in denial. "No, it can't be. This isn't Arcadia Bay, it can't be." The tornado in front of the boy picks up a speedboat. But instead of adding it to the ring of other boats around it, the tornado launches the boat towards him. "Oh no."
The boat flies past the boy at the map and slams right into a lighthouse a couple feet away from him, slicing it in half. The bottom half of the lighthouse crumbles as the top half topples over. The raven doesn't fly away and instead, stays right where it is as the lighthouse falls towards them. The boy cranes his neck to stare at the piece of the lighthouse towering over him, the raven not paying any attention to it and still staring at the boy as the lighthouse falls on top of both of them.
He opens his eyes, expecting to see the afterlife. But instead of the afterlife, he gets hit right in the face with the scent of tender and crispy bacon, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, and sticky syrup. Gasps escape his mouth as he stares at his hands, shaking on top of a black table. His hands twist, his palms now facing him. They're as dry as the desert sand, no leaves or dirt in sight, nothing to show that he was even in the predicament he was just in.
What the hell was that? Was that all just a dream?
Evening sunlight coming from outside darkens in an instant, a shadow moving past the boy's dry face in a flash. The red cushioned booth seat squeaks as he slides towards the window. White feathery wings of a lonely seagull flap gracefully through the air in a circular path outside where he sits, like that creature he chased after not too long ago.
Flapping its wings rapidly, the seagull lands on the top of a towering sign, where the tail of a massive blue whale points towards the cloudy sky. The boy eyes the sign and finds on the bottom it reads "Two Whales Diner", its gold cursive words fading from where they were written.
Wait a minute, I'm at the Two Whales Diner? That must mean…
Taking his gaze away from the tall sign the seagull sits on, the boy tilts his head to find what's behind it. Lights flash from the tall white lighthouse in the distance, towering over the boats it guides across the calm waves. No dents or cracks cover the enormous lighthouse, no pieces of the massive structure lay on the ground, nothing to signify it fell at all.
That was the lighthouse that fell on top of me! But that couldn't have been a dream, it couldn't. It felt real. Too real.
The boy jumps in his seat as something glides halfway across the small black table in front of him. Shaking his hands, he grabs the laminated menu, the words "Two Whales Diner" with the first two words in the same cursive writing as the sign outside, running across the top. "Hi, my names Joyce, I'll be taking care of you this evenin'. Would you like something to drink sweetie?"
Taking his eyes away from the curving words, the boy stares at the waitress in front of him, opening his mouth but with no words coming out. The two stare at each other in another staring contest, like he did with the raven. The waitress shakes her head, tapping her feet and shaking the boiling coffee pot in her hand. "I don't have all day kid, I have other customers that need servin'."
The boy stares past the empty seat across the table and watches as other customers eat their food, silverware clinking against the plates and people laughing as they enjoy their meals with their friends. "Ummmm." He opens his mouth but again, the words won't come out.
"Alright, call me whenever you're ready to say somethin'." The boy watches the end of the white apron on the back of the waitress' blue turtleneck shirt as she walks away. "Wait!"
Coffee crashes against the glass of the boiling pot as the waitress, Joyce, turns around to face him. "Yes?" The boy breathes through his mouth and out through his nose, relaxing slightly as he stares at the annoyed waitress. "I'll uh, have some coffee...please." Joyce grabs the empty mug on the other side of the table and slides it towards her. She tilts the coffee pot towards the mug, holding it with one hand while she pours out the coffee with the other. Boiling hot liquid pours out through the opening of the pot as the boy stares at his legs, twiddling his thumbs as he doesn't say a word. "You sure look like you could use some coffee kid." No words escape the boy's mouth as he opts to nod instead. The hot coffee stops flowing out of the pot as Joyce raises it, a cloud of hot steam rising from the mug. "Alright, are you ready to order now or do you need a couple of minutes?"
"Uhh...I need a couple of minutes." The boy reaches for the cup full of coffee, the warm sensation alluring him like the fire from that burning tree. A sharp pain courses through his fingers as they touch the boiling mug, pulling away almost as soon as they touched it. He hisses as he shakes his burning fingers, the winds barely cooling them. "Alright, let me know when you're ready." Joyce's blonde hair waves as she shakes her head, walking away from the booth and going to another one further ahead, leaving the boy alone with only his warm cup of joe.
I need to go to a bathroom and wash my face off, I can't deal with all of this. I would ask that waitress where the restroom was, but I've already made enough of a fool of myself.
The boy slides across the red cushion seat of the booth he sits in, the sound making a few eyes turn towards him, making his heart beat faster. He gets out of the booth and stands in front of it, staring out the window towards the lighthouse once again.
What the hell is going on? Why did I have that insane nightmare? Why am I even here?
A slow jazz tune plays from the old school jukebox against the wall, catching the boys attention. For some reason, the song sounds familiar to him, like he'd heard it before… before he witnessed the storm. The teenage boy shrugs it off as he turns away from the lonely jukebox, in search of a restroom.
Sunlight flashes as he passes each window, the lighthouse in the distance staring at him, watching his every move. As he continues to stare at the menacing lighthouse, he almost rams into the waitress that served him earlier. The boiling hot coffee in the pot crashes into the glass its in as she turns around to eye him. "Oh uhh, sorry ma'am." Joyce shakes her head as she walks away from him, the boy watching her as she leaves to go to the kitchen.
Damn it Chase! Even when you don't understand anything that's going on, you still can't stop being an idiot!
"Hey did you hear about that massive tornado in Texas?"
"Heard about it? It was all over the news. I hope they're alright. I just hope we don't get one like that over here, I'd shit my pants."
Hairs tickle Chase's hand as he scratches the back of his warm and slightly hairy neck, the talks of nearby s arousing his curiosity.
A massive tornado huh? I sure do hope one doesn't come here to Arcadia Bay. I've already shit myself enough for today and I don't want to shit myself again anytime soon.
A sigh escapes Chase's mouth as he reaches the end of the walkway, turning a corner. The word "Restrooms" runs across the top of a wall, one of the letter o's not there anymore. Two arrows point towards opposite doors, male and female written over them with their proper symbols as well.
Thank god. Finally, something makes sense to me today.
The scent of piss and shit slaps Chase across the face as he pushes the restroom door open. "Oh gross." Coughing as he covers his mouth with his left arm, he closes the door, trapping himself in the terrible scent. The ground grasps his shoes, sticking them to the floor with each step he takes. What covers the ground making it sticky, he didn't want to know. Chase walks across the sticky floors and gets to the faucet, staring at himself through the dirty mirror.
Alright, Chase just calm down, it was all a dream. One terrible fucking dream. You're awake now, you're fine.
His black curly hair tickles his hand as he runs it through them, staring at the particles flying away from his hair. Chase sighs as his hands escape his hairs grasp, lowering his head towards the faucet as he turns the handle to release the water. A drop of water escapes out of the faucet, nothing more.
Of course.
Chase turns his head towards another faucet, this one more shinier than the one he's currently at. "Hope isn't lost just yet." Chase raises his head from underneath the faucet and goes towards the new faucet, the floor grasping his shoes, and the scent of piss and shit stronger with each step he takes. Before lowering his head, Chase pushes the handle. Water flows out the faucet and lands into the sink where it drains away.
Smiling, he lowers his head, holding out his hands underneath where the clear liquid came from. His hands shiver as the freezing cold water lands on them, water dripping from the bottom and tops of his hands as the water overflows. Chase shivers as he throws the cup of cold water towards his face, like when those crashing waves splashed water on him.
Come on Chase, pull yourself together, it was just a dream. You're in the real world now. Not in that terrible place you were just in. Everything is fine, nothing is unnatural.
Yes, keep that pose. Oh, now this looks good.
Chase turns around towards the source of the voice. A dirty old white wall and a piece of paper hanging from it stare back at him, nothing else there. "Uhh, hello?" A flash of white light covers Chase's eyesight, knocking him back towards the faucet, the end of his jacket sleeve tightening as cold water lands on it. The flow of the water ends as Chase turns around, pushing the handle, turning off the faucet.
Yes, yes that's it, stay still.
Chase shudders as a cold chill runs down his spine. His mouth opens on its own, not on Chase's command. The man's clear voice rings in his ear, like as if the words were falling right into them. Chase stares at the mirror, no man standing even close to him, nobody in the bathroom except for Chase himself.
Another flash of light blinds his vision, knocking him backward. The cold wall strikes his back, pushing him forward. Chase stops himself before he falls to the ground, letting the sticky floor hold onto his shoes. The light fades away and Chase regains his vision, turning around to face the wall that pushed him, the paper no longer hanging from it.
Perfect. Oh, you look so beautiful.
Following the man's soft voice, Chase stares to the floor, where the piece of paper now lays. "There's no fucking way this piece of paper is talking to me. What the fuck is going on?" Another flash of light blinds him, knocking him back towards the faucet again. A crack echoes through his body as the sink makes contact, knocking him down. The floor holds his arms and hands, the paper a few inches away from him now, the bottom of it a shade of yellow.
Oh, I think you need another dose.
Hands moving madly, Chase reaches for the paper, grabbing the corner of it and pulling it towards him. "MISSING" runs across the top of the paper in bold letters, a picture of a girl under it, staring right into Chase's eyes.
No, no stop.
Tears almost rush out of Chase's eyes as a female's voice echoes through his ears, the words choking on themselves, the words said with pure fear in them. "What's going on?" In the blink of an eye, the restroom behind him disappears. No more dirty old walls, no more faucets, no more sticky floors, no more stalls, just pure darkness. A thump echoes through his body, from his beating heart, gradually getting faster, like his breaths. A slight ring aggravates his ears as no other sound comes to him, the air dead silent.
Now hold still, this won't hurt a bit.
Chase's arm hairs rise, his heart dropping to his stomach as a chill runs down his spine at the return of the man's voice. "What...What are you doing?" Chase pushes himself up, but his puny muscles don't move. "What the fuck?" Chase wriggles around as hard as he can but he doesn't even move a centimeter, an invisible strap holding him.
A flash of white light blinds him, covering his eyesight. Chase moves his arms to cover his eyes, but they don't budge, leaving him to only stare right into the light. His eyelids flicker, trying to close themselves but they don't, allowing the light to take it over. Diminishing, the light becomes more tolerable. But unlike the other flashes of light in the bathroom, this one remains. A bright white circle forms around him, putting him in the spotlight, the spotlight for what, Chase didn't know.
Please no, no.
Following the women's please, a sharp sting punctures Chase's neck. The pain spreads like wildfire, going from his neck all the way to his arms in an instant.
Look at me. Come on, look at me.
Chase's head rises, although he doesn't even try to move it. Boiling hot temperatures take over his stomach as his eyes widen, each passing second the pain increasing tenfold. "Aggggghhh!" Chase's hands slam into the ground, shaking uncontrollably. "What are you doing to me?!" Green and blue lines pop out from his arms, increasing in size. "Aggggggggghhhhhh! Stop it!" More and more veins pop out of his arms, millions of knives cutting deep into them and the rest of his body, stabbing him over and over and over again. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he slams his arms into the ground, pain getting stronger. "Get out of my head!" His fingers bend and turn in ways Chase never thought possible, not even controlling what they were doing.
Yes, that's good, keep that pose.
"Fuuuuuuucccckkkk!" Chase slams his arms into the ground as he stares into the empty abyss, screaming like a madman. White flashes corrupt his vision over and over, never ceasing to end, a slight click following them. The knives stabbing his body now are the size of katana's, stabbing him every millimeter of his body. "I can't take this anymore! Agggggghhhh!" The flashes of light begin to make Chase insane, unable to close his eyes from them. Chase cranes his neck and stares at the daunting light coming from above, a slender lamp shining on him. Despite the pain in his arms, he powers through it and grabs onto the lamp behind him. His arms were like spaghetti but yet they were as strong as a bodybuilder's. "Fuuuuucccckkkkk you!"
Chase rips the lamp from the ground, the light shining away from him and towards the darkness, yet the light doesn't brighten it at all. An ear defining crash echoes in his ears as Chase slams the lightbulb from the lamp into the ground in front of him, putting him back into the darkness.
"Stop it...Please stop it. God, please make this pain go away."
Like the darkness came, it went away in the blink of an eye, the pain disappearing with it. The girl on the missing poster stares right into Chase's soul, making him jump back. "Holy shit!" Chase breathes like as if he finished a 5k run a minute ago, his heart beating the same way. A sigh escapes his mouth as he rubs his hands against his dripping wet face, not wet with the water from the faucet but wet with sweat. "What in the actual fuck is going on?"
Mom….Dad….Frank...Chlo-
The girl's whispers fly away from his ears as Chase shakes his head, not having any of it. Turning his hands around, Chase lifts his arm to stare at the damage. But like in that storm from earlier, nothing is there. No blood, no blue and green veins popping out, nothing to show that he was even in the predicament he was just in.
The black and white photo of the girl on the missing poster hangs back on the wall, no longer on the floor as it continues to watch Chase, catching his attention. Chase doesn't bother doing another staring contest and walks towards the poster, the floor grasping his shoes with each step. For some reason, the sticky floors now filling him with joy after being taken away to that horrific place.
"Rachel Amber?" Scratching the back of his now dripping wet neck, he stares at the girl's picture, her eyes staring back. "Missing from Arcadia Bay since Monday, April twenty-second, nineteen years old, height 5'5, weight one hundred ten pounds, blonde hair, hazel eyes? I've never seen this girl before." Murmurs whisper in his ears, ticking them with each syllable.
Oh, you look so beautiful.
Chase's heart drops as the male's voice returns, dominating his right ear. "No, no." The floor clinches his shoes with each step Chase takes backward, backing away from the missing poster.
Get away from me!
Chase's shoes stop as the girl's voice dominates his left ear, her words fitting the definition of fear.
Oh, don't make this any harder than it has to be.
Fuck you!
Fuck you bitch!
Chase's ears ring as the two bicker at each other, the emotion in their words like punches to his heart.
No fuck-
Chase's heart jumps in his chest as the restroom door swings open, another victim to the terrible scent of shit entering its grasp. A straight, jet black baton dangles from the man's utility belt, right next to the big brick of a walkie-talkie, murmuring inaudible words. The black gun watches Chase, frightening him even though it's the handle facing him.
"Everything alright in here?" Lights from overhead reflect off his bald head, the man's golden brown skin shining in the light. "Uhhhhh." Chase stumbles on what to say. Should he tell the man what happened to him? The voices in his head? The women begging for someone, or something to stop?
Chase raises his finger and points at the poster of the missing girl hanging on the wall, opting to not sound like a complete idiot to the officer of the law. The man in the blue uniform walks towards Chase and stands next to him as they both stare at the missing girl. "Young man, do know Rachel Amber?" Chase shakes his head in response, continuing to stare at the words, murmurs returning back into his ears. "No sir…. Did you?"
"No, I didn't. But I've heard from her parents, especially from her father, that she was the best daughter they could've ever had. I can't imagine the grief they must be feeling."
"What...How did she go missing?"
Stop it, get away from me!
Fuck you, you bitch!
Chase cranes his neck to stare at the police officer, wondering if he hears the voices. The man continues to talk about the missing girl, no voices bothering him. "Rachel just disappeared...just like that. We thought we had a trail at first but then we realized it wasn't working out and it led us to a dead end."
"A dead end? But you're still trying to find her right?" The man compresses his lips as he stares at the black and white photograph. "A lot of people have started losing hope… Some felt they were on an endless scavenger hunt for an egg that couldn't be found. A few people even quit."
"Did you quit sir?"
The man doesn't dare stare at the teenager and instead walks towards an empty urinal, the sticky floors having another pair of shoes to grab. "I don't want to waste your time with my talk and I came to use the restroom, so if you'll excuse me, I have some things to attend to." Chase is left staring at the girl's photo on the missing poster, while the man attends to his 'business".
I must be getting crazy. There's no way this girl, Rachel Amber, who's been missing for months, did that to me, no fucking way. I have to be dreaming, there's no other way to explain this. I need to get out of this restroom, now.
Taking one last glance at the missing girl, Chase walks away from the poster, slowing pushing the door to exit the restroom. "Hey kid, if you ever have any information about her, call the sheriff alright?" Drops of liquid echo from the man's urinal as he finishes his sentence. Chase doesn't bother to face the man as he swings the door open. "Alright, I will." With that, Chase exits the restroom and closes the door, stopping the terrible scent of the men's restroom from escaping into the diner.
What the fuck is going on? So far today I've been in a fucking storm, I've made a complete idiot of myself to that waitress, I went to the god damn abyss, I got hurt like hell, two people have been arguing in my ear, and this missing girl Rachel Amber has been messing with my head. This has to be a dream, yeah that's it. This is all just one strange fucking dream, you'll wake up soon enough Chase.
The side of Chase's pants vibrates, catching the eyes of a few people as he lets out a gasp. His body thumps as his body tenses as the people stare at him. The tight pockets of his skinny jeans scratch his hands as he reaches for his vibrating phone, lint falling out as he takes out his cellular device. Cracks run through the phone's screen in every direction, each with a story of their own of how they got there.
The name Sam runs across the top of the screen, littered with cracks all over it. The cracks scratching his finger, Chase slides his thumb across the bottom of the horrendous screen, answering the call. Chase shivers as the cold and cracked phone presses against his warm ear. "Hello?"
"Hey dude, I'm at the Two Whales Diner, are you here?"
It finally hit him. Chase wasn't here for no reason. He was at the Two Whales Diner because he was going to meet with Sam, the only friend he had in his school.
I do remember talking to Sam about meeting up at some diner, I guess I made it there. But if this isn't a dream, then what the hell was-
"Uhh, dude, you there?" Chase's thoughts come to an end as he shakes his head, putting him back into reality, the strange reality he now lives in. "Uhh yeah I'm here, are you?"
"Dude I just told you, yeah I'm here. You alright?" Chase shakes his head in response, hoping Sam would see it but of course, he doesn't. "Yeah. Where are you, the parking lot?"
"Yeah dude, why?" A sigh escapes Chase's mouth, squeezing his phone, pressing it against his ear. "I'll meet you outside alright? I need to talk to you about something."
"Uhh dude, we can just talk in the diner." The phone shakes as Chase squeezes it even more, about to throw it on the ground at any second. Chase takes a breath before he speaks again, loosening his grip on the phone, not wanting to add another crack to it. "I...I don't want anybody to hear us. It's something I only want you to hear."
The phone remains silent for a while as Chase stares at the waitress, who's serving customers with buttermilk pancakes and tender, crispy bacon. Butterflies the size of birds fly around Chase's stomach as the phone doesn't make a sound. "Uhh, hello?" For a while, not a single word comes from Sam until finally, words come out of the phone. "Where's my money at bitch? I've been waiting for six fucking weeks, Sam."
"Sorry man. I'll I...I...I'll get you your money first thing tomorrow."
"You said that three weeks ago, I'm done waiting."
"Woah man, put that thing down!"
"Sam? Sam?" The call ends without another word. Chase pulls the phone away from his ear, putting it back into its home. Chase jogs towards the door of the diner, the patrons all staring at the teenage boy going past them. "Watch where you're going! Hey wait, you didn't pay for your coffee kid!" The waitress raises her boiling hot pot of coffee as Chase passes her. "Sorry ma'am, I'll be back in a second!" Joyce shakes her head as she turns away from him, serving the now confused guests.
Drops of water slap the top of Chase's head as he exits the diner, coming from the orange and purple clouds taking over the sky overhead. His breathing intensifying, Chase searches around for any sign of his friend. Car horns blaring, the scent of gas taking over his nose, pedestrians in the distance with umbrellas pointing towards the dropping knives from the sky, everything so normal, nothing out of the ordinary.
"Please… Please, someone, help me." Chase follows the pleading voice all the way to the corner of the building, a red handprint posted on the side of the diner. Not wasting any more time, Chase rushes towards the handprint, deep red liquid flowing down from it, landing on the grass in the cracks of the sidewalk, drowning them. "Please…"
The blue and yellow Led lights surrounding the two whales of the towering sign flickers in the darkness, the concrete sidewalk brightening and darkening with it. Water takes over his eyes, both from the rain and from himself. In front of the bloody handprint, two newsstands stand against each other. The newspaper in the blue stand reading "The Independent", while the newspaper in the orange stand reads "Rachel Amber, girl gone missing." Chase would've stopped to read more about this girl but there was no time.
Chase turns away from the newsstands and walks towards the calling voice, turning the corner. Against a golden yellow car parked next to the wall opposite the diner, a silhouette lays, shaking like as if they were in the negatives of temperature. Red liquid splatters across the bottom of the car, right under the words "Arcadia Cab's", another bloody handprint next to the last letter of the black words.
"Sa...Sam?" Its head raises towards the boy, shaking more than before. As the lights from the diner's sign flickers, a trail of blood towards him appears with it. "C...Ch..Chase?" The silhouette raises its hands, liquid dripping from it and onto the rest of his body as it rises. A lonely tear falls, scratching Chase's face with its claws. "Sam...What...what happened to you?" A crackle echoes across the sky as Chase walks towards his wounded friend, a bolt of light coming from the sky and into the waters of Arcadia Bay.
The silhouette doesn't answer him and instead, lowers its arms as Chase gets to it. "Sam?" The boy leaning against the taxi cab coughs, liquid splattering from his mouth and onto Chase's jeans. "I...I just wanted to...to see you. Then this guy...he...he came at me with a knife. I...I tried to stop him...but...but…" Sam's voice diminishes with a long breath, his body doing the same. His head falls to his shoulder, his hand letting go of his wounded stomach.
"Sam?" Chase's stomach jumbles around, his throat drying as tears force themselves to escape from his eyes. Sam doesn't respond as he lays against the taxi cab, lifeless. "No Sam, no you can't be dead! Please get up!" Sam's body moves around as Chase shakes him, trying to wake him from his slumber. But it doesn't work. "Somebody help me!"
The people walking in the distance continue on with their business, holding onto their umbrellas as the rain pours, not acknowledging the boy pleading for help. "Damn it!" Chase throws his hand into his pocket as he reaches for his phone, the pocket scratching his hand. As he rips out his phone, water drops on it, filling the cracks on its screen. As Chase tries to put his password in, the screen doesn't detect his fingers as they press against the wet screen. "No! Work goddammit!" A stain appears on Chase's jacket as he wipes the phone screen on it, trying to dry it.
Out of the corner of his eye, a figure stands without an umbrella, staring at him. Chase turns his head away from the phone and towards the figure, still drying the screen. "Can you please help me?! Can you call nine-one-one?!" The man reaches towards his pocket, digging to find a phone. But what he pulls out isn't a phone. The object is sharp, razor-tipped with red liquid dripping off of it, landing on the wet concrete floor.
Chase's eyes expand as he nearly drops his phone, staring at the weapon of murder in the man's hands. "You...You killed my fucking friend!" The man's lips don't open to respond and instead, his legs do the talking as he walks towards him, his knuckles red with blood gripping the knife handle.
"What..What are you doing?" The man's lips don't move a sliver as he continues his walk towards the innocent teenager. Chase gets up as he puts his phone back into his pocket. "Hey, just..just calm down..please! I..I never did anything to you!" Chase raises his hands in front of him as he backs away, leaving his wounded friend behind. The man with the knife stops next to Sam's body, eyeing it as he holds the knife over the carcass, watching the blood drip off the edge as it returns back to its original owner.
The knife goes away from the body and gets closer to the man as he restarts his walk towards Chase. Chase stops walking backward, unable to go any further. Chase spins around, his hands shivering as they press against stone cold bricks. "Oh shit!" Chase turns around, the man even closer than before. "Stop, please stop!" Chase holds out his hands in front of him once again in hopes of the man stopping. He doesn't stop, but he doesn't go any further either. Instead, he walks backward at a fast pace.
What the fuck?
A reddish orange tint covers Chase's eyesight as the man continues to walk backward, leaving the alleyway entirely. Chase tries to lower his arms but they don't, they stay still as the red-orange tint continues to expand, taking over the objects around him. Sam slowly gets up, the blood from the floor rising and returning back to his body as he too, leaves the alley. Chase's vision gets corrupted until it becomes a shade of red and orange and in the blink of an eye, everything disappears and in its place is darkness, everything pitch black.
A black and white girl on a piece of paper stares at the boy standing before her, watching and waiting for what he will do next. Chase jumps back, nearly slipping if it weren't for the floors his shoes stuck on. "What the hell?"
Get away from me!
Shut up bitch!
What the fuck? What the fuck?! Why am I back here? What happened to Sam? What happened to that guy with the knife? What...What happened to me?
Chase raises his shaking arms as he stares at them. They're normal, nothing wrong with them, nothing to show that he was even in the predicament he was just in.
What the hell is going on? Did….Did I just-
Chase's heart jumps in his chest as the restroom door swings open, another victim to the terrible scent of shit entering its grasp. A straight, jet black baton dangles from his utility belt, right next to the big brick of a walkie-talkie, murmuring inaudible words. The black gun watches Chase, frightening him even though it's the handle facing him.
"Everything alright in here?" Lights from overhead reflect off his bald head, the man's golden brown skin shining from the light.
What the hell is going on? I've already seen this police officer before, I've already been in this bathroom, I've already heard all these voices in my head. What the fuck is going on?! Did I...Did I just...rewind time?