To anyone who has read my other story "Enjoy Your Stay", I have not abandoned it. Things will be explained in time, but expect a new chapter within the next few weeks hopefully.

This story will seem different. Things will feel weird.

If you figure out what's going on, I applaud you.

...

"Huh?" I muttered while staring out into the seemingly endless void that stood in front of me. Panic quickly struck as I turned around to see that the door I came through was no longer a door but more void.

To the left, void.

To the right, void.

Up, down, all around... void.

"What the fuck!? Hello!?" My voice echoed into the boundless darkness, but part of me wished there would be no reply, for any response might not be a friendly one. I felt paralyzed, trapped in an inexplicable void that radiated an undeniable sense of peril. Words failed me.

A bundle of emotions surged through my body, and my mind became overwhelmed with a flood of questions. Where was I? Where was the ground beneath my feet, if there was one? Why had this bizarre fate chosen me? How on earth could I escape this abyss? Fear settled in like an unwelcome guest, anxiety clinging to its sleeves. I'd never experienced such a solitude, such unfiltered communion with my own thoughts in my entire life. It was tormenting. In an attempt to alleviate my worries, I tried to recollect the moments leading up to my unexplainable arrival here...

About 6 hours earlier

"Yo!" A familiar voice called out to me, "Yo, Hitoshi! Where've you been, buddy?"

The source of the voice was the first friend I made in this school, Jason. You see, I'm a bit of a rare breed, you could say. My mom, a Caucasian American woman, and my dad, an African American man, gave birth to me after they moved to Japan. I lived my entire life there and grew up around that type of culture. Until I was 16 when they decided to move back to the States. It was out of my control, but if it were up to me, I would've stayed. I've been in America for 2 years, and today I turn 18.

"Hey Jason, I was sick for a couple of days. Covid hit me hard, still feel a little sick, but it's manageable," I said while pulling a half-assed smile.

Jason let out a hearty belly laugh, "Ha! Sick right before your birthday, sucks to suck, I guess."

America is a lot more different from Japan; the people are even more so. It's very loud everywhere I go, and the people can be quite rude, I would say. I've gotten used to it, but I still miss the quiet Japan.

"It is what it is; I don't have anything planned for my birthday anyway." It really wasn't that big of a deal, but a sigh still escaped my lips.

Jason pulled out a card and tossed it to me; I somehow managed to catch it. "Here's a gift from me to you; it's a Visa card with 50 bucks in it. Spend it on whatever you'd like."

A warm feeling climbed up from my toes to my head. It's not like I've never received a gift, but this seems different somehow?

"Wow, thank you, Jason. 50 bucks is a lot, are you sure?" I said with a smile on my face, a real one this time.

"If you don't want it, you can give it back!" He said sarcastically. "Just take it as a thank you gift; you've saved my ass countless times when it comes to tests and stuff."

I let out a laugh, or maybe a scoff? Let's say it was a mixture of both. After chatting for a bit, we headed to class.

9:00 am - 1st period, English IV: Went by with no issues, just more writing.

10:30 am - 2nd period, Algebra II: Never going to use this information for anything in my life.

12:00 pm - Lunch

12:45 pm - 3rd period, Culinary Arts: The girl I like was absent today, so I made a batch of cookies in her honor.

1:50 pm - 4th Period, Economics: Definitely going to use this information for quite a few things in my life.

2:55 pm - Home

I parked my car in the garage and headed inside. "I'm home!" I shouted. No response; it seemed like Mister and Missus were still at work. I filled the dogs' bowls and headed upstairs to my room. My room wasn't anything special; a bed, a closet, some dirty clothes on the floor, an overflowing trash can, and a desk where my computer is. A pile of paperwork greeted me once I entered, a bunch of shit I needed to get done.

"I can never catch a break," I thought to myself. As I sat down at my desk, prepared to waste my weekend with hours of paperwork, something in my pocket poked at me. "Ow." The culprit of my minor injury was the $50 gift card Jason gave me.

"Maybe... Working is all I do; why not just stop?" I sighed. "Was my life always this dull?" I grab my phone out of my other pocket and scroll through the camera roll, trying to find any eventful memories I may have recorded.

Not much to write home about. It was all just generic pictures of me and my parents, some of me and Jason as well. I look the same in every photo, have I even aged? The picture that stood out the most was the one of me and Jason first hanging out; we went to this amusement park not too far from my house. He's all happy about beating one of those scam-stands, while I look unamused, ironic for being an amusement park.

My outfit that day couldn't have been more ordinary - a black, short sleeved shirt adorned with a whimsical image of a mini grim reaper riding a toddler's oversized tricycle. Below, a pair of baggy gray pants, a tiny tear on the fabric of the left leg. And of course, the most generic red sneakers you could think of. Remarkably, I find myself wearing the exact same ensemble at this very moment. To complete the look, my unruly, brown, curly hair perfectly complemented my deep, nearly pitch-black, eyes.

I set down my phone and stood up from my desk. "I'll use this money to go out and relax. I'll treat Jason to some good food, and maybe we could go walk around the mall or something. I'm getting out of this room and enjoying my life from now on." It felt like I was a different person; maybe Jason's goofy and carefree attitude was rubbing off on me? I opened my door and stepped through into a new chapter of my life... or maybe a new void?

Present time

"Man, right when I was gonna start makin' a change." I sat down on what I assumed was the floor. It's not even that this place is dark. I can see myself perfectly well, but everything is black. The blackest black I have ever seen. It's as if the darkness itself is a living entity, wrapping around me like a suffocating shroud. The void seems to pulsate with an unsettling energy, and it's cold, bone-chilling cold that seeps into my very being.

The silence is oppressive, a silence so profound that it feels like it's crushing my eardrums. There are no echoes, no distant sounds, just an eerie stillness that makes every breath I take sound thunderous in comparison.

"I have no clue what to do. What can I do?" I remarked as my seated posture transformed into an awkward and seemingly uncomfortable sleeping position.

"I'm tired... I'm so tired..." My eyes began to feel heavy and started to close off my vision. Through my nearly closed eyelids, I glimpsed a cluster of red eyes materializing in the darkness, followed by the emergence of a person in a dress. I could only see their bottom half, and then I could see nothing at all.

I've passed out.