Chapter 4: A dark omen

Jax rubbed his eyes, adjusting to his surroundings. "Wh-where am I?"

"You're in your new home. For life." A voice seemed to say all around him, but Jax looked up and realized Caine had spoken.

"W-what?! Why?-I,I need to get out of here. There has to be a way!" Jax said, freaking out. Panic was starting to overtake him, and he almost didn't realize how blurry and creepy everything looked, how everything seemed to glitch. It only added to his rising fear.

"What is this place…? I need…I need to get out of here!" His breath seemed to be coming in shallower and shallower, faster, and faster.

"You can't. You're stuck here. Forever." Kinger said, seeming more as a threat than he did a minute ago.

Jax froze. "No. No! That can't be possible. There always has to be a way. Always!" Jax suddenly saw an exit door appear. Jax smiled and ran towards it with happy tears pricking his eyes. "Finally! I can be free! I can get out of this place-"He suddenly stumbled forward, almost reaching the handle, but failed.

The door faded away into nothingness in front of him.

"What?! No. No." He whispered, then started to panic even more as he yelled, "No! This cannot be my fate! Please! Anything! Please! NO!" He screamed to the air, then slumped back in defeat, sobbing. "Why…why did this have to happen…? Why?"

"Because. It's your life, Jax. You need to wake up and accept it. Let me out. I'll be here. Waiting…" Jax looked up and saw a glitching, sinister-looking version of himself, in a top hat and a sharp red and black tuxedo with a cane.

"Wh-what are you-"

"Gah!" Jax found himself back in his room, in his bed. He was gasping for breath, trying to calm himself from the terrible nightmare he had just witnessed.

"Why…why did that guy look like a crossover between me and Caine? Did…was he the same person who invaded my mind yesterday?! Is he even real?! Why does he think I'll let him out? Heck if I know what that means, anyway."

Jax's breathing returned to normal. "That…was a lot. My first day here…wasn't like that. But…it felt like it was. If that hadn't actually been a dream, I'd have totally abstracted for sure."

Jax didn't feel like coming out of his room, but he also didn't want to stay in the place where he last saw that creepy version of him, so he decided to see what was going on with everyone else.

"I don't suppose they had a nightmare…" Jax sluggishly thought, yawning and opening his door. Did he even sleep? He made his way through the hallway and onto the main stage. No one was there. "Did I wake up too early? No one seems to be here…"

He sat on the ground, wondering what he should do next. He heard a pop-like sound, then silence. "Hey, Caine." Jax said, not looking up. Cain slowly floated over to Jax, still not speaking. He seemed to be reluctant about something. As far as Jax could tell, it was the first moment Cain had not been the first to speak when he was around.

"Uh…you good?" Jax said, aware of the awkward silence. After a moment's hesitation, Cain gathered his courage and finally said, "Do you hate me?" "What?" Jax looked at Cain. It seemed as if he was being serious. "I said-" "No, I know what you said. Of course I don't hate you! I mean, sure, you can be annoying sometimes, but I don't hate you." Cain's face brightened up a bit. "Oh! Uh, yeah. I was just wondering how you felt about me…"

"It's probably more than that…" Jax thought, but he didn't press Cain any further.