Soren Jayce
"Goodbye, Mom! Goodbye, Dad!" I called out as they stepped out of my apartment.
This was it, the first time I'd ever lived on my own.
They'd helped me unpack, brought in furniture from the back of my dad's truck, even stuck around long enough to help me set up the bed and hang a few curtains.
They stayed so long that night had fallen before we realized it.
I offered to let them stay the night, just in case, but they declined. Said they had something to do.
With that, I was all on my own.
In my new apartment.
All things considered, the rent was a steal. Full appliances, close to campus, and the neighbors while a bit odd, seemed nice enough.
When my parents and I first arrived to unload everything, we noticed a group of old women sitting out front of the building in lawn chairs. They were gossiping, sunbathing, and sipping something out of mismatched mugs.
I guess you really don't have anything better to do when you're that old.
Still, they seemed harmless enough. Each giving us polite waves when we passed. Though one of them, sitting quietly apart from the gossip, didn't wave. She just stared.
Her eyes tracked me with wariness. Her gaze sent a shiver straight down my spine.
The crows on the power lines and the cicadas in the trees seemed to grow louder all at once.
My gaze locked with hers. I stopped in my tracks. The world around me felt like it was slowing,
Until a hand tapped my shoulder.
"Soren. Hey, Soren," my mother said, snapping me out of my stupor.
"Why'd you stop moving? I'm gonna drop this box if you don't hurry and get out of my way," she said, half laughing, half straining under the weight.
I hurried along, taking my gaze away from the old woman.
As I moved, the world seemed to settle
Everything faded back into normalcy, like nothing had happened at all.
"You didn't see that creepy old lady staring at me?" I asked as I moved forward.
"No, honey," my mom said, her voice strained. "Now keep moving I'm seriously gonna drop this box if you don't get a move on."
As we made our way up to the apartment, angry screaming echoed out from behind door 8B one of the two units closest to the stairwell we'd just climbed.
Suddenly, a kid burst out the door laughing, sprinting down the hall with a phone in hand. The case was neon pink and fuzzy, bouncing in his grip as he frantically typed in every password combination he could think of.
Chasing after him was a girl around my age, her wet brown hair clinging to her face and shoulders. She was wrapped in nothing but a towel, clutching a hair dryer like a weapon, swinging it wildly as she screamed at the kid.
As quickly as they appeared, they were gone, vanishing down the stairs and leaving the hallway in silence once again.
I turned to my mom, a small grin tugging at the corner of my mouth.
"The neighbors don't seem all that bad," I said with a soft chuckle.
We got to my apartment, 3B.
My father followed in after us, carrying another box, and together we unpacked everything. One box after another until we were done.
And that brings me to now.
Sitting alone in the one chair in my living room, I stared at the blank wall across from me.
I'm thirsty, I thought to myself.
I wish I had packed drinks. Guess I'll have to hit the store tomorrow.
For now, I'll just grab a cup and drink some tap water.
Cup in hand, I turned the left handle.
The faucet sputtered to life, coughing out bursts of air. Small bangs echoing throughout the pipes.
Almost as if on cue, the fridge next to me let out a mechanical groan, followed by a clunk, and then a low, consistent vibration.
"You're right, fridge," I said out loud to no one in particular, aside from the fridge, of course. "I haven't checked you yet. Maybe you came prestocked?
Opening the fridge, I was met with a single, vibrant red can of Coke.
It sat perfectly centered on the middle shelf, untouched. Beads of condensation ran down its surface.
The red was so vivid, the scene so strangely perfect, it looked like something ripped straight from a commercial.
Sickeningly so, even.
Something about it felt… wrong.
My skin crawled as I reached for the can, a slow unease falling over me.
Hands grasping the aluminum, the condensation dripped onto my fingers.
It didn't feel like water.
It was thick, viscous, almost like soap, but not quite. The sensation was so jarring I instinctively pulled my hand back, the sudden motion knocking the can onto the floor.
It landed with a soft thud, rolling a few inches before settling.
I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest, the hairs on my arms standing on end.
Something about the way it stopped, so precise, so still, made my breath catch.
My heart was pounding so fast my head started to feel light.
I lowered myself to the ground, trying to steady my breathing.
Now I was sitting inches away from the can.
I kept repeating to myself, "It's just a soda. You're just nervous. First time living alone, it's normal. You'll be okay."
But I couldn't really believe it. Not with the way that can just sat there, like it was staring back at me.
I scooted backward, slowly rising from the floor as I made my way toward the bedroom.
Step by step, my heartbeat began to slow, the fog of anxiety lifting with every foot of distance I put between us.
By the time I collapsed face down onto my bed, the words finally started to stick.
I was just being silly. It's just a can.
With a sigh, I turned onto my back, staring up at the popcorn ceiling.
My eyes grew heavy, the tension i felt easing bit by bit.
Slowly, my eyelids closed, my consciousness fading with them.
When I opened my eyes again, it was still dark outside.
But something was wrong. My body felt like it was buzzing, like a live current was running through my limbs. They were heavy, sluggish, and uncomfortable to move.
As I sat up brushing off the discomfort as well as i could. I saw it.
black translucent box hovered in front of my face, glowing with robotic, bright green text.
The letters pulsed in the darkness as they updated line by line:
[Loading System....][Loading Complete]
[Compiling Tenet Profile][Tenet Profile Complete]
[Welcome, Tenet of 3B: Soren Jayce]
[Main Quest: Escape the complex within: 8640 Hours]