Chapter 0004

—Klein.

You can't be serious, you can't fire me sir!." I blurted out.

After I said those words to my boss, he didn’t even look up. I opened my mouth to speak again...something, anything...when his hand slammed down on the desk. The sound snapped through the silence like a whip, and I flinched.

I held myself from tearing up. Was this it? Was I really getting fired?

"What did I tell you?" His voice was calm yet cold.

I tried to answer, but my throat closed up. Nothing came out. Should I start explaining how I’m a ridiculously deep sleeper? That when I hit the bed, I’m out like a light, practically dead to the world? You could drop a bomb next to me, and I wouldn’t flinch. It’s just how I’m wired. Strange, maybe, but true.

"Leave my presence."

Calm words. Casual. As if he hadn’t just destroyed my life.

My hands clenched into fists. As much as I wanted to remain calm, something inside me snapped. Before I could stop myself, I raised my hand and gave him the middle finger. A silent, defiant salute to the man who had just wrecked my paycheck. Then I spun on my heel and walked out.

The hallway was quiet. But the moment the employees saw me, whispered started spreading. Well, yeah... They're free to say whatever they want.

"Is he fired?"

I suddenly stopped, turned, and caught a few wide-eyed stares.

"Whoever bet I’d get fired, congratulations," I announced, my voice dripping sarcasm. "Go ahead and collect your winnings."

I rolled my eyes, glared at them and continued on my way. My eyes landed on my skateboard leaning against the wall. Grabbing it, I rolled out, the wheels clacking rhythmically beneath me.

"Don’t think this is the last of me, cold Face," I muttered under my breath like a misbehaved kid. "I’m coming back."

My skateboard carried me without direction until I found myself in a quiet spot. Trees loomed above, and hills rolled in the distance. It was peaceful.

I sat on a rock, staring ahead as my thoughts drifted off.

This was my life. A mess. A beautiful, complicated disaster I couldn’t quite figure out.

Time blurred. Minutes, hours...who knows how long I sat there just staring into nothingness? When the weight of it all finally lifted enough for me to breathe again, I stood up and decided to head home as it was starting to turn dark. Besides, I didn't want any encounter with bald head Brian.

When I got him, My parents were waiting. Concern etched into their faces. They spoke, but their words faded into the background. I didn’t respond. I walked past them, their voices trailing behind me.

"Did he get fired?"

I heard them. I ignored them.

How was I supposed to admit that the job I’d been bragging about—the one I’d made sound like a career-defining move—was gone? How could I tell them that, for the first time, losing a job actually hurt?

I shut my bedroom door behind me, collapsed onto my bed, and pulled out my phone. Three missed calls and a text from Simon asking about my job hunt stared back at me.

“You bet it was good,” I replied with a quick text, tossing my phone aside as I stared up at the ceiling.

......

When I opened my eyes, I realized I had dozed off after texting Simon. I let out a groan, staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to all my problems. Spoiler alert—it didn’t.

After gathering what little dignity I had left from sleep-drooling on my pillow, I sat up and looked around the room.

Empty.

"Winter? Can you get me some water, please?" I called out, but the response I got was silence.

Maybe he was busy with his homework. I got up and went to his room, but it was empty too. Where was he? Wasn’t he back from school?

"Mom? Dad?" I called out, dragging my feet back to my room, running a hand through my hair. Just as I reached my door, I stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes widening in disbelief.

This… wasn’t my room anymore.

Gone were the walls plastered with posters and the clutter of my questionable life choices. In its place was an endless, dark forest. Trees towered over me like they had personal vendettas, and the ground was covered with leaves crunchier than my morning cereal.

"What the...?" My voice cracked. "Where am I? Isn't this supposed to be my room?" I wondered as I hesitantly stepped past the door frame only to hear the door shut loudly behind me, making me flinch. I spun around, but the door was gone—completely vanished.

Now, I was surrounded by nothing but trees and a thick, creeping fog.

My heart hammered, thudding so loud I could hear it in my ears. Then came the whirlwind. Oh, because of course there had to be a whirlwind. I was in the middle of an unknown forest in my own room. Leaves and dirt spun around me, and I covered my face, sputtering as if nature had a personal grudge.

When it finally stopped, I lowered my hands...and immediately wished I hadn’t.

A man in black stood before me. Full-on cliché... black boots, black cloak, and even a hood. He looked like he’d walked straight out of a bargain-bin thriller. But he wasn't here earlier. Did... he appear?

"W-who are you?" I stammered, glancing around like I could find a hidden exit from this horror movie.

The man ignored my question. His voice was low, serious, and unnecessarily dramatic. "I’ve been searching for you. Where are you presently?"

I narrowed my brows,. "You… don’t know where I am?"

He said nothing. Alright, I know I'm not supposed to find this funny but it is. I should be scared for my life now, scared about how my room turned into a god-damned forest, and how this man had gotten here.

"How did you 'find' me if you don’t know where I am? That’s literally the opposite of finding!"

The man growled, and the entire forest shook. Trees swayed violently, branches groaned, and I was starting to regret my mouth.

"Okay, okay, chill," I muttered, stepping back.

He stretched out his hand, and—no joke—a dagger appeared in his palm. The blade glinted sharply, almost blinding me. My pulse quickened.

I have one simple rule in life: if it can stab me, I want no part of it.

That said, I avoid sharp objects altogether... for reasons. Let’s just say I’ve got a little secret when it comes to those.

"Tell me where you are," the man demanded. "I’ve been searching for you for years."

"Stay away!" I shouted, stumbling back, my eyes glued to the knife like it was about to come alive and attack me on its own. I turned to run because clearly, survival instincts weren’t optional.

I didn’t get far.

He was suddenly right in front of me.

Oh, shit.

He’d just been behind me. Did he just... fucking appear out of nowhere?

"I will find you," he said with a smile that could’ve been in a horror movie trailer. "You’re my possession."

"Possession?!" I raised a brow... "I’m not an old lamp, old man."

Without warning, he raised the dagger.

Then, he pulled back his hood.

His face came into view—dark eyes brimming with madness and utterly devoid of humanity. Definitely not someone I wanted as an enemy.

"I am your owner," he said, his voice low and menacing. "You belong to me."

"Over my dead body!"

"That’s the idea." He laughed, a sound that chilled my bones. Before I could react, he spoke in a strange, guttural tongue—words that crackled through the air like lightning—and drove the dagger straight at my chest.

I screamed.

Pain exploded through me, burning like fire. I gasped for air, clutching my chest as agony ripped through my body.

"ARGHH!"

My eyes snapped open, and I was back in my room, drenched in sweat. It was a nightmare, a terrible one, but my chest hurt so bad it felt like I’d actually been stabbed.

"Arghh!" I groaned again, clutching my shirt.

"Klein!" Winter burst into the room, his backpack still slung over one shoulder. His eyes widened in panic. "Are you okay? What’s wrong?"

I groaned. "I think I… got… stabbed."

Winter’s brow furrowed as he stared at me like I’d lost my mind. "By what? A pillow?"

I groaned louder, collapsing back onto my bed. The pain intensified, a sharp, relentless ache that made me groan even louder.

"Klein," my brother’s voice started to fade, growing distant and muffled.

Before I knew it, darkness swallowed me whole, his voice the last thing I heard.