first encounter (part 1

I awoke myself to find myself not in my cozy bed, or even in the protection of my house. I awoke to find myself in another world, a world of suffering

As the numbness of sleep slowly faded away from my limbs, I felt dead grass poking into back, like tiny needles. I opened my eyes and gasped a breath, but nothing came and I choked on my own dry tongue. There was no air in this mechanical world; lack of oxygen descended on my mind in a panic, in desperation I sucked in another breath, burning my lungs with a ferocity that consumed me. Mist descended on my eyes. Through the Misty cell surrounding my eyes, I could barely make out dead white trees like bony fingers stretching foe the sunless sky. I could feel my heart beating against my rib cage, slowly, every second.

Realisation dawned on me, I was going to die. I tried to move my chest tried to suck on air but none came. My heart stopped. My mind gave one final sigh. Then I felt nothing. Nothing at all. Darkness.

Then I woke in my living room. The thick shag carpet of my living room drowned in clothes and folders and trash, the detritus of a life, all of it pulled out as I tried to decide just what to pack, when I heard her sharp rapping at the door. I headed down the hall, past it's stack of browning newsprint, it's crooked, black-framed photos.

The door was like to stick now, so I had to yank on the old brass handle till it give. And there she stood, my oldest friend, looking as worn as used mattress, Jenn.

"You ain't ever going to clean up." She chuckled

"I live in plain despair, ha!" I glanced at her, her face looked bright in the dull clothes

I got her settled in my chaotic living room and went over to the kitchenette.

"What are you goin to drink?" I called out to her. "Latte?"

When she didn't replied, I leaned through the door and looked at her. "Latte fine by you?" She looked up "What?"

"Are you turning deaf?" I said grinning

"no, they just gave 'endless' an upsree of 10 freaking chapters."

"What's that now? did you found a new manga?"

"oh, yeah, it's murder mystery."

"again?" I turned back with a shake of my head.

"So, you're stayin here, right?"

"I expect that's right."

"well, till? you just can't abandon them right?"

"Hmmm, yes, but they don't want me to go back."

"I see, you can stay here as king and you want to" I told her with a smile

Those days kept going, Jenn is a coroner now.

Today, I leaned forward into my chair and picked up my scotch.

While Jenn came out of her room with black crop-top, ripped jeans, with her gleam blue eyes covered in round copper framed sunglasses.

Her presence reminded me of work, I almost forgot about.

On the way back home, Jenn asked me to go with her to buy some necessities.

As we walked, tall apartments loomed dark in either side of street. Shadows was long IN gutters. I was feeling more and more uneasy.

"Nothing's open this hour, Jenn? What we doing?"

"Luns open, Lun's always open."

I wasn't listening, just stared all around me.

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