Prologue

“Beep beep beep beep.”

“Ugh…”

“Beep beep beep beep.”

“What the hell is this?”

“Beep beep beep beep.”

“Ugh, it’s the clock…”

I didn’t want to get up. The bed was so comfortable. But that alarm was so annoying.

I stretched my arm with as little effort as possible and missed the button. Annoyed, I raised my arm again and, this time, hit it. The noise stopped.

Finally, peace.

It felt like my head was being squeezed from every side. I couldn’t get up like this.

I think I can sleep five more minutes, then I just need to get ready fast.

I closed my eyes.

Who am I trying to fool? I can’t fall back asleep.

I have this problem: once I wake up, I can’t fall back asleep.

I opened my eyes and looked at the ceiling.

The white color caught my attention. The strange headache I was feeling made more sense than before.

I remembered the nightmare I had.

That damn white room. It was already the fifth time I had dreamed about it. I couldn’t remember anything besides vague details.

A sink…

What color was it?

I turned my face to the side and saw the time on the clock.

“Shit! I’m going to be late!”

I threw the covers away and got up in a hurry, then ran to the shower.

***

I arrived at the office building out of breath and a little sweaty.

As soon as the adrenaline started to leave my body, the numbness of that gray building took over me.

I entered the faded beige elevator and pressed the button to go up.

“Good morning,” I said when I saw the first person. “Good morning.” To the second and then the third, while trying to smile.

Their names? I don’t even remember. And it doesn’t matter either.

I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at my desk. I took off my coat.

How many times have I done all of this before?

While the computer turned on, I picked up a box full of stacks of documents.

Page after page, the day went by. It was funny how my mind dissociated at those times.

I looked around. Several people working. Were they also outside themselves like me?

This whole office was painted white. If it weren’t for the dark carpet, it would look exactly like the room.

I turned back to the computer and, with the white sheets in my hands, started thinking about the nightmare.

The white room was an extremely mysterious nightmare. I saw somewhere that dreams have meanings. When we sleep, we access one of the deepest places in our subconscious.

But I don’t remember ever being in a white room like that. Or have I?

Another solution to this problem is the collective unconscious, where all humans are connected and that would be responsible for images of places I have never been.

“BOO!”

“AH!” I shouted, startled, while a girl laughed in my face. The other employees looked at us.

I put my hand on my heart while recovering from the scare. I looked at the skinny girl with brown hair.

“Laura, why would you do that?”

“You looked very focused on something else, so I decided to scare you as punishment.”

That was Laura, a nice woman with a childish way about her. She loved slacking off at work, always finding reasons to take a break, and always came to bother me.

Her bright aura was extremely contagious. Enough to make me forget how depressing this place was.

“So, what were you thinking about?” she asked.

“A nightmare I’ve been having.”

Her eyes lit up with curiosity.

“What have you been dreaming about?” she asked while getting closer to me. “Is it always the same dream?”

“I don’t really remember. It involves some white room and…” I started to explain and remembered something important. “Hey, shouldn’t you be working? Shouldn’t we be working?”

She looked to the sides as if she were up to something.

“Oh, right. I had completely forgotten about it. I don’t want to go. Can’t I stay here with you?”

“No. We have to work.”

She smiled mischievously.

“Don’t you think you’ve worked too much already?” she asked while placing her hands on my shoulders. “You’re tired. You didn’t sleep well. I can take care of you,” she whispered in my ear while massaging my shoulders.

A shiver ran up my spine, and by reflex, my arm pushed her away lightly. I looked at her seriously.

“If you don’t go now, I’m calling the supervisor.”

Her smile disappeared, and she looked annoyed.

“Boring. Fine then, old man.”

She went to the other side of the room, back to her desk. I could barely see where she was.

The sun hid below the horizon and all the warmth had gone away.

I put my coat back on.

Maybe the lack of warmth was the air conditioning.

A few more hours of work. Then the supervisor appeared and asked for everyone’s attention.

“Everyone, we’re behind schedule. I didn’t want to ask this, but anyone who can do a few more boxes today will be paid for the overtime. Just let me know.”

The supervisor sat at a table full of boxes. Little by little, some people stood up and went to the table, where he gave two boxes to each one of them.

I must hate myself, I thought, annoyed, while getting up to go to his table.

***

It was night, and I was on the final box. Only a few sheets left. Unlike the office in the morning, which was noisy and bright, now there were only the weak lights of the hallway and the elevator. On the desks, only the lights from the computer screens and the small lamps.

We looked like scattered stars. Small galaxies isolated by an ocean of dark matter.

I thought I was alone, when I felt a presence beside me.

“You still haven’t finished? You’re so slow.”

It was Laura.

“What are you doing here? I didn’t think you would do overtime too,” I asked with a tired voice.

“I saw you took a box, and I thought I would keep you company,” she answered while pulling up a chair.

“Liar,” I said while continuing the movement of picking up a sheet and then typing what I saw into the computer.

“If you don’t believe me, fine. But I’ve already finished, so there’s no problem if I stay here with you for a little while, right?” she explained while placing the chair beside me. She seemed to be looking at me carefully.

I was worried she would distract me, but at the same time, something inside me wanted her to stay. So I didn’t say anything.

The sounds of keyboards were fading. The elevator opened and closed.

I think more people are finishing.

Something came to my mind.

“Laura, can I ask you something?”

She smiled. It looked like she had been waiting for something.

“Of course.”

“Why are you always so cheerful? Do you like working here?”

The brightness in her face disappeared, and her expression grew distant.

She got up from the chair and disappeared from my field of vision. I felt her warmth on my back, and a light weight that forced me to hold myself up so I wouldn’t fall face-first onto the desk. Her arms wrapped around my chest.

For a second, I felt as if time had stopped.

Her heavy breathing and the muffled sound of typing brought me back from wherever my mind had gone.

“Hey… Gabriel…” she whispered softly in my ear.

“What is it?”

“I want to ask you something too. Something serious.”

I felt a shiver and my body went cold. My hands were sweating. I couldn’t keep writing.

“What?” I asked, trying not to care so the words would come out.

I had the impression that I could feel Laura’s heart beating faster. But I didn’t know if it could be mine.

“Are you doing anything this weekend?”

My life was extremely boring. Even today, being Friday, if I wasn’t doing overtime, I would probably stay home watching television.

“Nothing. Why?”

“Would you like to go watch Stellar Journey with me on Sunday?”

The trailer for that movie had been playing all the time on television, and I had seen a lot of people talking about it. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea.

But…

There are so many people at the cinema.

Would I have fun? Would I like it? Was it a good idea?

I looked at the computer screen, trying to buy time.

“I… don’t know…”

I felt her arms tightening around me. I was trapped.

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” she asked with an excited voice, but I didn’t move.

“Please…” she whispered, her voice failing for a second.

I sighed.

“Okay… I’ll go.”

She let me go and smiled, doing a few little jumps of joy.

“Yay!” she celebrated, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “See you at six, then, cutie.”

I stayed frozen. She walked to the other side of the office, and I couldn’t help looking at her while she picked up her bag and entered the elevator, giving a small wave.

I felt my nervousness going away. And the numbness of work returning.

I needed to focus. There were only a few sheets left.

***

Finished!

I looked around and didn’t see any lights on the desks.

I was alone.

As they say: the last one out turns off the lights.

Slowly, one by one, I turned off the switches.

Chairs, desks, computers — everything disappeared from my sight.

The darkness embraced me.

My heart started beating faster.

It was getting hard to breathe.

My body knew before I did.

After turning off the last light in the office, I ran to the only illuminated place:

The elevator.

I pressed the button to call it. I looked at the clock: 22:37.

I looked around, at the darkness.

I pressed the button again.

This elevator takes too long… I thought it would be fun to work in such a tall place. How wrong I was.

I turned to the elevator again and pressed the button one more time.

Then a loud, indescribable sound came from behind me.

My heart jumped into my mouth.

I turned to the hallway, pressed my back against the wall where the button was, and stared into the darkness.

The lights flickered — and went out.

With my palm on the wall, I dragged my fingers until I felt the cold metal of the button and started pressing it desperately.

Something in the shadows was slowly approaching.

I could feel it.

Everyone had already left… it wasn’t possible for there to be something there.

Then why?

It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

It could feel my fear.

And I knew: if I didn’t get out of there soon, I would never get out.

But if the elevator didn’t open, I had nowhere to run.

I closed my eyes.

There was nothing I could do.

Only wait.

Accept it.

I started thinking about my life — and about how much of a piece of shit it was.

But then Laura invaded my thoughts.

Maybe I was wrong.

If it weren’t for her, everything would be worse.

And now that I was going out with her… everything could change.

I needed to survive.

We were going out together.

“Ding.”

The elevator door opened.

I ran as fast as I could.

My hands were shaking while I pressed any button, several times.

The door started closing slowly.

The thing was approaching.

Closer and closer.

And then I saw it.

A smile, in the middle of the shadows.

The doors closed.

The elevator started going down.

I pressed the ground floor button and hid in the back of the elevator. My legs gave out, and I sat on the floor. I let out a sigh of relief. I was soaked in sweat.

I was truly scared. That had been so real.

Slowly, the lights that indicated the floors turned on and off one floor at a time. The door opened and closed four times, until I reached the ground floor.

I controlled my breathing and forced myself to stand before the doors opened.

I said goodbye to the receptionist and also to the building security guard on the way out. Both of them had tired faces. Maybe they were exhausted, which would mean that after working so late, I would be too.

I left the building. The night was calm, with no clouds in the sky and the moon lighting the street. Cars going from one side to the other. People walking here and there.

I looked back, trying to see up there, inside the windows. Everything was dark. I couldn’t see anything.

Why was I still bothered?

I opened the apartment door and heard my cat’s low meow. He came to the door to greet me. I had forgotten to put food out for him.

I went to the kitchen and put food in the bowl. He ate slowly.

I petted him.

I stayed there for a few seconds.

I swallowed dry.

I petted him again.

I took a quick shower, lay down, and tried to sleep. I couldn’t. My heart was beating too hard. Every time I closed my eyes, a bad feeling grew.

When exhaustion finally won, my body suddenly went cold. A strong white light hurt my closed eyes. My head hurt against something hard.

I opened my eyes.

It was it again. That damn room.

But something was wrong.

This time, it wasn’t a dream.

I was awake.