《An Eldritch Horror Lives In My Closest?! [A Twisted Time Loop]》


 Chapter One: Don鈥檛 Open The Closet!

    Loop 1 Chapter 1


    Don''t Open The Closet!


    Jacob scratched his head and frowned. It felt like the legs of a dozen little spiders tiptoed across his spine. He looked around his apartment, and his scowl only deepened.


    "My apartment..." Jacob''s voice sounded like a stranger''s as he spun around in a slow circle. "Is this... my apartment?"


    The spiders continued their dance across his arms and legs. A physical wave of confusion swept over him as he stared at a vibrant couch covered with a dozen colorful pillows. There was a television mounted to the wall across from the couch, and he could see a PlayStation 5 and a Nintendo Switch.


    "I... I don''t have..." Jacob''s breathing was growing heavy, and he rubbed at his eyes irritably. "This... isn''t my apartment?"


    His legs felt like two stone lumps as his head swam with confusion. Because this had to be his apartment. Why else would he be here if it was not his apartment? It was a shame there was not something as clich¨¦ as a family portrait to dispel his confusion, but this... this had to be home!


    "I must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed..." Jacob muttered to himself.


    The bright sun outside filled the room with light, but he still felt his vision grow dim.


    Because he could not remember waking up. He could not remember falling asleep. It was as if he had simply popped into existence standing in the middle of this unfamiliar room. He could not remember anything.


    Jacob clutched his chest as panic stabbed at his heart. He could not remember yesterday. He could not remember last week. He could not remember where he worked or if he even had a job. It was not that his memories were covered in fog. An impenetrable wall stood tall and erect between this moment and all others. Parents? Friends? He could not remember anyone.


    "Oh God..." Jacob bit his lip as the alien room around him began to shake and swirl. Nothing. He could remember nothing. "Heart attack... I think I''m having... having a heart attack."


    His frazzled nerves were one big ball of misery as a voice erupted behind his ear.


    "Karate chop! Hiiiiya!"


    Jacob screamed with all the enthusiasm of a frightened schoolgirl. He flailed his arms and almost tripped over his own feet.


    "Wh-whoa there..." An unfamiliar voice fought back laughter. "Let''s dial it back a little bit, Johnny Bravo."


    Jacob turned to stare... at a beautiful woman.


    "Wooow. You look like shit," the unfamiliar woman said. She tilted her head and placed a thin finger on the bottom of her lip. "You had quite the night."


    The young woman had ivory black hair and wore a playful smile. Jacob forgot about some of his confusion as he met her intense stare. Her eyes were the color of gold and seemed to trap him like a hypnotist.


    He quickly realized he had no idea who this woman was.


    The unfamiliar woman''s smile only brightened as she covered her chest with her dainty arms. She wore a knee-length black dress that would not have looked out of place at a monastery.


    "All this staring, Jacob!" the unfamiliar woman said with a laugh, and Jacob''s heart jumped. She knew his name... and Jacob realized that he knew his own name. "I''m not on the menu today, playboy. Are you still drunk?"


    "Drunk...?" Jacob''s voice was hoarse. He tried to swallow, but his throat was as dry as the savanna.


    "I really thought you were going to drink yourself to death," the woman said, and her laugh filled Jacob with the strangest warmth. "If you didn''t look so happy, I would have stopped you. It''s already eleven, by the way. I think you missed work."


    Jacob slowly digested all that the woman had told him. While he had no idea who she was, she clearly knew him. Jacob might have felt a little more worried about her job comment if he could remember what it was he did for a living.


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    The first smile of the day touched his lips, however, as he looked once more around the apartment. This must be her home. He was just... hungover?


    "Are you OK?"


    Jacob turned back to the beautiful woman and cleared his throat. His cheeks reddened with embarrassment as he struggled to find the right words.


    "I... This is a little confusing, but..." Jacob smiled nervously as he glanced between the woman''s impish face and her shoes. "I can''t... I don''t remember anything."


    "I''m not surprised," the unfamiliar woman said with a radiant smile. "With how much you dra- "


    "N-No!" Jacob said, and he was surprised at the force in his voice. Fear and confusion were instantly replaced with frustration.


    The woman recoiled and took an unconscious step back. Jacob bit his lip and felt his face redden further.


    "I''m sorry," Jacob said quickly. "I can''t remember anything. I don''t... I can''t remember anything!"


    A pregnant silence lingered between the two of them until the woman''s thin lips widened into an excited O.


    "Oooooh." Her piercing gold stare seemed to peek under his clothes as she studied him from foot to head. "You mean, like, amnesia?"


    Jacob nodded his head absentmindedly. Amnesia. It was the kind of thing you only ever heard about in movies and television. Amnesia. Amnesia?


    "Do you remember... who you are?" the woman asked, breaking Jacob from his stupor.


    "I remember my name," Jacob said, and he failed once more to remember even the smallest detail about himself.


    "Do you remember my name?"


    Jacob looked up and found an impish smile on the woman''s face. He shook his head, and her smile only widened.


    "So you have no idea who I am?" the woman asked, and she took several steps closer to Jacob. He felt a nervous heat tickle his face.


    "I... I don''t remember anything," he said through a dry throat.


    "Even if I was your fianc¨¦..." the woman began. She reached out a baby soft hand and stroked his cheek. "...you wouldn''t have a clue?"


    Jacob tried to speak, but his voice remained trapped in his throat. He looked the woman up and down, remarking once more on what a beauty she was. Her chest was not the largest, but her face was that of a model.


    It was a little self-deprecating, but he could not imagine this woman having any... romantic interest in himself. Was it possible he was rich? She had mentioned a job earlier. Was it possible that he-


    And the woman burst into riotous laughter. If Jacob''s eyes had been closed, he would have thought a hyena had broken in through a window. Tears streaked down the woman''s face as she struggled for breath.


    "I''m sorry! I''m sorry!" she said between gasps for air. Jacob stood beside her, a little annoyed but more embarrassed than that. "Look at you blush! You really thought! You really thought!"


    "All right! Enough of that!" Jacob said in a huff. He was starting to feel more than just a little annoyed. "Who are you? Come on."


    "I''m your roommate," the woman said with one last chuckle. "Just your roommate. Alice. You really don''t remember?"


    Jacob searched his thoughts, but the name Alice ran up against the same impenetrable wall from before. He could not remember anything. It was like looking out across the ocean and trying to see another continent.


    "Wait, wait, wait..." Alice straightened up, and her smile chipped away. "You''re serious, aren''t you?"


    Jacob''s face flickered with annoyance, but he pushed down the flash of frustration.


    "I woke up and..." He stopped himself midsentence. "I didn''t even wake up. I just... I just suddenly couldn''t remember anything."


    "I blame the drinking," Alice said with a wry grin. "You had quite the night."


    Jacob nodded his head, but a quiet thought nagged at him. This was not the first time she had mentioned some kind of all-night bender, but Jacob... Jacob did not drink.


    It was not that he could remember not drinking. It was not even that he could remember not liking to drink. He just... knew he did not like to drink.


    "This is wild!" Alice said with wonderment in her golden stare. "Wild... but I''m late for work. I wouldn''t worry about it too much."


    "Eh?" Jacob blinked in confusion as Alice moved towards the front door. Was she... leaving?


    "Don''t give me those puppy dog eyes," Alice said with an impish grin. "I read about amnesia on the internet once. It goes away after, like, an hour or two."


    "W-wait a minute," Jacob said. A nervous laugh escaped his lips as she turned the doorknob and the morning sun flooded in.


    "I''m already late," Alice said as she stepped outside. "Just take a nap. Don''t worry about it. Byesies!"


    "Hold on a minute!" Jacob shouted, disbelief turning over into frustration. "I need some help, Alice! I can''t remember- "


    And the door slammed shut despite his protest. Jacob was left alone in the strange apartment. His strange apartment. Alice had said they were roommates after all.


    "She just left..." Jacob said numbly. He was having a medical emergency, and she just up and left. "What kind of person- "


    The front door opened, and Alice''s head popped back inside. Her fiery red eyes drilled into Jacob like a jackhammer.


    "You don''t remember... anything?" Alice asked after a moment. Her voice was oddly subdued.


    "Y-yes!" Jacob shouted. He quite forgot about his confusion amidst all his frustration. "I am being serious here! I can''t remember anything!"


    Alice nodded her head, the messy locks of her black hair bouncing playfully.


    "You probably don''t remember about the closet then."


    "The closet?" Jacob shook his head in irritation.


    "Whoa..." Alice shook her own head in disbelief. "Maybe you really do have amnesia..."


    "I told you- " Jacob began, but Alice stopped him with a piercing look.


    "Look. I''m running late for work, but don''t open the closet." Alice''s head slowly retreated from view. "The one with all the coats hanging outside it. Do not. Open it."


    And the door slid shut behind her with a muted thump.

 Chapter Two: Looking Inside The Closet?!

    Loop 1 Chapter 2


    Looking Inside The Closet?!


    "That... That was weird," Jacob muttered to himself.


    He could hear the familiar sounds of traffic outside, which brought a wry smile to his face. While he could not remember anything, he was not entirely hopeless. He still knew about the PlayStation 5 and automobiles.


    "But nothing about closets," Jacob said, and he stepped away from the door with a deep sigh. He still had no idea who Alice was, but something felt... off about her.


    He simply stood in the middle of the room for several minutes. His mind worked frantically to remember, but each time his efforts came up short. He knew his name, but not his father''s. He could not even be sure he had a father. Alice had mentioned a job, but for all he knew it had been another joke. His unusual roommate seemed to take nothing seriously.


    "Except for closets." The tiptoeing spiders returned as he remembered the... the insanity of her stare. Jacob was not even sure if he had ever met someone with red eyes be-


    "Red eyes?" Jacob replayed his entire interaction with Alice, both inside the apartment and at the door. "Red...?"


    He was confident that her eyes had been yellow before. Did she... wear colored contacts? Was she some kind of stripper? She certainly had the face for it.


    "Just shut up," Jacob sighed, and he realized he was talking to himself a little too much.


    With another sigh, he looked up at the apartment around him. There had to be some kind of clue. If he had amnesia... If he had amnesia, should he call an ambulance? Was amnesia a hospital sort of thing?


    And his eyes suddenly alighted with excitement. Fireworks went off in his chest as he hurriedly groped his pants pockets.


    "Yes!" Jacob exclaimed as he found his cell phone. He had no memory of this particular black cell phone, but it had been in his pocket. He had an entire device full of memories right here.


    He quickly turned it on... and felt the fireworks fizzle and die.


    "The password..."


    Jacob stared blankly at the PIN screen. A morbid chuckle escaped his lips. He tried a random set of numbers, but even muscle memory failed him.


    Incorrect PIN number.


    He tried another. He tried a third. He tried a fourth, and then his phone locked.


    "Come on!" Jacob shouted. It took a supreme force of will to keep from smashing the useless black box against the floor. His phone did not even have a wallpaper.


    He bit his lip and looked around the apartment for the hundredth time. A clue. If he lived here, there had to be a clue. He did not know much about amnesia, but wasn''t it often resolved with some sort of... trigger?


    Jacob stowed the useless phone back into his pocket and started to walk around the apartment. He moved with the slow trod of a detective and stopped beside the unfamiliar Nintendo Switch.


    There was a stack of games beside the console, and while he recognized most of the titles, he had no memory of ever having played them. Most of the games were... childish. He had never seen the appeal of Animal Crossings or Kirby.


    "Which means... these belong to Alice?" Jacob wondered aloud.


    He hovered over the pile of games and then turned his attention elsewhere.


    A small kitchen revealed itself in the other room. There did not seem to be countertop enough for two, though much of the space was empty. It did not look like Alice or Jacob owned a food processor or even a rice cooker.


    "I feel like... I like to cook, though," Jacob said as he ran a hand absentmindedly across the speckled counter. He opened drawers at random. Nothing jumped out at him. There certainly were no family portraits hidden away beneath the sink.


    He opened the cabinets one by one, but many were empty. He turned towards a white fridge that hummed contentedly in a corner of the cramped kitchen.


    The freezer was full of ice, but not ice cubes. A small wintery wonderland had spread throughout in neglect. There was not even room enough for a microwavable pizza amidst all the homemade snow and ice.


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    He closed the freezer and went to open the fridge beneath it...


    ...but a dizzying warmth spread from his head all the way down to his toes. It felt as if his body was unraveling like a knitted quilt. The floor beneath his feet shook, and he found it hard to breathe.


    "Wha... What was that?" Jacob muttered as the unusual sensation fled from his body. He might have fallen over if he had not braced himself against the fridge.


    His left hand trembled uncontrollably.


    "Maybe... Maybe I do need an ambulance..." Jacob muttered aloud. His eyes locked onto the fridge''s handle, and another lance of... of fear shook his body.


    He was afraid. It made no sense, but he was afraid of opening the fridge. He could not remember why, but something deep inside his head was telling him don''t.


    "This is... What is going on today...?" Jacob wondered. His left hand was still trembling as he reached out and grabbed the handle. It was just a fridge. What was he afraid of?


    He pulled open the fridge door and a dull light flickered on. Jacob held his breath as he stared, wide-eyed, into an empty refrigerator.


    Almost empty. Tucked away on the bottommost row was a large plastic bag. It was sopping wet, though who knew from what.


    "Terrifying," Jacob muttered to himself, and he closed the door with a frown.


    Because there was no food in the kitchen.


    He had checked all the drawers and cupboards. He had checked the freezer and frightful fridge, but there was no food in the house. There were not even ingredients. Jacob was not looking for lunch, but it still struck him as... odd.


    "Is this... really my apartment?" The spiders returned as he began to wonder if Alice had been lying to him. For one, Jacob did not like to drink. He could not imagine-


    ...thunk...


    Jacob''s introspection was interrupted by a distant noise. His head jerked in its direction, but several cupboards and a wall stood in his way.


    ...thuuunk...


    Jacob opened his mouth, but no words escaped his throat. He had heard the noise a second time. It almost sounded like someone with heavy boots stomping their feet.


    He poked his head out of the kitchen and stared down a long hallway.


    ...thuuuuuunk...


    "H-hello?" Jacob called out. He strained his ears, but not even a mouse stirred.


    A horrible silence followed his shout. Whatever had been making the noises seemed to stop. Or whoever? Jacob could not have explained it, but there had been an... an intelligence to the thumping. It had not sounded random.


    Jacob stepped into the hallway. The lights were not on, but the sun''s brilliant smile filled the way. There were three doors on either side of the way... and a closet.


    "Hello?" His eyes jumped between the three doors and then back to the closet. Several coats were hanging on a peg attached to its door. Just like Alice had said.


    Nobody answered.


    Jacob suddenly realized that one of the doors could have led to his bedroom. He had sort of lost track of his mission, but clues. His bedroom would have to have clues. If this was amnesia, he needed something to jumpstart his memory. Wasn''t that how it worked in the movies?


    He began down the hallway. His eyes glanced absentmindedly at the three doors, but his stare always returned to the closet. Somehow he knew the thumping had come from inside.


    A bathroom revealed itself behind the first door. He flipped on the lights but did not step inside. He was fairly certain brushing his teeth with a familiar toothbrush would not banish his amnesia.


    The second door was locked. Something inside smelled... sweet, however. The odor bled through the door and for whatever reason brought Alice''s mesmerizing stare to mind.


    Across from what could have been Alice''s bedroom was the third door. He reached out for its handle.


    ...THUNK...


    Jacob jumped in surprise as a loud noise practically exploded from within the closet. He half expected the entire apartment to shake.


    "Hello?!" His breathing was heavy as he stared, wide-eyed, at the closet. "Is anyone... in there?"


    And a mad thought flickered through his mind. What if Alice had kidnapped someone and stuck them inside the closet? What if she had kidnapped Jacob? What if his memory loss was actually just his being drugged? Didn''t that happen with some serial killer back in the ''70s?


    "Hello?! Are you..." Jacob bit his lip. "Is there anyone there!?"


    He did not care about clues anymore. He needed to get out of this apartment. Something was wrong.


    But before that, he had to check the closet.


    "I''m... I''m opening the door!" Jacob said as he approached the white door. It was covered in coats, though none looked like anything he would have worn.


    He kicked the door with his foot. Nothing happened. He held his breath and listened, but there was nothing to hear.


    Jacob reached out and grabbed the doorknob. He turned it and pulled...


    "Ugh!"


    Jacob had not opened the closet more than an inch, but he immediately recoiled. The smell of rancid garbage slid out from behind the door like a brood of venomous vipers. They filled his nostrils with disease, and Jacob had to take another step back.


    "What is- " Jacob began, but he never finished the thought.


    The horrible smell vanished from his mind. His amnesia vanished from his mind. All sane thoughts fled from his mind as he felt something puuuush through his back like a surgeon''s scalpel. He felt the blade scrape against bone as it pushed deeper and deeper into the cage of his flesh. He could not breathe. He could not scream. He watched mindlessly as a crimson hand eruuuupted out from his chest in a visceral shower of red wet.


    "Naughty, naughty."


    Every thought was misery. He scarcely even heard the voice that whispered behind his ear.


    "I thought I told you not to open the closet."


    The crimson hand slid back inside his chest, and he collapsed onto the floor. Tears muddied his face, but he could make out a woman standing over him. She had long black hair and impossibly red eyes.


    "But I''m not upset!" Wet hands wrapped around his throat as the hallway grew darker and darker. "I could never be upset with..."


    Loop 1


    Result: Failure


    Reason: Curiosity killed the cat

 Loop 2 Chapter 3: Don鈥檛 Open the Closet!

    Loop 2 Chapter 3


    Don¡¯t Open the Closet!


    Jacob scratched the back of his neck and frowned. It felt as if a hundred little spiders were crawling up and down his spine. He looked around his apartment, and his scowl only deepened.


    "My apartment..." Jacob''s voice was hoarse like a stranger''s as he spun around in a slow circle. "Is this... my apartment?"


    The invisible spiders continued their dance across his arms and legs. A wave of confusion washed over him as he stared at a drab couch full of tears and exposed stuffing. There was a dinky television sitting on a box across from the couch, and he could see an old Xbox covered in dust.


    "I... I don''t have..." Jacob''s breathing was growing heavy, and he rubbed at his eyes irritably. "This... isn''t my apartment?"


    His legs were two stone lumps as his head began to fill with white noise. Because this had to be his apartment. Why else would he be here if this was not his apartment? It was a shame there was not something as clich¨¦ as a family portrait to dispel his confusion, but this... this had to be home!


    "I must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed..." Jacob muttered to himself.


    The bright sun filled the room around him with light, but it was as if a black veil was being slowly lowered across his eyes.


    Because he could not remember waking up. He could not remember falling asleep. It was as if he had simply popped into existence standing in the middle of this unfamiliar room. He could not remember anything.


    Jacob clutched his chest as panic stabbed at his heart. He could not remember yesterday. He could not remember last week. He could not remember where he worked or if he even had a job. It was not that he was confused or unsure. There was nothing inside his head. Parents? Friends? He could not remember anyone.


    "Oh God..." Jacob bit his lip as the alien room around him began to shake and swirl. Nothing. He could remember nothing. "Heart attack... I think I''m having... having a heart attack."


    His frazzled nerves were one big ball of misery as a voice erupted behind his ear.


    "Move it!"


    Jacob screamed with all the enthusiasm of a frightened schoolgirl. He flailed his arms and almost tripped over his own feet.


    "What are you doing!?" The unfamiliar voice was full of scorn. "Calm down!"


    Jacob turned to stare... at a beautiful woman.


    "Are you on drugs or something?" the unfamiliar woman asked with a scowl. "I almost called the cops last night."


    The young woman had short ivory black hair and the willowy figure of a model. Jacob forgot about some of his confusion as he met her intense stare. Her eyes were the color of gold and seemed to trap him like a hypnotist.


    He quickly realized he had no idea who this woman was.


    The unfamiliar woman''s scowl only darkened as she covered her chest with dainty arms. She wore a colorful t-shirt that would not have looked out of place at a rock concert.


    "You keep staring and I''m going to pluck those eyes out, Jacob!" the unfamiliar woman said with a snarl, and his heart jumped. She knew his name... and Jacob realized that he knew his own name. "I am so done with this. No more parties. No more... whatever it is you are taking! Got it?!"


    "Parties...?" Jacob''s voice was hoarse. He tried to swallow, but his throat was as dry as the savanna.


    "Hah! Don''t even try to pretend!" the woman said, and her fake laugh filled Jacob with the strangest warmth. "You probably don''t even care that you were fired. Do you even remember that? Max called this morning. What''re we going to do about rent, Jacob?"


    He tried to digest all that the woman told him, but he could practically feel his head swelling with all that she had to say. While he had no idea who she was, she clearly knew him.


    "Are you going to say anything?!"


    Jacob shook himself free from his confusion and cleared his throat. He struggled to find the right words as he met the revulsion in her stare.


    "I... This is a little confusing, but..." Jacob smiled nervously as he glanced between the woman''s scowl and her shoes. "I can''t... I don''t remember anything."


    "Of course you don''t!" the unfamiliar woman shouted. "With all the dope and- "


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "N-No!" Jacob said, and he was surprised at the force in his voice. Fear and confusion were instantly replaced with frustration.


    The woman recoiled and took an unconscious step back. White horror spread across her face, and Jacob bit his lip in shame.


    "I''m sorry!" Jacob said quickly. "I can''t remember anything. I don''t... I can''t remember anything!"


    A pregnant silence lingered between the two of them until the woman''s thin lips widened into an astonished O.


    "No..." Her piercing gold stare seemed to peek under his clothes as she studied him from toe to head. "You can''t remember... anything? Like... amnesia?"


    Jacob nodded his head absentmindedly. Amnesia. It was the kind of thing you only ever heard about in movies and television. But amnesia... Amnesia...?


    "Do you remember... who you are?" the woman asked, breaking Jacob from his stupor. Some of her fear ebbed away as she looked at him with new eyes.


    "I remember my name," Jacob said, but he failed once more to remember even the smallest detail about himself.


    "What about... me?"


    Jacob looked up and found a worried look written across the woman''s face. He shook his head, and she took a shuddering breath.


    "I can''t... I can''t deal with this right now!" the woman said as tears tickled the corners of her eyes. "I just can''t!"


    "Eh?" Jacob blinked in confusion as the unfamiliar woman moved towards the front door.


    "Get yourself s-straightened out!" the woman shouted as tears flowed freely down her face. "I just can''t live like this!"


    "W-wait a minute," Jacob said as she turned the doorknob and the morning sun flooded in. "I need help! I can''t remember- "


    But the door slammed shut despite his protest. Jacob was left alone in the strange apartment. Possibly his strange apartment. The woman had mentioned rent earlier.


    "What is going on...?" Jacob mumbled to himself as silence returned to the room. He thought about chasing after the woman, but for what? He had no idea who she was.


    He simply stood in the middle of the room for several minutes. His mind worked frantically to remember anything, but each time his efforts came up short. He knew his name, but not the woman''s. They could be married for all he knew. He could have a child.


    His heart was heavy in his chest as he looked once more around the apartment. There had to be some kind of clue. If he had amnesia... If he had amnesia, should he call an ambulance? Was amnesia a hospital sort of thing?


    And then he jumped with surprise as something tickled his leg.


    He slapped his thigh as if it were an oversized mosquito, but the sensation continued. Blinking away his fear, he realized it was just... his cell phone.


    Fireworks went off in his chest as he hurriedly groped his pants pockets. He tore out the unfamiliar black cell phone and quickly answered Babe''s call.


    "Hello? Hello?!" Jacob licked his lips nervously as he listened to the voice on the other end. He heard a woman sniffle loudly and then the same woman from before spoke.


    "You don''t remember... anything?" the woman''s voice was soft and nervous.


    "Y-yes!" Jacob shouted into the phone. "I can''t remember anything! Look, I''m sorry if- "


    "J-just stop," the woman interrupted with a low hiss. She fought back a sob. "Just... Just relax. I''ll be home after I''ve c-c-calmed down. You''ll be fine. We''ll fix this. Do y-you remember about the closet?"


    "The closet?" Jacob frowned and shook his head.


    The woman did not speak for a short while, though he could hear her misery through the phone. He might have felt a little more guilty if he knew who she was.


    "Look, I''ll be home s-soon. Just don''t open the closet." Jacob could hear cars in the background. "I''ll be home soon. We''ll fix this. I always... always do. Goodbye."


    "Wait!" Jacob shouted, but the call ended without another word. He stared at the blank wallpaper with a rising fury. It took a supreme force of will to keep from smashing the black box against the floor.


    "What is wrong with this day?!"


    He stowed the phone back into his pocket and looked around the apartment. Amnesia. It all felt like a great big joke.


    Jacob bit his lip and looked over at the unfamiliar couch. It certainly did not feel like his couch. It was not exactly a memory, but Jacob felt he would have liked one that was... more colorful.


    "And I definitely would not have a vintage Xbox." With the wariness of a burglar, he walked over to the dusty console. It certainly matched the downtrodden theme of the apartment. The couch, even with all its tears and exposed stuffing, seemed to be the most expensive thing here.


    He poked his head in the adjacent room and was met with a cramped kitchen scarcely large enough for even one person. The sink was full of dirty dishes, though the trash was thankfully empty.


    Jacob still had no idea who the woman was, but she said she would help. It filled him with anxiety, but who else could he turn to? Could he even afford a hospital visit? Half the drawers and cupboards he opened were empty. The apartment did not seem to have even a speck of cereal.


    He turned absentmindedly to the humming refrigerator.


    "What am I even doing?" Jacob wondered aloud as he opened the freezer and stared at a wintery mess. Ice and chalky snow had taken over the entire thing.


    He reached for the fridge below it and opened the door. A dull light flickered on to reveal a sterile white emptiness. It was almost entirely empty aside from the bottommost row. A large plastic bag was sopping wet, though who knew from what. Beside it was another mystery covered in that brown butcher''s paper.


    ...thunk...


    Jacob looked up from the fridge. He thought he had heard a noise, but all was quiet.


    ...thunk, thunk, thunk...


    Jacob''s heart skipped a beat as he realized something was knocking on the front door. He stood paralyzed beside the open fridge.


    ...THUNK...


    ...THUNK...


    ...THUNK...


    Whoever was at the door knocked louder, and Jacob went back into the other room. The windows were not helpful in finding out who it was, and part of Jacob did not even want to find out.


    "Hello? Anyone home?"


    The voice on the other side of the door sounded... friendly. Jacob wrestled with what to do for several moments before the knocking resumed.


    ...THUNK, THUNK, THUNK...


    "W-wait!" Jacob shouted on impulse. He immediately cursed himself as his mind raced with who could be at the door. Was it even a bad thing to answer the door? This could be his apartment, after all.


    His arms and legs were trembling as he walked over and gripped the doorknob. The door did not have a window or even a peephole.


    The day''s warmth tickled his face as he opened the door. He looked out on an unfamiliar urban street. Tall brick townhouses flanked the way as did dozens and dozens of cars.


    His focus anchored onto the police cruiser parked outside his apartment.


    And the two police officers standing outside his door.


    "Good morning, sir!" The young police officer wore a brightest smile as he looked over Jacob''s shoulder and into the apartment. "We were hoping to speak with you for just a moment."