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THE EVERYDAY-NIGHT
BEYOND THE VEIL OF REALITY
CHAPTER 1
It’s always the same,I wake up at the same hour, every-day of each night and puff the smoke of cigar out of my mouth in this murky,shadowy room.The cold wind seeping through the open windows made the curtains sway eerily, like ghosts dancing in the dim light.Smoke curled towards the single,grime-streaked window,where the city lights bled a sickly yellow into the night.Another night,another impossible hour,the past a relentless echo in the hollowness of my stomach.
A chill coursed through my vein as my shoulders stiffened,a creeping numbness seeped into my bones,as if the darkness was slowly crystallizing within me.Tick-tock.The clock on the nightstand mocked me with it's relentless march.Just as I was about to drown my sorrow in another puff,a shrill ring shattered the fragile peace.It was an old receiver in the other room,the one I usually kept unplugged.
I got off my bed, a single, unmade bed with a worn-out mattress, and my eyes wandered around the cluttered room, taking in the dirty clothes scattered on the floor, the empty bottles on the nightstand, and the ashtray filled with cigar butts. A box of cigars lay open on the nightstand, next to the clock that read 00:06. The room was a mess, with a broken dresser leaning against the wall, its drawers hanging out like tongues, and a worn-out armchair sitting in the corner, its upholstery torn and faded. I glanced around, taking in the familiar chaos, before heading to the other room.
I went to the other room, struggling to turn on the lights, which flickered and hummed before steadying. The room was sparse, with only a few pieces of furniture, including a small, rickety table with the old receiver, an outdated phone that sat on it. On the wall above the table, a strange picture hung, one that I had found in the house when I moved in. It depicted a group of people in old-fashioned clothing, standing in a circle and staring up at something in the sky. Their faces were twisted in a mixture of fear and awe. I had never been able to figure out what the picture was supposed to be, but it had always unsettled me. I pushed the feeling aside and picked up the receiver, waiting.
’’Hello?’’I rasped as I tossed the cigar aside and puffed the last breath of it, the sound of my voice unfamiliar. Static cracked for a moment and the silence made the atmosphere intense, the lights started flickering, or was my mind going again with it's cognitive distortion? Then, a voice, rough as gravel, sliced through the thickness of silence.
’’Jack.’’it rasped,a name from a lifetime ago,a name I've buried with the dead.The devil had called and I’ve answered.’’Who is this?’’i snapped,the receiver pressed tight against my ear.A puff of warm air tickled it,sending chills down my spine.’’Old friend.’’the anonymous voice went on.It was mind distortion,I thought.Because the one who was speaking was a casualty,I recognised the voice...or was I losing reality?I couldn't tell.
My breath hitched,and a tremor ran through me,making my teeth chatter.A strange liquid, born of fear or exertion, coursed down my cheek and fell to the ground."It's been a while."the phantom rasped with a deep intimidating voice.I felt my heart liquefying.Suddenly the receiver reception started to weaken,the sound of it was then replaced by the unpleasant hiss of static.I was just standing there frosty still with the receiver held high to my ear,sweat slicked my palms as i slowly replaced the phone.Wide-eyed,clammy skin.My back against the wall.A moment later,the lights flickered widly before the bulb blew,plunging the room into darkness.
I went back to my room trying to calm my racing heart,i sat to lit another cigar but my shaky hands wouldn't let me.I laid-back staring at the ceiling,the adrenaline slowly subsiding as i closed my eyes.The shrill ring pierced the sudden quite and my resting heart awakened.I lurched towards the receiver,heart hammering in my chest.This time,the voice on the other end was infuriatingly familiar.’’Hey Dave,it’s Tom.Thought i might check up and let you know that I'll be picking you up first light tomorrow...’’.I nodded and agreed,the conversation continued for a while.Knowing it was Tom behind the receiver,the atmosphere,once heavy and oppressive,now felt light and carefree.The air unfrozen,as if the very molecules...
CHAPTER 1
It’s always the same,I wake up at the same hour, every-day of each night and puff the smoke of cigar out of my mouth in this murky,shadowy room.The cold wind seeping through the open windows made the curtains sway eerily, like ghosts dancing in the dim light.Smoke curled towards the single,grime-streaked window,where the city lights bled a sickly yellow into the night.Another night,another impossible hour,the past a relentless echo in the hollowness of my stomach.
A chill coursed through my vein as my shoulders stiffened,a creeping numbness seeped into my bones,as if the darkness was slowly crystallizing within me.Tick-tock.The clock on the nightstand mocked me with it's relentless march.Just as I was about to drown my sorrow in another puff,a shrill ring shattered the fragile peace.It was an old receiver in the other room,the one I usually kept unplugged.
I got off my bed, a single, unmade bed with a worn-out mattress, and my eyes wandered around the cluttered room, taking in the dirty clothes scattered on the floor, the empty bottles on the nightstand, and the ashtray filled with cigar butts. A box of cigars lay open on the nightstand, next to the clock that read 00:06. The room was a mess, with a broken dresser leaning against the wall, its drawers hanging out like tongues, and a worn-out armchair sitting in the corner, its upholstery torn and faded. I glanced around, taking in the familiar chaos, before heading to the other room.
I went to the other room, struggling to turn on the lights, which flickered and hummed before steadying. The room was sparse, with only a few pieces of furniture, including a small, rickety table with the old receiver, an outdated phone that sat on it. On the wall above the table, a strange picture hung, one that I had found in the house when I moved in. It depicted a group of people in old-fashioned clothing, standing in a circle and staring up at something in the sky. Their faces were twisted in a mixture of fear and awe. I had never been able to figure out what the picture was supposed to be, but it had always unsettled me. I pushed the feeling aside and picked up the receiver, waiting.
’’Hello?’’I rasped as I tossed the cigar aside and puffed the last breath of it, the sound of my voice unfamiliar. Static cracked for a moment and the silence made the atmosphere intense, the lights started flickering, or was my mind going again with it's cognitive distortion? Then, a voice, rough as gravel, sliced through the thickness of silence.
’’Jack.’’it rasped,a name from a lifetime ago,a name I've buried with the dead.The devil had called and I’ve answered.’’Who is this?’’i snapped,the receiver pressed tight against my ear.A puff of warm air tickled it,sending chills down my spine.’’Old friend.’’the anonymous voice went on.It was mind distortion,I thought.Because the one who was speaking was a casualty,I recognised the voice...or was I losing reality?I couldn't tell.
My breath hitched,and a tremor ran through me,making my teeth chatter.A strange liquid, born of fear or exertion, coursed down my cheek and fell to the ground."It's been a while."the phantom rasped with a deep intimidating voice.I felt my heart liquefying.Suddenly the receiver reception started to weaken,the sound of it was then replaced by the unpleasant hiss of static.I was just standing there frosty still with the receiver held high to my ear,sweat slicked my palms as i slowly replaced the phone.Wide-eyed,clammy skin.My back against the wall.A moment later,the lights flickered widly before the bulb blew,plunging the room into darkness.
I went back to my room trying to calm my racing heart,i sat to lit another cigar but my shaky hands wouldn't let me.I laid-back staring at the ceiling,the adrenaline slowly subsiding as i closed my eyes.The shrill ring pierced the sudden quite and my resting heart awakened.I lurched towards the receiver,heart hammering in my chest.This time,the voice on the other end was infuriatingly familiar.’’Hey Dave,it’s Tom.Thought i might check up and let you know that I'll be picking you up first light tomorrow...’’.I nodded and agreed,the conversation continued for a while.Knowing it was Tom behind the receiver,the atmosphere,once heavy and oppressive,now felt light and carefree.The air unfrozen,as if the very molecules...
