Flash Story: Trapped In A Quantum Gap

Trapped In A Quntum Gap

by Thatredbeardguy

He woke up. "There we go again," he thought. He reached for his phone. 3:30 am. The last couple of weeks he'd wake up in the middle of the night like that and stay there till the morning. He looked up at the ceiling and tried to relax. Nothing.

He heard noises, like someone moving furniture. "At least I am not alone". He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. "Ok, If I sleep now, I have 5-6 hours of sleep. That's good enough...". The noise startled him. It sounded muffled.

At this point, he was wide awake. A cup of tea will help…he saw a light from under his door. His heart started racing. He was living alone for years now. Someone was in his house.

He tried to get up as fast as possible, while he was looking at the door. Someone turned off the light. What's going on? He was living in a one bedroom apartment. How did he not hear them break in?

The light was on again. It started going on and off like someone was playing with the switch. That noise again. He was about to start screaming and storm off his bedroom when he felt like someone dipped him in warm water and he woke up…again.

"Phew, it was just nightmare...". He waited a bit till his heart stopped going like crazy and he grabbed his phone. 3:30 am. "Now that's weird", he thought.

He heard the noise again, only this time he could hear people arguing as well. "That's it, I am not going to wait till the morning again. I'll just get up...". He tried to switch the lights on, but nothing happened. Tried it one more time. "Oh come on". He went to use his phone's flashlight, but he noticed light coming from under the door again.

"What the hell is going on?". The light was flickering. "Am I still seeing a nightmare?". The door rattled.

"Who's there?", he said. He dialed 911. The door moved again like someone was pushing it. The noise upstairs was getting louder, but he couldn't hear the people arguing anymore.

"Yes? Hello? Who's there?", he asked.

"Hi, I am in West Village, 229. Someone is outside my bedroom door right now". He heard crying. Was it coming from
the phone?

"Hello? Can you hear me? Is this the police?". They hang up.

Another hit at the door. "Please let it be a nightmare". Now, the noise upstairs was constant and the banging at his door was almost accompanying it.

"This has to be a nightmare. But I am not sleeping…I have to wake up"

He started screaming "HEEELP" ...He violently opened his eyes and took a deep breath, like he was underwater for hours. "It was a nightmare, oh my God is this a nightmare… I have to get out of the bed immediately"

Checked his phone. 3:30 am. Tried to switch the lights on, nothing happened. He noticed the same noise again. "OK, time to get out"

Grabbed whatever clothes he could find around and opened the door. It was dark, but there was some light from outside. He entered the living room and almost passed out. About 15-20 figures were sitting, standing, moving slowly inside the small room.

He felt like crying. He saw that the way to the door wasn't blocked and noticed that these creatures, whatever the hell they were, didn't pay much attention to him.

He tried to open the door. It was locked. But he heard voices from outside. Perhaps they were his neighbors. He tapped lightly on the door. He checked if the creatures heard him. They seemed mindless, almost funny-looking as they would move and bump into stuff.

He tried hitting the door a bit louder. And again. No one heard him. Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Yes? Hello? Who's there?", he asked.

"Hi, I am in West Village, 229. Someone is outside my bedroom banging the door right now..."

He started crying uncontrollably. He heard someone say, "Hello? Can you hear me..." but he hung up. He already knew. He smashed his hand at the door, feeling trapped and in despair. He looked back and saw these creatures lining up. Horrified, he started knocking at the door and screaming to the void.

No one was there. The figures were slowly moving towards him. "I need light", he thought. The switch was right next to the door. He hesitated…he didn't want to see what he already knew it was there. But it was his only way out of this hell...

He saw himself. They were staring at him, he knew that, but their eyes were totally black.

"What the hell are you? You are not me. I know that!"

They pointed at themselves. "We are an entity from a world afar, a world that abuts yours", they said in one voice. He felt like he was losing his mind. "You fell into your infinity. You're now part of it"

"What does that even mean? And why you look like me?"

"You need to see. Look behind you. Look"

He turned his head and saw that the door, alongside the walls of his apartment was gone. He was now surrounded by what it seemed like millions of eyes looking at him. But he could see that these weren't "eyes"...

It was a panoramic view of the last hour. He could see himself, copies of him, getting out of bed, walking at the door and then disappearing. A million times. He saw himself turning the lights on, hitting the door…it was him all along.

"Now you know", said the entity, "you're in a slice of infinity".

He hit his head. "I need to wake up, I need to wake up...".

"There's nothing to wake up to. You are in a loop"

"What are you talking about?", he screamed

"Sleep is a portal. It can happen by accident. You are stuck. This is home"

"What does this even mean and what are you doing here?"

"I live here. I speak to you through fragments of your self"

He was hopeless. This deep, empty feeling of cosmic horror was smothering him.

"I want to die", he whispered.

"You can't. You're not whole to die. You've been broken into million pieces" and as the entity was saying that, they raised their hands. "You can choose to relive these few moments from the beginning. If not, you can join me"

"Join you?"

"Yes. You can let go and become part of me. It's your choice" and they extended their hands.

"No no no…let me go. I want to leave. Please, let me go..."

"As you wish"

He woke up. "Not again…I haven't got a full night of sleep for weeks now...". He grabbed his phone. 3:30 am. "Great…I was asleep for 4 hours"

He heard noises from upstairs. "At least I am not alone...".

P.S- Steemit won't let me keep the format as it is so enjoy the choppy paragraphs.