Billy woke up, and everything felt normal. The unsettling feeling from before was gone, as if it had never existed. No more missing pieces, no more eerie thoughts gnawing at his mind. It was just another ordinary day. Relieved, he rushed downstairs, where his mother was cooking breakfast.
Something about her seemed different—warmer, more alive. Her eyes weren't blank anymore. Billy smiled, letting go of the vague, lingering unease in his chest. He ate his meal, savoring the familiar taste. Everything was as it should be.
Then he noticed something odd—his father wasn't home. A faint memory flickered at the edge of his mind, something about his father and... a missing piece? His stomach churned, but before the thought could fully form, it vanished. Just a blank space where a memory should be. He shook it off and continued with his morning.
He headed to school, and that's when he saw them—his best friends, Chris, Del... and Mino. Billy's breath hitched. Something in his mind clicked, but the image was hazy. A wave of emotions hit him—joy, relief, something else he couldn't quite name. He ran up and hugged Mino, tears forming in his eyes.
Chris and Del exchanged confused looks.
"Dude... what's up with you?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.
Billy wiped his face, laughing nervously. "I... I just missed you guys."
They went to school together, but as Billy sat at his desk, a strange sensation crept over him. Laughter filled the classroom, but something about it was wrong. It echoed in a way that sent shivers down his spine. His classmates' smiles felt stretched, forced. He recognized this. The blank faces. The eerie, unnatural joy.
Panic seized him. His breath quickened. He stood up suddenly and bolted out the door.
"Billy!" Del shouted.
"What's wrong?!" Chris yelled after him.
Mino was silent.
Billy ran. The feeling was back—stronger than ever. The air felt heavier, the world around him stretching and warping as he sprinted toward the forest. His friends followed, yelling his name, but he didn't stop. He couldn't.
As soon as he stepped into the woods, the air turned cold. The towering trees loomed above him, unnaturally tall, their shadows bending in impossible directions. The moment he realized this, sweat dripped down his forehead. His breath turned ragged.
His friends were still calling out to him, but their voices were fading. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the overwhelming dread.
Silence.
No wind. No voices. Nothing.
He slowly opened his eyes—and found himself back in the classroom, sitting at his desk.
His heart pounded. He looked around. Chris and Del were there. But Mino... Mino was gone.
His breathing became shallow. His hands trembled. He closed his eyes again, willing everything to change.
When he opened them, he wasn't in the classroom anymore.
A white room stretched endlessly before him.
He wasn't alone.
A figure stood before him—himself. But something was wrong. The other Billy's expression was calm, almost pitying.
"It's time to stop," the other Billy said.
Billy's head spun. "What...? Stop what?"
The other Billy sighed. "Mino is gone. He died."
Billy's mind rebelled against the words. "No. No, he's not! I just saw him—"
"You saw what you wanted to see."
Billy's body stiffened. Images flickered through his mind—Mino, the forest, something dark lurking in the shadows. Blood. A terrible realization sank in.
He had been running from the truth.
All of it—the missing memories, the distorted reality, the eerie happiness—was his mind's way of protecting him. He had been trapped in a loop, rewriting the same day over and over, trying to create a world where Mino never disappeared.
"This is the 156th time you've relived that day," the other Billy said. "You need to wake up now."
Billy's lips parted, but no words came. The world around him began to crack, like glass shattering in slow motion. His body felt light, weightless.
Then—
He woke up.
The beeping of a heart monitor filled the room. A hospital room. He was in a hospital bed, hooked up to wires and tubes. His body felt weak, unfamiliar.
the hospital looks off...its too dark
He tried to sit up, wincing as pain shot through his muscles. His gaze shifted around the room, landing on a mirror across from his bed.
His reflection stared back at him.
Then it smiled.
THE END.