The clock flipped to 6:00 a.m., and Aurex jolted awake, a cold dread seizing him. Another day, another cycle. The familiar weight of fear pressed down, heavier this time. He had no grand revelation, no sudden solution. Just the gnawing certainty that he had to start somewhere, and that somewhere began with two things: finding his missing diaries and talking more with the mysterious boy. Recklessness was a luxury he couldn't afford.
His sister, true to her unchanging routine, left for work. As Aurex got ready for school, his eyes fell on a magazine on the living room table. His father's. A chill ran down his spine. It was the same issue he'd seen a week ago, dated exactly seven days prior. His hands began to tremble. Why was his father still reading the same old magazine? What did it mean?
His mind raced, a whirlwind of terrifying possibilities. Had something happened seven days ago? Something that twisted his family, his school, perhaps even the entire city? He strained to remember, but his mind was a blank slate. Nothing. That was the most terrifying part of all. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if time itself was caught in a loop, a bizarre echo of a story he'd once read. But the calendar moved forward; yesterday was Saturday, today was Sunday. The days progressed, but the world around him remained stubbornly, terrifyingly static. A wall stood firm in his memory, a void he couldn't breach. He pushed those unsettling questions aside, focusing on the immediate tasks: finding the diaries and speaking with the boy.
He peeled away from his little brother on the way to school, heading to his own class ,same teacher, same droning lectures, same unsettlingly fixed smiles. Lunchtime arrived, and Aurex settled into his usual solitary corner. This time, however, the boy from before walked over and sat beside him, deliberately apart from the other students.
They ate in silence for a few moments, the air thick with unspoken questions. Then the boy leaned in, his voice a low whisper. "Keep your voice low. Always stay here when we talk."
Aurex nodded, a surge of relief washing over him. "I understand."
"I'm happy to see there are others like me," the boy continued, his gaze unwavering. "But I can't tell you everything. Some things you have to figure out on your own. If I laid it all out, you wouldn't believe me. You'd think I was crazy."
Aurex hesitated, then pushed, "Then what can you tell me?"
The boy's expression remained calm. "This is the most important thing. When something strange happens,when things don't make sense,keep your eyes open. And don't speak. No matter what."
Aurex blinked, the boy's cryptic phrase finally clicking into place. "So that's why you always say it?"
"Yes." A faint smile touched the boy's lips. "About a week ago, I woke up and found writing on my body. A single sentence, etched across my stomach: 'Keep your eyes open.' I thought it was a prank. Then I started noticing...things. People. How they moved. How they stopped being people." He trailed off, and Aurex leaned in, eager for more. "So you do have an idea of what's going on."
"I have theories. Speculations. But if I told you, it might shatter your trust in reality too fast. You'd break. I barely held it together myself." He paused, then added, "But I'll help you. I want to. Start with the place you think is the least dangerous."
And just like that, the conversation ended.
The rest of the day unfolded with the same unsettling familiarity, a distorted echo of previous days. Aurex's mind, however, was miles away, fixated on the boy's final instruction: Start with the place you think is the least dangerous.
School? No, definitely not. Too many watchful eyes. Too many fake smiles.
It had to be home. His house. Despite the unnerving changes in his family's behavior, they were still his family. He clung to the belief that they wouldn't truly hurt him,not enough to threaten his very existence.
That night, a quiet resolve settled over Aurex. He would wait for his family's routine to play out, then he would venture out into the unknown of his own home.