Zoren had always lived an ordinary lazy life and enjoyed many normal things. He solemnly went out to travel, explore, and experience new things. However, he would occasionally be dragged to places against his will.
Though, he didn't hate it.
"Zoren, you're always cooped up in your room, here I got us two tickets to your favorite artist's concert!"
He would be even more persistent on holiday.
"You're working again!? It's Christmas, let's hang out!" He said enthusiastically. "If you don't come, I'll spend my vacation here in your small apartment, you wouldn't want that would you?"
This was his best friend Kales. Someone Zoren could never hate or push away.
June 15th, 2029.
At a small coffee shop, Zoren and Kales sat next to each other seemingly entranced in their conversation. They talked about nothing and everything.
"...I wonder how many more times we can hang out like this," Kales said. "In the blink of an eye, we're already in our mid-twenties."
Yeah, I can't believe I've been friends with this guy since middle school… Zoren thought.
They continued chatting for a while more till Kales' phone rang. It was his fiancee.
Since they sat next to each other, Zoren could hear the content of their call. It was about their upcoming wedding.
And he was the best man.
He still remembered the day his best friend asked him the question. The first time Zoren agreed to a request without any hesitation.
Soon, the call ended and Kale tucked in his phone.
"She's almost ready, we're planning to have dinner with the two families before the big day," Kale said with clear hints of nervousness.
Zoren nodded, his smile tugged at his mouth as well. It was always hilarious to him every time his best friend would mention anything related to his mother-in-law.
The sky had grown darker with somber gray clouds rolling in from the south. Luckily, Kales had already left but the unfortunate Zoren was the last customer in the shop.
The barista came over and wiped the window in a slow, steady circle. Each place she cleaned, it seemed to grow gloomier.
Music from the store's tiny speaker began to fade into silence.
Zoren suddenly felt a wave of chills crawling through his body.
The air felt heavy and suffocating, even the cup of coffee in his hand felt colder than usual. Waves of downpour continue to cover across the city like a damp piece of blanket.
A flash of thunder lit up a portion of that 'blanket' and seemed to also stroke the lights.
One of the lightbulb flickers. Two. Then another.
The bulbs begin to buzz as if they were clearing their throat. At times, they seemed to be 'communicating' with each other.
For a heartbeat, all lights faded and the world turned grey.
Zoren instinctively leapt out of his seat, accidentally knocking his cup in the process. In that grey world, there was nothing aside from the sound of broken glass.
He's been to this coffee shop for many years, the layout was already deeply ingrained in his mind.
In a flash, he darted for the front doors.
He didn't dare to call out for the barista nor the other employees.
Strange.
That's right.
Everything was too strange.
The only thing in Zoren's mind right now is to run. Leave this shop and be as far away from it as possible.
He ran so fast that he'd crashed onto the door. However, the impact that would've broken any normal glass doors didn't leave any damage at all.
Instead, the bell above the door fell to his hand. He could feed the violent tremble of the bell, but it made no sound.
Leave. Get me out. I don't want to stay here! Zoren thoughts flashed like lightning. His heart was racing as he held the handle tightly. It was colder than usual. Then, he pulled it.
The door didn't budge, even with all his strength, it felt like he was trying to move a mountain.
In this silent world, for the first time, Zoren heard something.
Something had moved behind him.
Not a footstep nor a voice.
The sound of wet cloth scraping against glass.
Wipe… Wipe… Wipe…
It came from the window to his right. The one where the barista was cleaning.
Zoren's fingers tightened on the handle.
Another squeak. This time it was accompanied by a gust of cold wind—almost like someone's breath.
He glanced over slowly.
The world was still grey.
Then, the sky tore the damp blanket open. A flash of lighting washed over the coffee shop and in that brief moment he saw it. The barista inches away from the window, still standing in the same spot cleaning the window.
For some reason, Zoren was surprised to see that she was surprisingly normal.
She still had flesh on her face, hairs on her heads, and normal length nails.
However, he still didn't dare approach her.
Though, this wouldn't matter.
The barista seemed to have noticed Zoren in that flash of a moment. Her footsteps slowly echoed through the shop. She was coming towards him.
Zoren grew more uneasy the closer she was. And to no surprise, the barista that looked normal turned out to be the thing he least expected.
In this shop with little to no lights, he was able to see her. No, it's more fitting to say that he could see the thing looming over her.
The 'thing' was shaped like a raccoon as if someone had sketched it to life. Its fur wasn't fur at all but rather rows of bristles that lay smoothly with every strand dripping in strange blue liquid.
Zoren's neck was cold, his eyes widened with fear and confusion. In that instant, he'd forgotten how to properly think and instinctively use the last bit of his strength to pull open the door. Miraculously, this time he had succeeded.
A wall of black water surged through the door and around his waist, his chest, and his throat. He was yanked forward and under in the same instant, the bell still trembling in his hand without a sound as he lost it to the current. He tried to breathe and swallowed cold. His ears filled. His thoughts scattered.
The shop ceiling vanished. The floor peeled away.
Helplessly, his consciousness also fades away.
…
An unknown amount of time has passed.
Zoren could feel warmth and strength slowly returning to his body. The smell of flowers, the sound of bottles clashing, and the carpet under his shoes.
He knew, even before he looked down, that his clothes were dry. The fabric was heavier now. Formal. A jacket that fit his shoulders, a tie that pressed lightly at his throat.
The hairs on his body rose.
At the far end of the bright aisle, under an arch of white roses, Kales stood hand in hand with his bride.
He stared intently at the bride.
More accurately, over her shoulder.
There was a shadow looming over her, one that was dangerously similar to the raccoon hovering above the barista. He quickly glanced somewhere else, fearing he would be seen.
Wait… Zoren froze. How am I here…?
As if something had clicked, he realized that there was a gap in his memory.
He turned to her again, however, this time the shadow was gone.
Suddenly, Zoren felt a sharp pain in his chest.
He looked down to a deathly pale palm drenched in black liquid. No one seemed to notice as they continued the wedding. Aside from Kales.
He frantically searched for his best mate.
What's going on? Am I going to die here? Many questions arose in his thoughts but at the final moment he struggled towards Kales.
He couldn't feel anything from his chest, only the strength was rapidly draining from his body.
"Zoren! Zoren! Zoren!" Kales shouted across the room.
Zoren also saw him but his body was already slumped on the floor.
His breathing slowed as he reached out his hand towards Kales. At this moment, he felt the hand slowly pull out.
Zoren's vision blurred and lost all consciousness.
In that final moment, he wasn't able to reach his best friend.
In that final moment, another shadow materialized and incorporated itself into Zoren's body, slowly filling in the hole.