A man in his early thirties, dressed in a cheap black suit, pushed open a rusty gate. Its hinges cried as it slowly gave way.
An old apartment complex greeted him with moss-covered walls and deep cracks in the concrete. Despite it's appearance, he liked living there or at least used to it. After all, he could not afford to move; the cost of a decent place in the city is way above what he earns in a year.
He stepped inside the old building, dimly lit by a dying lightbulb with flies buzzing around it. He sighed as he stopped before a pair of dirty stainless-steel doors. A sign posted in the middle read: "Elevator Out of Order."
He couldn't remember the last time he had seen it running. Thinking back, maybe it had always been like this—left to collect dust.
"Even if it were running, I'm not sure it would be wise to use it considering the state of the building. This place might just collapse under the weight of it" he muttered as he continued down the hallway toward the stairs.
A yawn escaped his mouth as he began the long, boring, adventure climbing up the stairs to reach his room on the seventh floor.
It didn't help that the stairwell was almost pitch black—almost, because thankfully there are red lights installed on the walls.
Without them, everyone living there would probably have a hard time finding their way.
Such a bizarre choice of lighting. Is the owner a firefighter? he wondered. Why not just use normal lights?
When suddenly, he slipped, his shin hitting the step.
"Motherfucker!" he cursed, sitting down and holding his leg. He rubbed the spot where the pain throbbed, hoping to ease it somehow.
He let out a bitter laugh at how useless the red lights were, illuminating only the railings and not the steps.
After resting for a minute, he stood up and continued his way up.
When he reached the seventh, he saw a couple flirting outside the door next to his. He paid them no mind and unlocked his door with his key before going inside.
With a flick of the switch, the lights turned on, revealing the depressing look of his place.
The man didn't have a lot—only a brown, peeling sofa he called "animal print," an old wooden coffee table, and a second-hand 32-inch TV mounted on the wall. Even in his room, he only had a mattress on the floor, two pillows, a hanging rack, and his computer setup.
He told himself it was minimalism, but the truth was he couldn't afford shit. Deep inside, he knew he never would.
Growing up, he thought that if he focused on his studies and got a diploma, he'd land an amazing job and that love would eventually come. But reality was far from that.
After graduating with high grades, no good company wanted him. He tried again and again, but it just wouldn't work out.
Now, at 32, he finally accepted that this was his life. He watched as his old classmates traveled to other countries, got married, and started families, while he was stuck working a shitty job.
It sucked, and he hated every single day. But what could he do?
...
If there was one thing he loved in this life, it was gaming. He spent all his free time playing MMORPGs, and he got really damn good at them. At one point, he was even inside the top 100 players in four different games.
Out of all the MMORPGs he played, one really stood out. "Xercaa: The Original Sin." At first, the game wasn't popular because of its extreme difficulty. The hardcore combat, paired with unforgiving penalties, drove players away.
At the time, the game was the first to apply the three-death rule. On your first death, you only lose one level. On your second, you'd lose five levels and suffer an EXP reduction from quests and monsters for 24 hours. On your last death, your character would be completely deleted—stats, gear, everything—resetting to zero.
For him, a guy with no life, it was the perfect setup. So he dedicated seven years to playing Xercaa.
Eventually, thanks to its small but loyal fan base sharing their crazy highlights, along with its out-of-this-world graphics and compelling story, the game finally got its breakthrough.
Now, Xercaa stands as the best MMORPG.
...
The kettle screamed and hissed, blowing out hot steam. He turned off the stove and picked it up, pouring the boiling water into his instant noodles.
He cracked an egg and added it inside before closing the lid, trapping the heat and letting it cook.
While waiting for his food, he went to get some fresh air at his favorite spot—the rooftop. On the way there, he passed the same couple again, now making out in the hallway even though their room was literally three steps behind them.
He pulled open the heavy door, and a strong gust of wind hit him immediately, blowing his hair and clothes back.
In these tiny moments, he truly felt alive. The sounds of the cars below and the different colors of the city that surrounded him. No matter how many times he saw it, the experience gets better every time.
He took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, placing one between his lips. He cupped his hand around it to block the wind before flicking the lighter.
He blew out the first stream of smoke while looking up at the night sky. Staring at it, he couldn't help but share its feeling.
The night sky without stars looked awfully empty—just like him.
Tonight, they share a cigarette called "loneliness" But it's better than smoking alone.
...
"I love you."
"I love you more."
The couple flirted with each other, exchanging sweet words and promises as they leaned over the railing.
A gust of wind blew the girl's hair across her face, and she let out a giggle.
The man gently fixed her hair, uncovering her smile. He lifted her chin and leaned closer when—
A half-finished cigarette fell from above, almost hitting the woman on the shoulder.
She yelped in surprise.
"Are you alright?" the man asked, checking her arms for any burns.
"That fucking bastard from the room next to us. He was the only one up there. I swear I'm going to—"
Furious, the boyfriend was about to storm upstairs and beat the man when a humanoid shadow suddenly fell from above, freezing him in place.
Then came a loud thud that sounded more like a splatter.
The pair rushed over to see what it was. When they leaned closer, they saw a man lying face-first on the ground, soaked in his own blood, unmoving.
"KYAAAA!"
The woman screamed, drawing the attention of everyone living in the building.
Ten minutes later, the police and medics arrived, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Some speculated that he might have taken his own life, while others believed he had simply slipped, as witnesses claimed he had been sitting at the edge of the rooftop smoking.
The police soon began their investigation, but the incident was quickly ruled an accident, as no one else was present with the victim at the time he fell.
...
A young man woke up, panting heavily from a nightmare, his back soaked in sweat. He had just experienced the terrible scene of falling from a great height before suddenly waking up.
He had experienced this nightmare before, but this time it felt real. His head throbbed as if thousands of needles were stabbing into it. He felt dizzy and close to passing out, but something was keeping him conscious.
Memories—both his own and those of another person—rushed through his mind, nearly breaking it. They flooded him so violently that he could no longer tell which one were truly his.
"St-stop it… fu~ck, fuck!"
Blood dripped from his nose, staining the white sheets. His world spun around him before he collapsed, falling out of the bed and losing consciousness.
.
.
.
Some time passed, and the young man regained consciousness, his left arm numb from the fall and the weight of his body.
He sighed, taking his time to recover as he lay on the carpeted bedroom floor.
Looking at the ceiling, only then did he realize something was off. It was his first time seeing the big fan hanging above him and the carpet against his skin—luxuries he didn't remember owning or installing.
He stood up slowly, supporting himself on the bed. As he took in the details of the room, he realized he was right. It was completely different from his.
"Shit… I didn't drink last night and slept at someone else's house, did I?" Panicking, he opened the blinds by the bed and froze in place.
Outside were towering buildings with huge screens displaying different ads, way above the city. Massive blimps with sleek designs floated at the sky. The streets alive with people and advanced vehicles gliding silently through the traffic.
It was as if he had stepped years into the future.
For a long moment, he simply stared.