CHAPTER 4: They Are Watching
Noir slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he noticed was a strange pressure around his head. A headset—cold and metallic—was strapped tightly to him. Several thick cables extended from it, connected to a massive computer beside him. As Noir tore the headset off, his breath caught in his throat.
He wasn't alone.
Around him stood dozens—no, hundreds—of figures. At first glance, they looked human. But something was wrong. Their movements were stiff, their eyes empty, lifeless. They weren't people.
They were robots.
Among all of them, Noir was the only real human standing there.
His heart began to race.
What is this place?
Who brought me here?
Were those people watching me… the ones responsible for this?
In front of him stood a single door.
Noir approached it cautiously. The handle felt unnaturally cold—like touching ice in the middle of winter. He hesitated for a moment, then pulled it open.
Beyond the door stretched a massive passageway. It looked like a tunnel, but the walls were lined with glass windows. Noir walked closer and tried to peer outside, but there was nothing to see—only endless darkness. The glass wouldn't open. It was fused into the wall, sealed permanently.
Fear crept into his chest, but he forced himself to move forward.
Step by step, he walked deeper into the dark passage.
In the distance, he noticed another door. A single tube light flickered above it, glowing faintly. That small light gave him hope. Noir began walking faster, but the harder he tried to reach it, the farther the door seemed to drift away.
Exhausted, Noir collapsed onto the floor.
Should I go back? he wondered.
But… go back where?
He stood up again.
This time, he ran.
As fast as he could.
He was just inches away—his fingers almost wrapped around the handle—when a voice suddenly echoed from the other side of the door.
"Please… please don't open the door."
Noir froze.
"Why?" he shouted back.
Before he could hear an answer, the glass windows along the tunnel shattered violently. Water began pouring in from every direction. At the same time, warning alarms blared, repeating the same command:
DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR.
Water rushed from one side. A sealed door blocked the other.
Noir was trapped.
"Shit… shit… shit… what do I do?! Help! Somebody help me!"
Panic took over.
With no other choice left, Noir made a decision.
"To hell with your warning," he growled. "I'm opening this door."
He threw it open and rushed inside, locking it behind him instantly.
The room felt… wrong.
Strangely familiar.
A bed.
A table.
A football lying on the floor.
A laptop.
Everything felt like something he had seen before—lived with before.
His head began to ache violently.
"Why does all of this feel so familiar?" Noir whispered. "This bed… this room… I can't take it anymore."
He tried convincing himself it was all a dream.
But dreams didn't feel like this.
He could feel the floor beneath his feet. The air in his lungs. The pain in his head.
Then—an image appeared in his mind.
A boy.
Brown hair with hints of gold.
Fifteen years old—no, seventeen.
Loved comics.
Loved video games.
Noir clutched his head.
"Why do I know this? Why am I thinking about him?"
His eyes fell on a window.
Should I open it?
It feels like daylight outside…
Ignoring his fear, Noir opened the window.
It was noon.
Outside stretched a vast golden field, glowing under the sun.
"I thought I was underwater," Noir muttered. "Then how did the water—"
His words stopped.
He looked down at the floor beneath the locked door.
What he thought was water… wasn't water at all.
It was blood.
Dark. Thick. Slowly spreading.
His heart dropped.
Trembling, Noir looked back outside the window—and froze.
One of them was standing there.
One of the watchers.
His voice shook as he spoke.
"What is happening to me?"
A calm voice replied,
"Congratulations. You have successfully passed two stages."
"Am I inside some kind of game?" Noir asked.
"No," the figure said. "You are inside an Alternative World. In simple terms—you are inside a simulation."
"I want to go home."
"Why?"
"Why?! What am I supposed to do here?"
"Remember your past, Gabriel."
"Gabriel?" Noir frowned. "What does that mean?"
"You still haven't returned to your past."
"Which past?"
"Look at the blood on the floor."
Noir stared at it.
Memories came crashing back.
Shouting.
Curses.
Fighting.
The sound of blows.
Crying.
More violence.
His breathing became uneven.
Realization hit him.
He ran back to the door and opened it.
Two bodies lay there.
Blood-soaked. Lifeless.
Noir's voice broke.
"Mom… Dad…"
To be continued...