“Do you have a membership card sir?"

People moved from product to product, aisle to aisle in meandering ways but he feels that like atoms they were welled to him.

Izo might as well have found demons in their eyes for he dared not peek, lest they smash upon him and ground him into dust.

“No.”

“Do you want this bagged?”

“No.”

He felt lethargic. The earlier energy that was born out of a manic attempt to appear decent inevitably drained his reserves. Even now he still tried to straighten his back and have a polite smile, however ugly it looked.

“Thank you for shopping!”

Izo got out of the store where he saw clusters of people. They were intelligible yet what they talked about he didn’t understand.

“Miss Math looked hot!”

“Puhaha! What a pervert ogling the professor.”

He avoided them and traced the grey pavement out of the university. Close by was his apartment building.

Izo speed walked to his room and at the end he was jogging. He only felt safe once he felt the warm air inside his unit then heard the comforting thud of the door.

It was dark since the light broke yesterday so he made do with his phone for now. There were some leftover dishes but otherwise the room was clean. Vegetables, fruits and cooking utensils stocked the kitchen as he planned to eat healthier compared to his high school diet. God knows he gained too much weight from that. A second lock was installed on the door at the same time sound isolation foam was everywhere. A curtain and blinds combo were at every window.

The sun was shining orange outside but he didn’t want to waste his time raising the covers so, it rarely visited the room.

‘Phew.’

He lied on the bed to gather himself, listening to nothing but the faint drone of air conditioning all around him. He fidgeted and turned, pursing his lips so often. He was thinking about something only it was nothing. His brain refused to function as he just laid there tired.

Frustrated, the phone light shone on his face as he began browsing. A double chin, short stature and basic hygiene was all Izo knew.

[Trending on d/news..]

He swiped away.

[Message from the class president...]

He swiped.

[Izo Shelley, your subscription to Fitness Planet is...]

He swiped.

[Message from Dad…]

The uncalloused and fair thumb stopped. He had promised to call his father 3 times a week. It was Friday and this was his first call.

The video feed appears and Izo could see his father's greying hairs. Ten years of being a low-level employee had aged him and given him chronic back pain.

Remembering photos of his dad's younger self, they were two separate individuals. Unfortunate divorce, smoking and time had turned him into the him of today.

"How's school my son?"

He tried his best to avoid cringing at “my son”.

"Pretty good.”

“Good in 4 years you’ll finally get a job and that’s, that's when the true responsibilities begin.”

“Yeah.”

They talked about school and tuition until they began their parting words.

"You’re an adult already, you can handle things yourself. Just don’t lose your scholarship."

"Of course.”

"Good. Do your best my son.”

With that the call ended and Izo released his tensed shoulders. It happens whenever he’s talking to people, a chain challenges his right to air. Not enough to choke but just enough to make breathing bothersome. This worsens with his parent.

If he was being honest he wasn’t sure if he truly considered the man as his father. The man fed and clothed yet somehow didn’t raise him. There was a big barrier that was always there and by the time he was old enough to recognize it, he had no desire to break the barrier as he was used to it.

The barrier also ruled other people in his life. There was no sleep overs for him, camping with friends or dating. Izo was convinced that he was going to die alone and he would be surprised otherwise.

He continued browsing for a few more hours but soon was sleepy. There was great peace in sleep, an opinion other people don’t seem to share. He found the oblivion calming and tranquil.

It took a few minutes but Izo’s tired mind finally succumbed to sleep.

*

“Seems like a peaceful one.”

Sometimes, they have a violent start where immediately he was being chased by a madman then have to solve a puzzle while being chased by said madman. Other times playing hide and seek with a ceiling ghost or having to do diplomacy while at gunpoint. It happens often enough that he could make a tier list of them.

Luckily, this seemed like a standard dream.

“Here you are!”

The cabbie said as he smoked his cigar. Izo opened the car door subconsciously and got assaulted by smoke.

“What are you doing man?! Do you want me to get in trouble?”

Cold air entered his lungs as plastic straps were attached to his head. He had to gather himself for a minute and only then was he conscious enough to realize it was a gas mask.

A suitcase was lying on the ground with him while the driver was long gone.

‘Still better than the time that ghost possessed me and made me wake up.’

He was in front of a house with air conditioners blasting. Fake grass on the lawn, it was identical to all others for in the block.

Seeing that no one was around him, he knocked on the house door for help. He was answered quick and when cold air from inside came, only then did he realized the moisture drying heat wrapping him.

"Dad.”

Before he could think any further a child came out of the house wearing his own mask.

The boy took his suitcase, head bowed low. He was guided inside where a laser scanned through his body.

“Air filtered.”

The first thing he saw was a collection of wine and brandy. Colored gold and the cabinet was completely glass. No smudges, no dirt on it. On the tv was a basketball game just about to begin.

A tall and mature woman stared at him questioningly. His heart rate spiked and hand had a faint shaking.

"Didn't you say you had an appointment with a big client."

“I uh- I did.”

The woman eyed him but left as the whistle of a kettle was heard from the kitchen.

“Come wait at the table then Hun.”

The kitchen was connected to the living room and there hang a multitude of awards and certificate.

[ Awarded for seminar hosting for Izo Shelley. ]

“Me?”

Before he could fully process the happenings, a sudden message appeared in his eyes.

[ If you’re receiving this, you’re probably in a dream. Don’t panic nothing will happen to you here. ]

*

Izo was currently on the dinner table with his phone. Though somewhat rude, he continued to read. It was working since it warded of any conversations from them.

Clink.

The child took his plate and dropped it in the sink. The woman had already finished hers and was waiting for his plate.

He was embarrassed so he ate faster but her brows raised up with his action. The child then stared at him.

“?”

“Aren’t you allowing him upstairs?”

“You’re allowed upstairs.”

“Thanks”

Only then did he leave the kitchen. He was left there with the woman and she was definitely suspicious of him.

‘I need to go the bathroom.’

He acted calmly, projecting non-existent confident. His heart was pounding but he held it together till he got there. It was clean and all the shampoos and necessities were arranged by height. There was a big mirror directly facing the door.

‘Oh my god. Is this me?’

Older, fatter and, if he was honest, uglier than he imagined. He could count the sparse hair.

It was him but also it was too similar to his father.

He used his phone to search for his name.

[ Izo Shelley, 54. Businessman. ]

It seems that after finishing business in college he ended up being successful. Well off but wealthy. Looking at the family situation though, he still wasn’t happy in this dream.

When he got out, no one was in the living room. With no one downstairs, Izo went to the second floor and found the boy in front of a pc, receiving tutoring. He looked puzzled at his father’s entrance.

“Sorry. Just checking.”

Farther down a hallway were three rooms. From the largest stately one, to the second largest with the door closed and the smallest colored pink one. Inside, the smallest room were no beds or furniture. The walls were peeling but it seemed to be cleaned daily.

Since the door was closed for the adjacent room, he chose the master bedroom.

‘Is she not here?’

Moonlight streamed from the balcony, the large bed was made and his “wife” was nowhere in sight. Instead, model robots and gaming systems occupied most of the room. It seemed the theme of the room was black and white.

[ Really vivid dreams, faster and stronger body, occasional mind reading are the most common signs of someone who is talented in “spirituality”. The most obvious is sudden disappearance.

Don’t worry or be reasonably worried. That person was only brought to the Nexus. That’s what happened to me.

There are countless people here, non-humans mostly. All more powerful than us and this fact is really important for soon Earth will be fully connected to here. It’s up to be powerful enough for Earth not be bullied.

Soon, their test instruction will arrive. Try to complete it. If you fail, this would only be a blurry dream otherwise you’ll be stuck with me in the Nexus for a while. We could really use your help. Try it or I’ll haunt you otherwise m’kay?

“Air Scissor”, Kaylee Jones ]