I threw myself onto my bed. "God, what a crazy day," came my muffled voice. I was supposed to work on my book right now… But after what has happened so far… I'm just exhausted. My brain is fried just from trying to figure out what has happened today.
I picked up my phone, staring blankly at the time. Damn, it's already twelve. Crap, I'm hungry, extremely hungry. I'd better order something quickly. I opened the Uber Eats app, ordering a chicken shawarma. After a few minutes of utter starvation along with scrolling on TikTok, my doorbell rang.
"Order for Horacio!" I opened the door and took my food.
The man stared at me. 'Oh, tip.' I got out a five-dollar bill from my wallet and handed it over to him. The man walked away, into the elevator, and that's the last I'd see of him for today. I sat down on my couch, and the scent of shawarma drifted into my nose as I opened my meal, devouring it whole in a matter of minutes.
I got up to wash my hands. Now for some rest.
Just as I entered my bedroom, the window shattered. The worst part? I'm in my bedroom.
I ran out of the room whilst I stared back in horror as the figure dressed in a black hooded coat approached in record time.
He grasped my hand, pulling me. I looked at his face in terror.
Unfortunately, the police wouldn't be able to find someone if I told them the trespasser was wearing a black coat with a hoodie, casting a massive shadow across the face.
Even though it's still daytime, this happened inside my home, so there really aren't any witnesses. What a bummer.
He threw something in front of him while he dragged me with him. A portal(ish) thing erupted from the nothingness of air. As I was forced through the portal by the intimidating man, I got flash-banged. Turns out those are just the neon lights of the grocery store we were walking towards. The owner seriously needs to change the brightness of those lights.
I glared at my not-so-kind kidnapper, "Where are you taking me to, and why are you kidnapping me?"
No response. We enter the store and walk towards the back. The man held down the handle and slowly opened the door.
Then it happens. A gunshot exits the room we were about to enter, the bullet barely missing my head by a millimetre.
The man pulled me aside and took out a Glock-18. He fired back. Whoever was inside dropped dead. The man proceeded into the room, cautiously and stepped into a pool of blood. He walked over to the light switch, turned it on, and then surveyed the dead body.
He took out a walkie-talkie from a coat pocket and cleared his throat:
"Code red, 5'8, male, grenade in hand with a pistol. Pistol: Glock-19. TLPSS-3 out," putting the walkie-talkie back into his coat pocket.
"Come in, Horacio, let's go down," said the man.
How did he know my name?! And down to where? I can't see any stairs, let alone an elevator! I walked into the room, wary of any other murderers in the room. The man spreads his hand over a hand scanner. This is an insanely futuristic dream (or nightmare). Then the door slammed closed, and the floor beneath me began moving… like an elevator.
'Alright, this is enough; I should try waking up now.'
I slapped myself. And it hurt a lot. 'Alright, this is not a dream.' The man glanced at me like I was mentally ill (of course, I'm not sure he looked at me, because of the stupid hood covering his face).
He muttered under his breath, "Poor kid, I pray that he gets well."
"You know I can hear you…" I stated.
The man waved it off.
"What's your name?" I asked the man.
"My name is Draco," he responded while removing his hoodie.
Finally, I could see him. Beneath the hood lay the most beautiful face I've ever seen, white hair, crystal green eyes, and extremely smooth skin. He definitely gets a lot of ladies…
The floor stopped moving, and the man opened the metal door in front. This time, the door needed an eye-scan to open. 'Just where am I going?! AND HOW CAN ALL OF THIS SHIT BE REAL?! ALSO, WHY AM I BEING KIDNAPPED IN THE FIRST PLACE?!'
A soft AI voice announced:
"Welcome to TLP"
I tapped on Draco's shoulder and asked him:
"What's TLP, Mr. Draco? And will we be leaving the body here? Also, why was I kidnapped exactly?"
"First of all, you don't needa call me 'Mister', call me Draco. Second, TLP is the abbreviation for Timeline Pruning. Third—" Just before Draco could continue, he was interrupted by a scream beyond the metal door.
"Something's happening. I'll explain more once we reach Dr. Quib's study," he commanded as he gave me the signal to remain quiet.
Steam hissed from the seams of the door. We saw a doctor as he ran away from the hallway. "Uhm, Draco, why is that guy running?"
"Probably because of the bloody walls around us." I finally surveyed the new room we were in and realised that the walls were all covered in blood. My legs froze in fear. Draco took out his Glock-18.
He heaved a sigh:
"This is bad. Stay behind me, Horacio. This is probably the work of an Error. Though Errors can't be so deep down in the base… Wait, could it be the—"
Draco is interrupted by a loud thud, right beside his left foot. We look down at the object that has fallen. And never in my life… Have I ever seen such a horrific thing.