PART 2 — The Simulation
Elias opened his eyes.
He wasn’t standing anymore.
He was floating.
Suspended inside a transparent tank filled with glowing liquid.
His body was covered in a white suit.
Strange machines surrounded him.
A voice echoed inside his mind.
“Subject 42.”
The voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
“Empathy response detected.”
Elias tried to move.
But he couldn’t.
“Where am I?”
No answer.
Only the voice.
“Reality adjustment beginning.”
The liquid drained.
His body dropped.
Pain exploded through him as gravity returned.
Then suddenly—
He was back.
The pharmacy.
The same lights.
The same smell.
But something was wrong.
He wasn’t Elias.
He was the security guard.
He felt the sweat on his skin.
The badge on his chest.
The strength in his hands.
And beneath him…
Mrs. Gable.
But she wasn’t crying.
She was smiling.
A terrifying smile.
“You’re late, Elias.”
His blood turned cold.
“What?”
She looked at him.
Her eyes were completely black.
“You still don’t understand.”
He tried to release her.
But his hands wouldn’t move.
They were locked.
Then someone stepped out of the shadows.
A figure with no real face.
Only a reflection.
A mirror.
May you like
The creature reached toward him.
And the entire world shattered.
