Chapter 1: Chapter 1 – Trapped

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The first thing that is heard in the morning, a quick snap out of any dream that he was having caused by an alarm that he had set in order to prevent himself from oversleeping. With some reluctance accompanied by the grumbles of the black haired man, he eventually reaches out and slams the top of his alarm clock, stopping the ear-piercing beeping from continuing on. He didn't immediately get out of bed; instead an arm reached up into the air before coming down as he rested his forearm over his eyes- fighting off the sleep and tiredness, he tries to keep himself awake while still maintaining the comfort he got from laying down in his bed.

Seconds pass, then minutes, and then the minutes nearly reach an entire hour as procrastination kicks in. Though, he realizes how much time he was taking just laying in bed, causing for a swift jut forward to sit him upright to be made. It was like ripping a Band-Aid off, making the process somewhat painful in the moment, but attempting to get it over with as quickly as possible. Scooting over towards the end of his bed, he places his feet onto the ground before coming to a stand, where he extends both of his hands up into the air to stretch his back. Trekking his way over toward the bathroom, he aims to prepare himself for the day ahead.

Washing his face, brushing his teeth, combing his hair, these were all pretty basic things he would usually do as a means to get ready. He wasn't someone who relied on too many products to make himself seem at least somewhat attractive and, kempt; plus it saved him some time in the morning to get along with his day quicker- if laying in bed for almost an entire hour didn't already eat up whatever time he had initially. Eventually, he finishes up his morning routine and begins making his way toward the exit of his apartment, flipping the thumbturn lock; he turns the handle, and opens his front door.

A cold breeze strikes the man, calling for a shiver to run up his spine. Staring out into the cityscape from his doorframe, he doesn't seem to pay any mind to the eviction notice plastered on the front of his door. Taking a deep breath in, filling his lungs with the smog filled air, he tries to stay optimistic and hold a smile, though eventually goes into a coughing fit. Gathering himself, he wipes his mouth and closes the door to his apartment before moving to start walking down a single flight of stairs so that he could get onto the ground. He didn't walk towards the parking lot or toward where the bikes were locked up; instead, he walks down the sidewalk and makes his way further into the city.

Keeping his head low, cars pass by, occasionally blaring loud music; people walk by without a word; homeless people approach asking for money but are quickly turned down, and Eric attempts to make his way through the city. It seemed that this was a normal occurrence and wasn't out of the ordinary; the day seemed to be going all according to plan. Eric was going to make his way to one of the nearby stores in search of a job- that was, until he was completely blind-sided.

THWACK!

A sharp pain upon the side of his chin, followed by a quick recoil of his head and a buckle of his legs occurs. Without so much as a word of warning, the world around him seems to go dark, fading out before slowly fading back in as he fights off passing out. The assault didn't continue and instead, he could see himself being dragged off the sidewalk and into an alleyway away from public view, "Where's my money shithead?" The fight to remain conscious no longer becomes difficult as a strike to the mid-section seems to jostle him back into high gear. A pained groan is all Eric can give in response as he attempts to figure out who his assailant is, though, there is a feeling deep within that he already knows who it was.

"I gave you a month to get me my money, and guess what? A months up." The man who was assaulting Eric seemed to be wearing a black suit. Two other men who were also accompanying him also seemed to be wearing suits. Eric seemed to know exactly who these people were, and, scrambling to defend himself, he calls out, "Listen man, I don't have your money! I'm still trying to get back on my feet, I was going to apply for job right now." Perhaps his transparency wasn't the best idea; hearing that he didn't even have a job further enraged the man and he sought to take it out on Eric. Another strike to his mid-section was made, this time performed as a kick while he was down. Letting out an annoyed groan, he looks up for a moment and seems to contemplate Eric's options before coming to a conclusion. Reaching into his pocket, the man takes out a switchblade and crouches down to be at eye level with Eric. Pushing up with his thumb, the blade pops out and he aims it at Eric while warning, "You have THREE days. I don't care how you make the money, if you don't have my money- we will make it from you."

Pointing the blade towards Eric's torso, it's a pretty clear warning and threat letting Eric know what is at stake. Pulling the thumbslide down, the blade is pulled down and returned to his pocket. Brushing Eric off, his assailant comes to a stand and turns before motioning for the other two to follow him. He doesn't allow for Eric to further defend himself and lays out his only option, with that he takes his leave to allow for Eric to figure out the rest.

Thump Thump . . . 

"AAAGH!" Writhing in pain on the ground, Eric places the palms of his hand on his head. He was in pain not from the beating he sustained, but instead from the situation he was put in. It felt like an impossible task; there was no way he was ever going to make the money back within three days. Laying on the ground he tries his best to figure -something- out, he weighs his options, he couldn't go to the police since the person he owed money to had connections to the police, he couldn't flee because he didn't have the money and wouldn't get far before he was very likely caught, and he couldn't make the money within the given time. Laying on the ground he feels an immense amount of dread wash over him; it was like he was tossed in a wave and continues to roll uncontrollably, trying his best to fight against it. But there was no fighting against it; this was his reality.

There was no way to fight against the situation he was put in; he was powerless to save himself; it was this realization that caused for him to simply cease. There was no point in making a scene, he could do nothing but accept defeat . . . No. There was one thing he could do; it wasn't going to save him, likely the opposite, but if he was going to die he wanted to at least go out on his own terms and enjoy what little time he had left. Coming to a stand, he quickly makes his way back towards his apartment. Walking up the stairs, someone seems to walk out of a nearby building and begin moving toward Eric while calling out, "Eric! Rent is due! You cant go back in there!" Eric quickly retorts while waving him off, "Ah, forget about it! I just need one thing then I'll be out of here."

Unlocking his door, he swings it open and moves towards his bed, where he flips the mattress over onto the ground. Under the mattress appears to be a gray trash bag. Reaching inside, Eric takes out a fairly large sum of money that he's been accumulating- it wasn't nearly enough to pay off what he owed, but it was enough to let him get by for as long as he has. Stuffing the money in his pocket, he turns back around and bolts out of the front door. Slipping past the landlord, who was still shouting at him, he runs down the street and keeps going, refusing to look back.

With adrenaline pumping and his mind running a million miles a minute, it didn't feel like very much time passed before he found himself standing before a traveling amusement park. Wiping some sweat from his forehead, he now calmly jogs through the place, attempting to get to a booth where he can buy some tickets. Approaching the stand, a young, blonde-haired blue eyed woman around the same age as Eric appears to be taking money and handing out tickets. Reaching into his pocket, Eric takes out a large sum of money and slides it on the table between them before asking, "How many will this get me?" The woman blinks a few times in confusion, having never seen someone spend this much on tickets, especially while being by themselves. She responds, "Uh. . . A lot?" Unrolling the tickets, she quickly begins getting all of Eric's tickets while questioning, "Are you here by yourself or did you come with a party?"

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"By myself, but you could fix that if you'd like." Eric responds, almost instinctively; he was actually pretty surprised at the response himself. Though, the woman seems to go along with it and continues,

"But you don't even know my name."

"What's your name?"

"Olivia."

"Great, my names Eric. Now I know your name and you know mine."

"Hmmm. . . Sure."

Looking around cautiously, she takes the tickets and stows away the money before walking around back to leave the booth. Reaching out, Eric offers a hand to Olivia, which she takes without hesitation. Leading her off towards a nearby ride, their journey starts off with a slingshot ride. It was all like a haze for Eric; screams of joy as they went on every ride, ran around the amusement park, ordered food from the stands, handed out tickets to the kids who were running around as well. It was overall an enjoyable experience for Eric- though, this made it even harder for him to let go as he remembers why he's here in the first place.

This snap back to reality comes as both Eric and Olivia sit in a cart on a Ferris wheel, night had fallen, and the view over the park was surreal. But everything seemed like it was souring; he wished that the day could last forever and he could further enjoy getting to know the woman beside him. But, that simply couldn't happen.

As the Ferris wheel touched down and they got off, Eric's energy levels had very clearly dropped. Olivia tugs at his hand to get him to face her, "Hey, you look exhausted. I had a good time hanging out with you, why don't we call it a day here, huh?" He had already made up his mind; to call it a day meant that it was the end of the road for him. Looking at her lips, Eric feels something compel him and he begins to move in to make a move. . but stops himself. He couldn't do it; he was getting too attached, and it just wasn't fair to anyone in this situation. Pulling away, he doesn't say anything and instead begins running, bolting out of the park as Olivia calls out for him.

Darkness surrounds him soon enough, he was far enough away from the park that he feels like he could walk and take in the silence. He had a wave of emotions fill him, perhaps he was a coward, maybe he shouldn't have led Olivia on, he was probably selfish for doing what he did. But he knew what he had to do; there was no escaping his fate; he had to stick with the plan. Eric now had more regrets than ever, but that was his own fault.

Making his way through the darkness, eventually he comes upon a railroad track. Staring at the tracks, he takes a deep breath in, this was the end of the road for him. Laying down on the tracks like one of those people who were tied up by a villain, he stares up at the night sky, wishing that someone would come and save him from his unfortunate circumstances. Before long, the loud horns of a train can be heard blaring in the distance as light slowly approaches and the tracks rattle; he can tell how close the train is by how bright the light that shines on him gets, as well as how loud the horn is and how much the tracks shake. Closing his eyes, everything went dark, everything went silent, there was no pain, there was no sensation but peace.

THWOOM!

That peace is quickly interfered with as Eric opens his eyes and all he can see is an abstract view of what can only be described as a colorful galaxy that surrounds him. He could feel himself slipping, swatting at the air, there was nothing to grab onto before he begins falling- it was a normal pace at first but the speed begins exponentially picking up and space begins bending around him. The colorful galaxy is overlaid by countless white lines which eventually cover his entire view; though this blinding white doesn't seem to last long before he violently crashes into the ground, into dirt, the wind is knocked out of him and his head aches and spins. Rolling over onto his back, he lets out a low groan; the world around him fades to black, and the last thing he sees before slipping into unconsciousness is a nun- a nun who seems to look strikingly similar to Olivia.