Chapter 1: The Voice in the Dark

  I’ve always felt alone. Not because I don’t have a loving family or friends, but because something’s missing.

  “Maybe it started when I lost her…”

  “I should’ve saved her.”

  These voices won’t stop, even though I don’t know who she is.

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  Wait—do I have schizophrenia?

  Ugh. Just sleep. Please, sleep.

  ---

  Finally, calm. I was drifting off when I heard it.

  “Oliver!”

  My eyes snapped open. Heart pounding. That wasn’t my voice.

  Who the hell called me?

  AHH—my head!

  This wasn’t a normal headache. It felt like an axe splitting my skull—over and over.

  I tried to open my eyes… nothing.

  Am I dying?

  Wait... Could it be an angel calling my name? Heaven, here I come! But... what if it’s Satan?

  I forced my eyes open, desperate to see where I was headed. Heaven or hell—just show me already.

  But my brain didn’t cooperate. My vision was foggy.

  After struggling, I finally managed to open them. Barely.

  Blurred shapes. Dim light.

  Not heaven or hell.

  It was... a house? No.

  Wooden walls, dim bulb overhead. Not modern. More like an old hut.

  This didn’t feel like Earth.

  Maybe... Another world?