Chapter 1
Thom's eyelids fluttered open, a dull ache radiating through his skull as he tried to piece together the fragmented memories of the previous night. The mattress beneath him felt foreign, and a threadbare blanket offered a meager defense against the chill in the air. His eyes squinted, adjusting to the gloom that cloaked the room in shadows, the light filtering through grimy windows casting an eerie glow on peeling wallpaper.
With a groan, he propped himself up on his elbows, the movement stirring dust motes into a lazy dance. He reached out, fingers grazing the cold surface of his phone on the bedside table. Swiping it up, he tapped the screen to life; the harsh blue light momentarily blinded him before settling into focus. The date glared back at him, unchanging and inexplicable—it was still the same day.
"Ed?" The word scratched at his parched throat as Thom pushed himself to sit upright, his gaze falling upon the lanky figure sprawled across the couch.
"Thom?" Ed's voice was gravelly with sleep, his hand sweeping over his face as if to wipe away the confusion. He sat up slowly, his tall frame unfolding like a question mark in the dimness.
Their eyes met, mutual bewilderment mirrored in their expressions. Thom could see the stubble darkening Ed's jaw, the slight furrow between his brows that spoke volumes without words. They were lost in this strange interlude, disconnected from the rhythm of their usual lives.
"Where are we?" Ed's question hung in the air, unanswered as Thom's attention shifted abruptly to the newspaper on the coffee table.
"Look at this," Thom rasped, his voice barely above a whisper, a tremor of something indefinable—fear, excitement, disbelief—lacing his words. He leaned forward, the muscles in his arms tensing as he grasped the paper. "Beta Testers Wanted for 'Freddy Fazbear Virtual Experience'."
"Five Nights at Freddy's?" Ed rose to join Thom, looming over the coffee table as he squinted at the headline. A shadow passed over his features, a recognition that went deeper than the mere mention of a game.
"Yeah, my kids—they're obsessed with it." The memory ignited a spark within Thom, the recollection of animated conversations at the dinner table about animatronics and jump scares. He never imagined those tales would leap from the realm of fiction and haunt them in reality.
"Could this be some kind of prank?" Ed mused, but his tone lacked conviction. They both knew the truth was far stranger than any practical joke.
"Doesn't feel like it," Thom replied, the weight of their situation pressing down upon him. Yet, despite the uncertainty, a sense of purpose began to stir within him, a need to understand, to confront whatever twisted narrative they had been thrust into.
They shared a silent moment, each man wrestling with the surreal nature of their predicament. Then, almost imperceptibly, Thom nodded to himself, a silent affirmation that they would navigate this labyrinth together. As the silence stretched on, the unspoken bond between them grew stronger, fortified by the promise of unwavering support amidst the horrors that surely awaited them.
Chapter 2
Thom's fingers trembled as they brushed against the edge of the yellowed newspaper, its crumpled pages telling of a calamity that had never happened in his world. Black and white images of charred walls and twisted metal frames where children once laughed and played sent a chill through his veins. How could this be real? The article's date was years old, but the scent of smoke seemed to cling to it, stubborn and unforgiving.
"Look at this, Ed," Thom's voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes not leaving the haunting photographs as he passed the paper over. "It's like we've fallen into some sort of alternate dimension."
