Dream Confirmation Bias

III

There was much sobbing and crying. In a bid to get away from the drama, Josh walked up to the nearest elevator. However, there was some guy making out with a girl, blocking the entrance to the elevator.

Josh tried for several minutes to get the guy out of the way. In indignation, he finally yelled out, "Dude!" and the guy finally stopped, and looked up in surprise.

Josh took the opportunity to walk into the elevator.

In shock, Josh realised that it was his older cousin, Johnathan.

"Your dad just died, and you're making out here? You should be ashamed," said Josh.

His cousin looked mad. He blocked the door with his body.

"Listen, punk. Don't you go around blabbing to me about remorse. You're just so pathetic. You were about to commit suicide when my dad saved your sorry ass, so be grateful. And I don't really give a damn about him dying, anyway. He wasn't much of a father."

Josh could smell the alcohol on his breath. He was probably on drugs too, going by the glazed look in his eyes.

***

Modern elevators have a safety mechanism called "nudge mode". This mechanism is activated in times of emergency by firemen during fires or earthquakes, or other disasters. However, there are some elevators which also use this mechanism to save energy or to move the elevator to a wanted floor. Hence, nudge mode can temporarily disable the safety door sensor, and while it does so, it issues a warning.

***

Please step aside from the doors.

Josh heard the warning. He tried to interrupt Johnathan but only got ignored.

Please step aside from the doors.

The girl heard the warning. She tried to warn Johnathan but he was too preoccupied with ranting about his dad.

Please step aside from the doors.

Johnathan heard the warning, but it probably didn't register. He had to teach this punk a lesson.

Please step aside from the doors.

When the doors began to close, Johnathan was halfway into the elevator, fist raised, ready to punch.

Please step aside from the doors.

The elevator door snapped close on his left thigh.

Please step aside from the doors.

The girl was already screaming. Josh did nothing. Johnathan joined in the screaming. He must have realised his terrible condition even in his alcohol and drug-addled state. He tried to pull his leg out, but the doors were snapped shut tight.

Thank you for your cooperation.

The elevator accelerated downwards. And with it so did Johnathan's body, leaving his leg behind on the seventh floor, and also a spurt of blood in its wake.

When the elevator finally stopped on the ground floor, Johnathan was already dead, either with shock, or through loss of blood. Josh calmly walked out of the elevator and left his cousin's apartment building.

He produced a notepad from his pocket. This was one of the notepads of categorised death.

Next to Death #2 "fall from a great height" and Death #3 "cut by elevator" he put two small ticks.

He had not actually killed anyone, yet all these people were dying of the deaths he had seen in his dream. Surely this was no coincidence. He must be an Oracle of some kind, he thought. He could predict the future.