An Alter of Time

Chapter 1

Deep Sleep

Alisa's POV:

I was doing some research and also preparing two presentations about our new discovery "The Emerald Necklace" that was found in the region of Costa Rica. As an archeologist, it is a common thing for us to travel to different kinds of places.

I remember the farthest flight I had lapsed for three days from the Philippines to Canada. I am used to getting jet lag and insomnia whenever I travel. Leading the destinations and findings are my responsibility. Currently, we are heading to Costa Rica to get more information about our new discovery.

We arrived the other day and have finished the task we needed to do. Now we're staying in the hotel to get some rest. At the moment, I'm busy searching for information related to our lead and also enjoying my hot milk that is perfect for a rainy night.

I'm accompanied by my secretary, Kiriguchi. She is always bubbly and is kind of strong-headed which is kind of annoying sometimes but still. she is a trustworthy assistant of mine. She's now sleeping soundly next to me.

I really want to sleep so badly right now, but I still need to finish my research. I am not only tired and sleepy but I'm also hungry, so I decided to grab some snacks on the 5th floor, where the snack bar is located.

I almost reached the elevator when I remembered that the elevator was shut down due to power failure. I sighed and went to the stairs which are opposite to the direction of the elevator. I kept yawning while walking lazily on the corridors heading to South Complex.

All of a sudden, I heard thunder rumbled in the sky. The sound was very loud that it woke me up. I was shocked by the sound for a moment and quickly ran like a scared cat.

After I reached the stairs, I giggled a little because I realized how much fool I am to do such a thing. I saw the snack bar, but no one was there. "Oh yeah, it's already 2 in the morning. Who would be working at this hour? People are already sleeping." I saw a sofa and I suddenly had the urge to sleep on it. "ZAP! CLING!" I woke up hearing a loud sound and remembered where I am. "Why am I sleeping here?"

I quickly rose and turned on my phone's flashlight because the lights were off. I didn't know why there are off, but I clearly remembered that the lights were on before I slept here.

Maybe someone saw me sleeping here so they decided to turn off the lights, but if they did see me, why didn't they wake me up? Maybe they were hesitant to wake me up?

I was confused and my head is full of questions. *sigh* While heading for the stairs, I looked at my phone to check what time it is and I was surprised to see that it was only 2:15 a.m. "I thought I slept for a long time."

While walking upstairs, I heard something fall downstairs, it sounded like broken glass. I didn't really mind it at first, but I heard it again. I started to speed up my pace.

It feels like each step I made, the noise was getting louder and louder. I ran as fast as I could, not minding where I am heading. "It stopped." I breathed heavily. I look at my surroundings.

"A dead end?" There were no doors in there, just walls. My anxiety started to show up. I was afraid and lost all my hope of escaping. Behind me, I saw a woman with red hair, an empty eye, no teeth, and a very pale white skin.

"Am I really going to die here?"

"AH!" I screamed and heard someone scream too. As I open my eyes, I saw Kiri looking at me with her messy hair. I was shocked so I accidentally cursed and slapped her cheek. My hand left a red hand mark on her face.