Bab 1: Jack Somnus
I had been sitting in the cemetery for over an hour in the misting rain.
The weather seemed to match my mood as I sat and thought about the things that were stealing the happiness from my life.
I've been doing that a lot lately.
Ever since Alice left—not when she died, but when that bastard took her away from me.
A car driving by on the road blew its horn; somebody recognized me and wanted to say hello.
In a small town, people are like that.
Even after you tell them to go to Hell.
I was aware that some of my friends were beginning to worry about me a bit. I knew all this sitting around pondering the whys and how comes of my life made me seem slightly neurotic, crazy in a harmless sort of way.
Over the last few months, I've been thinking about my life and what value it held without Alice. My whole world had been built around the two of us, or so I thought.
But when she left me for another man, it felt as though someone had torn a huge tree from my heart, leaving a hole as big as a swimming pool in my soul.
If only she had been a tree, then I could simply plant another one and wait a few years for it to grow...
Yet, it seemed the loss wasn't felt equally by her.
I took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one, placing it between my lips.
I sat in front of a massive grave with the inscription, "Sam Johnson, 1984–2034."
"Did you know that this would be how it ends?" I murmured, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
"Did you see it coming?"
After taking a long drag from the cigarette, I flicked it at the grave.
"Here. I'll share it with you. Like back in the day."
I stood up and walked away from the grave. The cemetery stretched around me, filled with weathered tombstones and overgrown weeds, hinting at neglect. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and the distant sound of traffic.
I paused outside the cemetery gates and looked around.
'Could life become good again?' I thought.
Watching the younger people pass by, I realized nobody seemed to have time for happiness these days.
I got into my black BMW M3 G50 and drove from the small town of Wahneta to the center of Orlando, Central Florida.
I felt a slight shift in the way my mind viewed everything. With this new perspective, I was re-evaluating all my life choices.
Since graduating with a Master's in Economics from the University of Florida, I have worked tirelessly for the Johnson family, managing their finances as an analyst, often putting in 14+ hours a day at the office with little time off.
After many years of a successful career, I became an integral part of the Johnson family.
I was even being invited to their most intimate gatherings.
My friendship with Sam was the cornerstone of it all; we had been inseparable since the university days, spending more time together than I did with my own wife.
Sam Johnson was the youngest in the family. He was a prodigy whom his father, Arnold Johnson, held in high regard.
His intellect was unmatched, a quality I deeply respected.
However, as I reflected, intelligence alone doesn't always guarantee success.
Sam found himself like a lamb among wolves—surrounded by siblings whose cunning and shrewdness in matters of wealth and power overshadowed his own gentle demeanor and intellectual prowess.
Despite his brilliance, Sam's inherent goodness and lack of cutthroat ambition left him vulnerable.
While I observed from the sidelines, I realized that in this game of familial fortune, intelligence alone was not enough to secure one's legacy or protect one's place in the family hierarchy.
I parked my sleek black BMW in front of the imposing Bank of America Center. The evening lights shimmered off its reflective glass exterior.
I stepped out, adjusting my suit jacket before I strode briskly to the entrance.
Standing at the doors was a burly security guard encased in a crisp black suit. He must have been at least 2 meters (6'7'') tall.
As I approached, the guard respectfully removed his cap, "Good evening, Mister Somnus," he greeted me with a deep voice.
I must have looked unnaturally calm, trying my best to not betray the internal turmoil that plagued me.
I returned the greeting with a brief smile before passing through the doors into the bustling lobby of the skyscraper.
I was a regular at the Bank of America until a few days ago. Managing one of the Johnson family's accounts meant frequent transactions, some substantial enough to draw the attention of all the executives in the building.
Now, all I had left was a VIP card granting access to an elevator that ascended to the twenty-eighth floor.
I swiped my card before the doors slid open smoothly. Stepping inside, I pressed the button for the twenty-eighth floor, and the elevator began its ascent.
After a minute, the elevator rolled up to a halt, and the doors swung open.
I glanced around; nobody was there. I was by myself.
From there, the views of the city skyline were spectacular.
Looking out of the windows, I thought that maybe my friends were right to worry about me.
I felt just crazy enough to do something.
The thought that I might actually do this thing made me shiver.
After Sam's death, the Johnson family cut all ties with me.
They got rid of me with hardly a word being said and soon enough, I realised that my job was not the only thing that was missing.
The person I fell in love with on a business trip. The beautiful lawyer Alice.
The person who made me continue working so hard for the sole purpose of success was no longer by my side.
'How could it all have meant nothing to her?' I thought.
I had sacrificed precious moments with my family, poured all my energy into my career, and neglected my own well-being—all for her sake!
I had believed that her happiness mirrored my own, that our aspirations were intertwined.
I realized I had been mistaken.
It dawned on me, with a clarity that cut through the fog of heartache, that Alice had sought a provider, not a partner.
All those years, I had been naive, not just about her but about my own priorities and the very meaning of life.
"What a bunch of idiots we were, Sam," I muttered to myself, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.
I let myself be controlled, and Sam was no different.
We were both manipulated to some extent.
I had sacrificed everything I held dear. For what?!
For a dream that has not been my own?
Or was it mine?
Was success all I wanted?
My family, my health, my own happiness—all had been secondary to the illusion of success.
I stared out at the city lights below.
I reached out to open the window of the skyscraper, peering out as I allowed the wind to brush against my face and tousle my hair.
I looked down at the ants walking on the sidewalk and the streetlights of the cars going by.
I could feel the adrenaline flowing through my body as the fear built inside. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I took deep breaths to try to regain some control of myself.
'How would it feel to be freefalling uncontrollably from this height?' I thought.
I let out a sigh, shut the window, and walked back to the elevator.
As I approached the panel, I swiped my card, but something strange happened.
The scanner turned a bright blue color.
'What is this about?' I thought.
Typically, it would turn green rather than blue.
But the doors of the elevator opened naturally, so I made nothing of it and stepped in. I pressed the button to the first floor, and the doors closed behind me.
The elevator began its descent.
However, as the elevator moved, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. I glanced at the control panel, but everything seemed normal. The numbers above the door ticked down steadily:
17... 16... 15...
Then the elevator shuddered slightly.
My heart skipped a beat, but the motion smoothed out almost immediately.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
7... 6...
Suddenly, I started to feel drowsy.
I felt relaxed.
Something was definitely off.
I never did mushrooms or even drank too much.
I was trying to understand the feeling that I was experiencing as I felt it get stronger and stronger.
2... 1...
The elevator didn't stop.
0... -1... -2...
It kept falling, and the numbers continued to decrease faster and faster.
I found myself in a dream-like state, plummeting uncontrollably.
-9...-11...-13...
It felt like I was struggling against something, and I didn't want to let my mind go.
-18...-22...
It felt like I was freefalling from thousands of feet, clinging for dear life to a singular string.
-24... -28...
I couldn't fight it anymore.
I let my mind take the leap and something pulled me as if on to another string.
-30... -31... -32...
CLUNK!
The elevator came to an abrupt halt.
I snapped awake and it felt like I had bridged some sort of gap.
"DING!"
The doors opened with a soft bell sound.
I was shaken as I stared at the ground. I slowly stepped out of the elevator, feeling a bit weak.
"Good evening, young man."
I looked up, startled. Standing a few feet away from me was a woman who seemed out of place.
She wore low-rise jeans. Her ribbed sweater looked soft. A wide belt was around her waist, and she had on chunky shoes that made her look taller.
But what really surprised me was her hair. Dark hair with blonde highlights, styled in a mix of curls and crimped sections, an uncommon style these days.
I blinked, briefly shocked by her get-up.
"Um... good evening," I managed to reply, but my voice was obviously off key.
The woman smiled warmly. "You seem a bit disoriented," she said kindly. "Are you alright?"
"I... I think so."
Before I could reply, the elevator doors slid shut with a soft chime, cutting off any further conversation.
The lift then went up.
'I was partially expecting it to fall down...' I thought.
I took my gaze off of the elevator and turned around.
When I saw the lobby, my eyes widened in shock.
"Where am I?"
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