You couldn’t sleep.

No matter how many times you tossed and turned, your thoughts wouldn't stop. The walls of your apartment felt too close, too quiet. The silence pressed against your ears until even the ticking of your kitchen clock felt deafening.

Eventually, you gave up.

You slipped on your coat, and laced up your shoes. You stepped out into the cold. The chill of the night kissed your cheeks. You stuffed your hands deep into your pockets and started walking, your footsteps echoing down the empty sidewalk.

The city felt strange at this hour—between life and sleep. The streetlights flickered in places, casting long, lonely shadows across cracked pavement. A light mist clung to the air, and every now and then a distant car would pass by, headlights briefly cutting through the gloom like a lighthouse beam before disappearing again.

You stayed close to your apartment. Just a few blocks. Just a few minutes.

But you walked farther than you meant to. Five blocks. Six. You weren’t sure anymore. You were too deep in your thoughts, to even care much, but then- A flash.

So bright it burned through your eyes and lit your skull from the inside. For a split second, there was nothing. No air. No sound. No city. Just light. A terrible, overwhelming whiteness that swallowed you whole.

And then you were falling.

You landed hard. Carpet beneath your palms. You blinked against the pounding in your skull and the nausea curling in your stomach. The light was gone now, replaced by soft overhead fixtures that buzzed faintly above you.

You groaned and pushed yourself up, vision swimming as you tried to make sense of where you were.

It was a house—immaculate, sleek, and strangely sterile. The floors were polished marble, the air smelled faintly of lavender and something synthetic, and the walls were adorned with modern art that seemed just off enough to make your skin crawl. No windows. No clocks. No sound beyond the hum of unseen electronics.

Then a low, raspy voice cut through the stillness.

“Ugh… where the fuck am I?”

You turned and saw Three other people behind you, just as dazed and disoriented as you were. Three men. Strangers. Each of them looked just as confused, and scared. They blinked in the strange light, looking around the unfamiliar space.