Fate Hates Me

I: A Memory

It seemed it was all swirling around me, conglomerated and congealed into a cylindrical mass around me, all my thoughts, I could find here in this place. I remember the ups and downs of school, home, and socializing. It was the beginning of something long. Something unimaginably terrible was about to unfold, and it all started with a memory of early life...

(Nov. 21, 2008, 7:12 AM, California)

I wake up, panting.

"W-what was that?" I mutter to myself, so many thoughts and ideas cluttering my confined headspace.

"Was it...a dream?" I cannot help but feel a bit nauseous after that, it seemed so real and infront of my eyes, and such motion had made me a bit dizzy, both in the dream and in my world, I suppose.

"It's probably just me having a bit of a panic attack...I need to control my stress..." I concluded, trying to put a cause to the effect. I was constantly worried and even had panic attecks from time to time, but never while asleep.

"Yeah...nothing more than a bit of stress...right?" I reassured myself, little did I know it was someone, or more so, something much more dark at play here.

I soon shake the feeling of dizziness and the worries as I get up, splashing my face with water. It was a bit red, like I was overexerting myself. I told myself it was nothing, and soon got undressed, stepping into the shower. I turned the water on, and the warm hot water rushed over me. It felt relaxing on my smooth skin, washing all of my worries away for a bit, as I rubbed my body, softly cleaning it. My tense muscles loosened up with carressing of my body from myself.

"God, I hate having to wake this early. I wanna go back to sleeeeeeeeep...." I whine to myself. It was so early to get up, but I had to be in by 9:30 AM, for a simple coding and computer job, and I would have to be on the dot, or I would get a warning, a deduction of pay, and finally being fired, depending on how often I was later than the deadline, and the status of warning and deduction of pay would reset every month.

I soon stepped out of the shower, my sleek body wet and slippery, as I dry it off, less wet slippery and more dry and smooth. I put the towel on the side of the tub, letting it dry as I step to the closet, swinging the hinged doors wide open. I soon rummage through the hanging clothes, looking through countless items: dresses, skirts, blouses, button-ups, and t-shirts. I pick a top and bottom out, and look at myself in the mirror.

"This looks great on me...I love it!" I exclaim, loving the aesthetic of it. I quickly get my things, and start to head out the door, grabbing my purse and my laptop, before heading down the stairs to my car.

(7:47 AM, Highway)

I just left for work, and it strikes me that Jacob never texted or called. I shoot him a text, and wait, driving to my office building. I like my job, it's just little things here and there that seem to annoy me, and most are nitpicks, small insignificant things most likely no one else notices, but I seem to notice them all.

I seem to have daydreamed a bit, thinking about my coding job, that I missed a call from Jacob, calling me to probably reassure me he was fine, I always was a bit paranoid, so I soon called him back.

"Hello?" He quickly answers.

"Are you alright? I didn't hear from you this morning." I reply, worried about him and his wellbeing.

"I'm fine, y'know, you don't have to worry so much about me, Kate."

"I-I know! You've just seemed a lot more tired, more than usual..." I start to blush, I'm thankful that we aren't talking in person, my face is a deep red, and he would know exactly how I feel about him...

"Kate? You there?" I drifted off again, this time thinking about him. I shook myself awake a bit and kept my eyes on the road as I eventually responded.

"Y-yeah, I'm here." I squeak out. I arrive at my office building, grabbing my computer bag and my purse.

"Listen, don't go silent on me, I'm worried about you too, ya know, drivin' and all..." He trails off a bit.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm here at the office anyway, I'll see you when I get up there, alright?" I tell him, trying to ease his fears.

"Alright, well, get up here quick...we have so many different tasks and commissions to do today..." He says blatantly and matter-of-factly, as I make my way into the building and up the steps.

"I'm coming, but I can't make any promises I'll see you quickly...anyway... I'll see you when I get up there, see ya." I try to joke a bit to lighten the mood, as I say bye for the moment.

"See ya." He hangs up as I put my phone into my pocket of my jacket. I steadily go up the steps and finally reach the office, using my card to open the door, and step in.

It was all black, I couldn't see anything. A moment ago, through the window on the side of the office, the lights were on, yet as soon as I step in, it became dark, with no sound anywhere except for my heavy breathing. Scared and stressed, I back out of the room to notice everything is black, the walls, the floor, the windows, the outside...it was all pitch black, as if I was engulfed in pure, unfiltered darkness. I heard voices, louder and louder, as it only seems to get darker.

"Kate! Kate!" Most seemed to call out my name, yet I couldn't tell where they were, or what they were. I only felt the still darkness around me and my tears as they fell down my cheek, this was so unnerving and scary for me.

Where was I? Where did I go? What happened?

All of them were scared thoughts before I woke up.