Alan stared at the large fissure in the ceiling, reminiscing about the events that occurred earlier that day. He had arrived at the office early, waited anxiously for twenty minutes for the interview to start, answered all of the questions honestly, and was accepted. He was accepted right then and there! How lucky had he been, to just be accepted so easily into a top company, when most others failed?

He was ecstatic.

This was a huge turning point in his life, since after twenty five years of arduous hard work, he got accepted into his dream job and became a respectable member of society.

He knew that at this moment, his parents would be proudly looking down at him from heaven. He was sure of it.

When he was a kid he was weak and sickly, and had trouble fitting in with the others his age. But, with the help of his parents and their constant support, he managed to pull through and graduate university with a master's degree in engineering at the age of twenty-four, which for him, who grew up in a poor household, was a huge achievement. Unfortunately, his parents both passed away shortly afterward due to cancer, and he was left alone to try to persevere and get a good job. And today, he finally did it!

'Now all I have to do is find a proper apartment to live in, buy all the essentials, and sail through life.' He thought ecstatically.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

At the moment, he was staying in the rundown mini apartment of his old high school friend, George Alfredo, who was the only one who responded to his messages asking to stay the night.

George was a kind fellow, if not a little quirky, and back in school he had always found a way to prank both teachers and students alike, making him akin to the class clown.

'And look where that got him.' Alan thought, staring at the large fissure that cut across the entire ceiling above him, making it seem as if the ceiling was going to break and fall at any moment.

'Why is there a big crack in the middle of the bedroom ceiling anyway? Is he really that down on his luck?'

He closed his eyes, imagining what tomorrow would bring. Perhaps he would have an easy time, or perhaps he would be struggling. But he knew, whatever it may be, he would be ready for it, and he would face any challenge that came his way, headfirst never wavering. That's what his parents would have wanted him to do.

With that last thought, Alan fell into a deep and untroubled sleep, unaware of the foreign forces entering his body via the fissure in the ceiling, which grew larger and larger by the passing second. By the time the ceiling had been completely swallowed, Alan was no longer existing on planet Earth. Although he was very much not dead, George Alfredo would later be accused of his murder, and found guilty, especially after his dealings with a notorious gang came to light.

Alan Baterman was never seen on Earth again.