Archer sat alone and read the news of his death again and again. It wasn't a nightmare; it was the reality. He had died miserably and now, his body was waiting to be cremated.
Archer clicked on one of the links and a video started playing automatically.
'Archer Brooks, the renowned actor and fashion icon was found dead in his villa at 3 a.m. The police believe that he committed suicide as burnt charcoal briquettes were found in his room. The well-revered actor who was about to become the youngest Best Actor of the Decade is no more with us and this comes as a shock to not just the film fraternity, but the entire world. A three-day public funeral will be held at the City Funeral Hall starting a 10 a.m. before he will be laid to rest on 1 August. Archer Brooks, may your soul rest in peace. You'll be missed dearly.'
The reporter said and lowered his head and Archer stared at his own photo in horror. He stood up suddenly, gaining everyone's attention to him. Ignoring all their curious faces, he dashed out of the room.
"And where do you think you're going?" Barely had taken a few steps, when Logan blocked his path.
"I need to go," Archer mumbled, not knowing what he was saying. He then tried to step aside, only for Logan to block his path again.
"Go where? Archie, you are hurt. Although the doctor fixed your shoulder, I still feel you should rest today." Logan tried to bring the man back to the room.
But Archer was having none of it. "I need to go. I need to make sure it's me."
"What? What are you talking about?" Logan frowned and looked at him as if he was staring at a madman.
"I need to go." With that, Archer ran out of the place before Logan could stop him again. Although he didn't know where he was going, it was easy for him to find the exit. However, he had no idea where he was and where he was supposed to go.
Frustrated, he pulled at his hair head and looked around, trying to find his current location.
"Archie, are you out of your freaking mind? Why are you behaving like a lunatic?" Logan followed right after him and blocked him again.
"Where are we?"
"What?" Logan's brows contorted in confusion.
"Where are we? What is this place?" Archer gave Logan a look that terrified him until he shuddered.
"Archie, are you alright? You are scaring the hell out of me. Please tell me you are alright." Logan was now worried. His friend had been behaving abnormally since the time he woke up. At first, he had brushed it off as him being confused after suffering a nasty fall. But now, he wasn't sure.
"I need to go to Archer Brooks' public funeral. Can you take me there?"
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"What?" Logan was taken aback by his request.
"Can you take me there or not?"
"Why do you even want to go there? Archie, what's wrong?"
"I need to make sure of something," Archer muttered, his palms clenching into a fist.
"What?"
"Can you take me there or not?" Archer questioned again, gritting his teeth in frustration.
"Fine, fine. I don't know what's gotten into you. I never knew you were an Archer Brooks fan. I'll take you to the funeral." Logan surrendered.
Logan started walking first and Archer followed him. He didn't know what to make out of the predicament he was in. Unless he saw the situation with his own eyes, he couldn't deduce anything.
Logan led him to the parking lot and unlocked one of the cars. Despite growing in luxury, Archer didn't despise the car he was driving. After all, he had to reach the funeral hall. To hell with other things.
"I never knew you were an Archer Brooks fan. When did this happen?" Logan questioned as he started the car. But all he got in return was his friend's cold stare before he turned his head to look out of the window.
"Geez, what's up with him? Why is he behaving as if he is possessed?" Logan mumbled and steered the car in the direction of the main road.
Logan tried to speak a few times on the way. But when he didn't receive any response from his friend, he gave up talking and a heavy silence fell over them. It wasn't until they reached the funeral hall that Logan started talking again.
"Looks like we might have to walk over. The road seems to be blocked."
Archer didn't say a word. He didn't even look at him as he opened the car and exited it before rushing into the crowd.
"Hey, Archie. Hey," Logan shouted in shock. But the man had long mingled with the crowd and was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm going to charge you for causing me stress and anxiety," Logan threatened as he looked for a spot to park his car.
Meanwhile, oblivious to everything else, Archer pushed his way through the crowd and reached the front until he reached the barricades. He couldn't move beyond that. There was heavy security everywhere, going inside the building was out of the question.
Archer frowned, not knowing what to do. He looked around, trying to find ways to sneak inside. Just then, he noticed a group of people getting out of the car - Cade and Brenden.
"Cade, Brenden," he shouted anxiously. But his voice was drowned by the crowd around him. Neither Cade nor Brenden heard him.
"Cade, Brenden," he shouted again but stopped suddenly when he saw a hearse entering the road.
"Archer," the crowd around him cried. But he felt nothing. His ears had gone deaf, his mind had gone blank and his entire body had gone numb. It was as if he was plunged into ice-cold water.
The hearse stopped right in front of the entrance to the funeral hall, and the coffin was then moved inside while the crowd around him continued to scream and cry.
Archer clenched his fists tight until his nails dug into his skin. Since the public wasn't allowed inside the funeral hall, he had to find a way to get inside. He had to do something... Looking around, he noticed a media van stopped a few meters away from him and an idea flashed in his mind.
With great agility and strength, he pushed through the crowd again and approached the media van. The man who seemed to be in charge of the vehicle was speaking on the phone. So, he didn't notice Archer, neither did he see one of the cameras and his work badge which was lying haphazardly going missing in the blink of an eye.
Archer then approached the guard nearby and pointed his camera and the van behind him and in an instant, he got permission to enter the funeral hall.
Archer didn't stop even for a moment. Once inside the funeral hall, he joined the crowd and queued behind the others. He saw Cade and Brenden on his way again. But he didn't call them this time and entered the place easily.
The moment he entered the mourning hall, Archer felt his entire breath being taken away. He stared at the man inside the open coffin, the familiar face making him doubt everything, including his life.
The lifeless body inside the coffin didn't look anything like him. But Archer recognized himself. It was he in the coffin. It wasn't a nightmare at all. He had actually died and now, he was attending his own funeral.