A short, obese man in his early 40s sat at his office desk, typing with a look of fear etched on his face. On his laptop screen was a Google Search page, displaying the results for "How to stop nightmares." Among the various links, one Sponsored Ad stood out: .
As the man clicked on the website link, it opened to a simple page featuring an illustration of a young boy clad in a dark blue sweatshirt and jeans, holding a chakra. The chakra glowed with a mystical blue light. Next to the illustration read:
“My name is Ayume. No matter how unreal it may seem, I can vanquish the demons of your nightmares. My fee is a fixed rate of $500, to be held in escrow to safeguard you against any fraud. Click ‘Hire Me’, provide a detailed description of your nightmare, and await further instructions.”
The man hesitated for a moment before clicking on 'Hire Me'. A form popped up, prompting him for details. He filled it out quickly:
Name: Carlos Valdes
Age: 48
Nightmare: Every night, I hear a girl screaming. The screams grow louder and more terrifying with each passing night. Please, make her stop!
After submitting the form, a payment link appeared, requesting the $500 fee.
Inside a typical grocery shop, a nineteen-year-old boy named Sapan stood wearily behind the counter, his body almost lifeless from exhaustion. Dark circles shrouded a large portion of his face. His phone beeped nearby.
The mobile screen flashed an email:
Subject: New Mission: Payment Received in Escrow. Every night, I hear a girl...
Carlos waited anxiously, wondering if he had just been scammed. Minutes later, his phone beeped again. He opened the new email:
"Thank you for hiring me. Please write the following number on the back of your right hand and read it 100 times—yes, 100 times without fail. Also, ensure you are asleep by 11 pm tonight.
5234564
Sweet Dreams,
Ayume"
After sending the reply under his alias, Ayume, Sapan placed his phone back on the counter. Just then, a plump lady with a shopping bag approached. "Hello, can I have 5 kg of rice?" she asked.
Panic flickered across Sapan's face. In his mind, he visualized a miniature version of himself crushed under the weight of a 5kg rice bag. Thoughts raced through his head: “The rice is all the way at the other end of the shop. I'm too exhausted to even walk there. And did she say 5 kg? Where’s Linda when I need her most?”
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Forcing a smile, Sapan replied, "Ma'am, maybe you should consider a diet. I think 1 kg of rice would be sufficient for you!"
The lady's face darkened menacingly. "Did you just call me FAT? Get me 5 kg of rice now!"
Reluctantly, Sapan trudged towards the other end of the shop, thinking, "This is it. I always imagined I'd die in battle against demons, not like this. Why didn't I wait for Linda to open the shop? That's it—the shop isn’t open yet."
He turned around, feigning confidence. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but the shop isn’t open yet.” However, as he turned, a punch struck his face, sending him tumbling to the ground. Crumpling to the floor, he yelled, “Lindaaa...that hurt.” Lying there, he mumbled, “Ma’am, the store is open now.”
Linda, a striking woman in her early 30s, stood behind the shop counter, her presence drawing the attention of men outside who found reasons to linger around the store. Sapan lay on the floor, his voice weak, “Linda... could you help me up?”
As Linda assisted Sapan to his feet, she expressed her concern, “You look even more drained than usual. And you didn’t have any nightmare jobs this week, did you?” Sapan, struggling to stand straight, replied, “When there's no work, I practice. Maybe I overdid it last night,” while thinking to himself, "I'm probably strong enough to face any demon now."
Linda, walking back to the counter with a hint of irritation, said, “I’m not covering for you with the boss just so you can overexert yourself. You need to get a job soon. I have rent to pay!” Sapan followed her, a bit more energized, “Actually, I landed one today and increased the fee to $500. I should have your share by tomorrow.”
Linda's mood visibly lifted. She hugged Sapan, a gesture that overwhelmed him a bit. “That’s fantastic! I’ll send you a good luck selfie tonight.”
Caught off guard, Sapan found himself pressed awkwardly against her, his face smooshed against her ample bosom. Struggling for a breath, he managed to gasp out, “Linda, I can’t breathe...”
She released him, stepping back with a chuckle. “Sorry about that! Just remember to stay safe, okay?.”
Sapan, taking a deep breath of relief, replied with a grin, “Don’t worry, I’ve never failed a job. And thanks for the... um, motivational hug.”
As the clock struck 11, Sapan emerged from the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind him. He lay down in his bed and recited the code displayed on his cell phone.
“5 2 3 4 5 6 4.”
Almost instantly, his eyes closed, and he drifted into sleep. In his dream, he found himself on a long, grey-tinted road. A bag of rice, bizarrely animated, charged towards him, wielding two plump ladies in its grasp. As it neared, it hurled the ladies at Sapan, their fists aimed directly at him. Standing confidently with a smile, Sapan snapped his fingers just as they were about to strike.
The scene shifted abruptly. Sapan, now in his Ayume form, stood on an endless plain with floors of reflective water. He was clad in a dark red sweatshirt with a hood, a chakra in hand. Projecting the number 5234564 with his thoughts, a two-dimensional circular portal, about five feet in diameter, appeared before him, emitting light grey smoke. Stepping through, Ayume found himself on a train platform, thinking, "Definitely not a demon."
A distance away, behind a bench, a man crouched in fear. Faint screams echoed, a girl's voice crying, “No... Help me…”
Approaching the man, Ayume asked, “Mr. Carlos?”
“Ayume? Is this real? I thought I’d been scammed.”
“No, you weren’t. I’m here to help.”
“You asked me to sleep around 11. It feels like I've been here forever. What took you so long?”
Ayume’s mind flashed back to just before he fell asleep, recalling himself in the bathroom, gazing at his phone. On the screen was a picture of Linda in her nightgown, accompanied by the text, “Best Of Luck Sapan 😘”
“Curse you, Linda, always distracting me before a job,” he muttered to himself.
“Sorry for being late. Now that I'm here, let's fix your dream,” Ayume said, his eyes scanning the train platform. He turned to Mr. Carlos, determined in his voice, "We need to find that screaming girl."