An ally? All the mysterious figure had managed to accomplish by calling herself that was making them even more confused. Jake and Evelynn didn’t even respond.

“Well, no reason to linger on the little things,” she said.

“What is this place?” Evelynn asked. Her eyes were locked on her, but the hooded woman didn’t seem to recognize her presence.

“Let’s get started?”

“Get started with what?” Evelynn tried asking. Again, the hooded woman ignored her.

Jake gave a quick glance to Evelynn then looked back to the mysterious woman staring at him. “Get started with what?” he repeated her question.

“The truth,” she promptly answered. “Or is that not what you’ve been looking for all of this past year while you were searching for dead people?”

Searching for dead people? Jake thought. “What are you talking about?” he asked. She couldn’t be talking about his grandmother. She’d only been missing for the past couple of weeks.

She showed him a smile that contained a certain smugness to it. “Hundreds of instances of disappearances and over a hundred sudden deaths? No police or major news outlets reporting on it? You haven’t exactly done the best job of hiding the fact you’ve been investigating the reasons why.”

Jake didn’t know a thing about any of that. Was the person who was actually supposed to be here supposed to be an investigative reporter?

It didn’t matter. She had just mentioned something very important. “What do you know about the disappearances?” he asked.

“More than enough to get you killed.”

Jake didn’t hesitate, not for the only family he had left. “Tell me.”

“The world is being invaded,” she said. “On every continent, in every major country, in secret, the invaders are spreading their influence.”

The thought of him taking that statement seriously was ridiculous. Or at least it would have been if it weren't for his missing grandmother, the phone call, the supposedly dead old man holding him at gunpoint, or the parallel dimension he appeared to be currently standing in. No, what she’d said was as real as the rest of it.

“They’re kidnapping people?” he asked, his agitation undisguised.

The hooded woman placed a finger in front of her lips, gesturing for him to be quiet, but refraining from shushing him.

“You see that black band on your wrist?” she said, pointing her finger towards him. “That’s the main weapon of the invaders. It’s also going to be your only option for fighting back.”

Jake eyed his band. Its metallic luster shined under the room’s ambient moonlight. If this were a movie, this would probably be about the point where he’d receive an invite to a secret resistance force, but the hooded woman quickly put that thought to rest.

“DO, NOT, use it,” she said. “The invaders already know who you are. You’re only alive because you haven’t become a big enough annoyance to them yet. Once you start making use of their weapons, you'll be crossing a line.”

“What’s the point of telling me all of this if you don’t want me to use it?” Jake asked.

“The point is that I don’t expect someone like you to be satisfied with a ‘don’t do it, it’s dangerous,’” she said with a mocking tone. “After all, you wouldn’t be here if that was the case. Which is why I’m giving you a chance. Get through this place in one piece and tell me you still want to keep fighting. Then we’ll talk about what comes next. Otherwise, give up, stop snooping where you shouldn’t, and try to live a normal life.”

Jake gave her a nod. “Okay.”

“Now—”

“I give up. Let me out.”

The hooded woman stopped mid sentence and stared at him.

“I want to go home,” he added.

“You're saying after coming all the way here after a year you don't—”

“No, no, no, let me out.”

The hooded woman couldn’t help but laugh. Jake was sure that his reaction appeared bizarre to her, but their reason behind it. His gaze drifted towards Evelynn, still ducking against the wall somehow unseen by the mysterious woman. She didn’t sign up for this, he thought.

It should have been simple. He’d get the hooded woman to bring back the portal, let Evelynn walk through, then act like he’d had another change of heart before heading up to the roof and the information that awaited him. Considering she had managed to appear in the room without running, he had a feeling the woman wearing the hood could do something about Mr. Singleton for them too before that last part.

She swiftly put his plotting to rest.

“No,” she said with a chuckle.

“What?”

“No, that’s not happening. I already told you someone might have followed you on your way here. You may not be a big enough annoyance for the invaders to go out of their way to kill you, but given the opportunity, this is the perfect place for them to make you disappear. The only way I’m letting you out of here is through an alternate exit.”

Well, considering who was waiting out there for them already, Jake didn’t really mind the idea of using a different exit. That said— “How do you know someone won’t be waiting at the other exit for us?”

“I don’t,” she said, matter-of-factly. “If there is someone there then I suppose you’ll just die. That’s the consequence of doing dangerous things like this isn’t it?”

Jake gave her a look. “You’re not going to help us?”

The hooded woman shook her head. “I’m not even here right now.”

Jake raised an eyebrow.

“You’re speaking to a pre-programmed projection. Put a hand through it if you don’t believe me.”

Evelynn threw her phone at her. Sure enough it went straight through and landed on the bed behind her.

“I’m not the kind of idiot who goes to dangerous places without a good enough reason,” the hooded woman said.

She was looking very smug saying that, but the projection she had programmed hadn’t even recognized that it was currently talking to the wrong person. Jake supposed that was working in their favor though so he was the slightest bit thankful for that fact.

“Make it to the roof, find the information I left for you up there, and get out,” the hooded woman said. “That’s all you have to do.”

“The other exit is on the roof?” Jake asked.

She shrugged. “I didn’t program this projection with that information.”

Jake crossed his arms. “Okay. What are we going to run into on the way there?” He doubted they were going to get a clear path through.

“You’ll just have to see for yourself.” She pointed to where the room’s door used to be. “I’m about to bring back this room’s door. As soon as you leave this room, you’ll find an enemy outside the apartment’s front door. I wouldn’t suggest using your gun on it unless—”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“I didn’t bring a gun.”

The hooded woman briefly paused. Apparently her projection had been pre-programmed to stare at him in disbelief during such a moment. “Well, I’m sure you’ll manage somehow,” she continued. “You’ll have to find something to defend yourself with that’s lying around the apartment. There should be a few more options available to you on this side portal so keep that in mind.

“As for that black band on your wrist, it's going to offer you power as soon as it senses you’re in danger. There’s no going back to a normal life if you take that power, so don’t use it unless you genuinely think you’re about to die in the next half minute.”

Evelynn and Jake both heard the click of a door’s lock. They turned towards where the room’s entrance had been and found the door had miraculously returned.

“Good luck.” The hooded woman swiftly fell through the bed and the floor beneath it, leaving the two of them alone.

As soon as she was gone, Jake let loose a sigh. You’ve got to be kidding me, he thought. Surprisingly, all of this didn’t fully sink in for him until he watched her sink through the bed. A secret invasion? Occurring across the world?

He probably would have wallowed there thinking about his situation along with his grandmother’s for a while longer if he was alone, but there was someone just as lost there with him.

“You okay?” Jake asked, turning his attention to Evelynn.

“I’m fine,” she said, currently looking very much not fine.

“Where’d your glasses go?” he asked. The tint on his were gone, but her sunglasses had entirely disappeared.

“I figured out how to make them turn invisible.”

He looked a bit confused. “How’d you figure that out?”

She held up her wrist. “If you talk to the wristband, it will respond to you.”

So that’s what she was doing while he was talking with the hooded woman. Jake gave a skeptic eye to his own wristband and raised it up. “Hello?”

How may I be of service?

As with the other notifications he had received, the words appeared right before his eyes. “How do we get out of here?” he asked.

[Clarification]

This device requests that you define ‘here.’

“This dimension?” he said, sounding somewhat unsure himself.

[Solution]

You must cross the boundary between dimensions.

Jake rolled back his eyes. Wow, why didn’t I think of that, he thought sarcastically. He looked back to Evelynn. “What are you thinking about all that stuff she just said?” He was very much hoping she could help him feel a little less overwhelmed here.

“I’m not entirely sure,” she said. “I just think it would be better if we got out of here sooner rather than later.”

“Yeah.” His response was casual before he received a sudden realization. “Do you have your inhaler?” he asked.

Evelynn didn’t look like she was feeling up for answering that. “I left it in my purse,” she told him. Said purse was currently sitting on a dining chair an entire dimension away from where they needed it right now.

“How long do you think you can hold up without it?”

She hesitated before saying, “I’ll be fine.”

“It won’t stop you from running or anything?”

“I’ll be fine,” she repeated.

Hearing that weak reassurance inspired little confidence in Jake. As far as he was concerned, their deadline for getting out of here had just gotten tighter.

Remembering what the hooded woman had said about an enemy, he went through the drawers he’d left open one more time in search of a weapon. Finding nothing of use, he closed the drawers with a heavy breath and turned to Evelynn. “You ready to leave the room?”

She gave a nod that looked reluctant and they opened the door into the hallway. Besides being darker, the rest of the two-bedroom apartment appeared to be mostly the same.

They took one step out of the room. Immediately, they heard a knock at the front door.

[Warning]

Guest User is currently subject to significant levels of danger.

Both the notification and their enemy were timely.

[Solution]

Would Guest User like to Awaken?

“What’s awakening?” Jake asked.

“You got that message too?” Evelynn leaned in to whisper.

“Yeah.” He nodded.

[Clarification]

It is a gift of power brought from The System’s favor.

“What’s The System?”

[Clarification]

A higher existence.

That didn’t make Jake feel any more assured. “I think I’m good for now.” He swiped away the last notification. “I’ll check the door,” he told Evelynn. He walked straight to the apartment’s entrance while Evelynn started looking around for something to defend herself with.

Leaning on the wall next to the front door’s side, Jake found a metal cane. It hadn’t been present in the other version of the apartment. He picked up the cane and looked through the front door’s peephole. On the other side of the door was a monster.

She looked like a woman, but her skin was rigged like dark stones formed from cooled lava. Her pupils glowed crimson and he could see a rage building within as she beat on the door harder and harder.

“Jake,” Evelynn said as she approached. He pulled away from the door and found her holding two large knives taken from the kitchen. “Here.” She tried handing him one, but he showed her his cane and she placed it aside.

Evelynn looked through the peephole herself. “I think you should hide behind the door,” she told him. “I’ll open it.”

“I think I should be the one opening the door,” he said.

“And then what are you going to do?”

“Hit her on the head?” Simple as two plus two in his mind.

“She’s just knocking on the door. We should check if she actually wants to kill us before we start attacking her, right?”

Jake nodded. That did seem like the sensible non-caveman thing to do, yes.

“I’m the less intimidating one,” Evelynn said, “So I should talk to her. If she tries to rip my face off, you can just get her from behind.”

Jake took up position to the door’s side and Evelynn opened it. “Would you like to come in?” she asked the monster. She took a couple steps back as it sized her up. Without a word or a grunt, the monster skulked in approaching her.

“Would you like some help?” Evelynn asked. The monster woman responded with a low growl and a lunge. Evelynn ducked out of the way as it swung for her face. She dodged its attacks twice and before it could take a third swipe Jake was already upon it. As hard as he could, he slammed his metal cane against the back of the monster’s skull. He heard a crack and the monster stumbled forward. Surprisingly, it kept to its feet.

It turned back towards him, off-balance but still just as intent on drawing blood. Evelynn didn’t miss her opportunity. As the monster woman snarled at him, Evelynn sunk her blade into its back. The monster swung back at her, but she ducked and Jake struck its skull again. It spun around wildly unsure of who it should be trying to attack first. It ended up choosing Jake.

Falling forward more so than running at this point, it came after him. He slammed his metal cane into its side and it crumbled. For something with the shape of a human, its endurance was incredible. That first blow should have already had it unconscious yet here it was moving with such vitality.

It almost managed to get back up, but Jake wasn’t going to give it a chance. As it lay on the floor, he struck down on it again and again until it stopped moving and he received a notification.

[Favor Bestowed]

[Benefits Withheld]

They weren’t given any time to rest.

“Jake!” Evelynn said, pointing towards the front door.

Jake heard a growl and quickly twisted on his heel. Another monster of the same sort they had just killed came charging into the apartment. He swung for its head, but that turned out to be the wrong move. The beast had all its senses and could see his cane coming from a mile away. It didn’t block the cane, it grabbed it, and threw it, along with Jake, across the room. Jake was left wide-eyed from the monster’s strength as he came slamming into the ground. He couldn’t help but groan and listen to the monster’s footfalls on the wooden floor as she rushed over.

Just in time, he raised his cane. It slammed its neck against it as it lunged and straddled him. Grabbing the cane, it almost ripped his shoulder from its socket as it tried to throw his weapon away. When his grip held, it pushed back hard. His arms crumbled and the cane ended up on top of his neck.

The monster pressed down. It took his all to keep the cane from choking him. Fangs bared, the monster was ready to tear into his face. As it lunged, however, all Jake felt was its breath. It had lurched back at the last second.

From tip to hilt, Evelynn had sunken her knife into its back. The power the beast had pinned Jake down with disappeared. He pushed with everything he had and threw the monster off of him. Evelynn avoided it as it stumbled back and fell against a wall.

As soon as he jumped to his feet, Jake was charging. The tables turned. He slammed his cane against its neck and pinned it against the wall. Evelynn stabbed the monster as he held it down. It was still stronger than him, but its strength dwindled with every thrust of Evelynn’s knife. Soon enough, there was no strength left in the beast at all.

[Favor Bestowed]

[Benefits Withheld]

Jake pulled away and let the monster’s corpse fall. It took a minute, but he managed to catch his runaway breath. He wiped the sweat from his forehead then thanked Evelynn. She showed him a nod as she wiped away the blood from her knife.

“Someone taught you how to fight?” he asked. It didn’t feel like this was the first time she had used a knife for something other than cooking.

“I took a few classes,” she said.

He could believe it. Golding was just that kind of place. You didn’t expect to have to defend yourself everyday on the streets, but preparing was far from a bad idea.

“Can you close the door?” she asked.

“Yeah.” He didn’t want anything else wandering in here catching them unprepared and neither did she.

Jake headed towards the front door. Thankfully, a third monster didn’t barge through while he did. He heard a growl. Leaning out the doorway, he took a quick look up and down the hall. There were half a dozen more crimson-eyed monsters standing out in the corridor, looking his way.