Once I made my way inside the tattered and worn out apartment complex I was on the first floor. There wasn't much to necessarily take note of except the stench. It was foul, constructing the scent of unwashed clothing, grubby and filthy bodies that has yet taken a shower in months. Even with my grey bandana on I could smell all of it, leading me to cover most of my face with my hand.
I closed the door behind me and coughed a few times trying to adjust to this stench, however that proved difficult. Imagine yourself locked inside a bathroom after someone done the dirty deed inside the toilet, yes, it was just as bad as that. In front of me were a set of stairs that led up to the second floor; from the look of things outside the apartment complex it was at least ten floors I had to search in order to find someone willing to sell me rations. I knew this would take a while, so I wasted no time and walked up the stairs.
They creaked beneath my weight once I traveled up the flight of stairs, eventually reaching the second floor which smelled better than the first. I could breathe more clearly and take deep breaths of fresher air than before — I looked next to me and noticed a narrow hallway on my right side, and one on my left side, thus I searched the right side first. Walking down the hallway with my hands inside the pockets of my trench coat, I could hear a older man speaking to someone down the end of the hallway, leading to an open door.
He sounded at least in his 60's, and from the way he spoke it reminded me of an professor who taught math in college. Maybe this wasn't the type of guy I was looking for, however it was wise to at least see if he was willing to trade me for some rations I could take home with me... so I decided to make my way over to the end of the hallway, knocking on the door a few times until I could hear him stop his rambling.
Once he walked over to his door, he fully opened it all the way, and I was met with a very short man standing 5'5 in height. He had a grey beard, brown suit with a white undershirt underneath it, and black tie around his neck, hanging below his chin. He looked up at me while carrying a journal underneath his arm, and a pen in his other hand. "What is it that you want? Can't you see that I'm in the middle of something?! I told you young blokes to let me be, when I'm doing my research!" The older man seemed to get the wrong idea from my arrival, so I chuckled at him.
"Pardon me sir, but I don't live around here... instead, I arrived to this part of London to look for a trade. I've been running low on food and water, and I'm willing to trade anything valuable for a considerable amount." He brushed down his beard with one hand that carried his pen, looking me up and down which did confuse me at first, however he closed his eyes and turned around.
"Come on in." He said whilst walking into his living room. I was bewildered from the old chap letting a stranger walk inside his home, but if he insisted, then I wouldn't decline the offer. Once I walked inside I could see a young man sitting on the couch wearing student attire, he seemed to be taking notes while writing on a piece of paper laid out on the table in front of him. So my guess was right; this was a professor teaching some young lad about something. It was either math or science, and from the look of things, they came from a wealthy school, considering they were using pens rather quills to write their words.
"Hmm..." I thought to myself, wondering what exactly was going on. I wasn't the type of person to pry into peoples business, but seeing a academic setup did get my attention in these times of the apocalypse. "What exactly is going on here, if I may ask?" I questioned the professor in front of me who walked inside his kitchen and carried large jugs of water outside from it, placing them in front of me.
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"We are researching something magnificent!" He replied to my question, but it was so vague and left me wanting to know more.
"May I ask what?" I responded.
"We are currently looking into things about the Dreamworld, and the Dreadbane disease. We found a leading clue to help us understand more about the world beyond our own, so we can study it and learn how to leave its creation if we were ever to fall asleep." The young man answered my question before the professor could do so, and I turned to face him, widening my eyes and showing concern from their research.
"Is that even possible? These entities... they exist in a world beyond our comprehension, no mathematical structure, dimension, or mortal concept can perceive them. These are beings who looks at the fourth, fifth, sixth, and all dimensions of our world like bubbles inside of a ocean. We stand no chance trying to fight against them, that is impossible." I didn't wanna belittle their research or give false hope to them, but my response seemed to make them both laugh.
"Baaahaahaa! Yes, that is true! They're entities that exists in a realm beyond human comprehension, and they watch us behind the fabric reality for their amusement. That is my theory as well! It may not be true, but it seems the likeliest out of them all." The old man seemed happy that I responded the way I did, and he dropped the jug of water in front of me, quickly walking over to the young man on the couch. "Look at this!" He said while grabbing a handful of papers on the table and making his way back, handing them to me.
"What is this?" I asked, proceeding to take the papers that consisted of beautiful handwriting.
"It's research that me and my fellow student Gabriel has been helping me with; we've been studying the Dreadbane disease from sleeping citizens, and we found something incredible!" He would rustle through the bundle of papers inside my hand until he found the one he was looking for, placing it in front of the rest. "Take a look at this, mate!"
My eyes trailed the writings on the piece of paper in front of me, and it read: "The Dreadbane disease, it's a cosmic disease that humans cannot cure by any man made medicine, or any medicine on earth. It's impossible to cure, and it's more potent than cancer while having catastrophic effects once you lose to the disease, and fall asleep... however, it does have good effects as well. Whenever someone falls asleep they lose their consciousness and soul, and are unresponsive to any outside force... but their physical body doesn't age, and seems to exists in a temporal stasis. It's as if time stopped completely on their physical body, or if they transcended the boundaries of time; we essentially become immortal, and aging no longer exists for our physical selves, thus, we can come to an conclusion and theorize that our mind and souls are transported to a realm beyond space and time, in a world known as the fifth dimension which is where this Dreamworld may exist."
After reading all of this I folded the paper and handed the stacks of research back to the doctor. "It's all theories, it's not even confirmed, professor." I crossed my arms as he gently took his papers back and scoffed at my comment.
"Yes, but you must know that everything at first is always a theory, until proven right. That's how science works my friend!" He chuckled before turning around and walking over to his table, placing the stacks of paper down. "I believe that we humans are transcending beyond the third, and fourth dimension, into a new plain of existence once we fall asleep. The universe was always a mysterious place, so this shouldn't be a surprise to many researchers out there. But I must say... it is too bad that this disease is created to wipe out all of humanity rather help us."
I stuffed my hands back into my trench coat and turned to face the jugs of water scattered along the ground. I could only assume that he had no food but only water, from there being three large jugs in front of me. Though the sight did make me relieved to see something at least. "Humanities end was coming sooner or later professor, and this disease may be incurable... however I don't care about learning about where we go once we fall asleep, instead I want research on how to actually cure this disease, so that I can see my beloved once again."
The professor chuckled from my comment. "Curing the disease? Why didn't you say so? That is the topic we're working on right now, lad! And we found a magnificent clue that may help us do that."
I hastily turned around to face the professor, widening my eyes. "W-What?"
He was either insane from his lack of sleep... or perhaps he meant what he said. Was this it? Was this a way to saving Abigail? That's all I cared about right now... so I would do anything to bring her back. I had to listen to this professor before me. He was the only hope I had at the moment.