Ordinarily, his alarm clock sound either startled him to an instant state of awareness, or Asher slept through it entirely. However, because the sound was originating from his bedroom and was merely echoing into the living room, today it woke him slowly. The alarm didn't jolt him, nor did it let him escape back to sleep.

He sat up, feeling incredibly refreshed despite having fallen asleep on the couch. The television was no longer on. Instead, when he looked into the black screen, he was met with his own reflection, slightly distorted and barely covered by the blanket he'd pulled over himself. He huffed and regretfully rotated to place his feet on the floor, completely removing himself from his warm cocoon and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Unfortunately, he didn't have the benefit of his dark blinds to shield him from the sun if he passed out in the living room.

As he rose to his feet and stretched the achiness from his muscles, he suddenly realized he hadn't been assaulted by his home's usual swamp-like atmosphere. It seemed the air conditioning was continuing to work from days ago. He smiled to himself and shuffled toward the kitchen to scrounge up something to eat before heading to the docks.

He stopped in his tracks when he realized something was very off.

Asher's eyes surveyed his home, taking in the abnormalities. It was clean, not even a spec of grime anywhere. He quickly made his way around, inspecting all of the rooms. There was no mess on the floors or dishes in the kitchen. The bathroom had no wet towels, and his bed was made, which definitely wasn't how he'd left it. He walked back into the living room in a state of confusion, and couldn't help but jump when he realized the blanket he'd been using just moments ago had been neatly folded and laid across the back of the couch.

"Will?" he practically whispered, afraid to break the eery silence that seemed to engulf his home.

He crept back into the bathroom and peered behind the shower curtain, "Jackson?"

Someone had to be messing with him, yet he was confident his home was empty.

Pulse quickening, Asher quickly changed for work. He ended up bypassing his wallet and keys, forgetting them in favor of exiting his home as soon as possible. Asher didn't believe in the concept of ghosts, but he couldn't deny that the situation was pushing him to question it.

He anxiously flung the front door open, letting it hit the wall with startling impact. He jumped once again, surprised at himself, and the force he'd unintentionally put behind the simple action. He looked around to where the door had met the wall, eyes widening when he realized the handle had broken entirely through it, leaving it embedded in the drywall and, therefore, he assumed, stuck.

Grumbling, he furiously rubbed his face, frustrated with himself for getting easily spooked by the sight of a tidy home. It was entirely possible that Maggie had come by and done him a favor, and it was equally likely that he folded the blanket up in a drowsy haze and simply forgotten he'd done it. He dragged his hands down his face as he exhaled slowly, bringing his heart rate back to a regular tempo, and then reached for the door to yank it out of the wall.

It was then that he realized what else had been so off.

His hand withdrew from the knob and dropped to his side. As he looked through the doorway and out into what was supposed a view of the village, he was instead faced with an empty, shadowy void. Ominous, hushed, and bearing such a strong sense of hostility that it instantly ignited Asher's fight or flight instincts.

With the heavyweight of dread squeezing his chest, he immediately yanked the door free and slammed it shut again, the walls of his apartment trembling from the impact. His heart rate had skyrocketed once more, and his skin was growing clammy.

He bolted to his bedroom and ripped the dark blinds aside only to see that the sun was out. There were people outside going about their days as usual. He could hear the birds and see the ocean docks in the distance, and the shopping center appeared lively as usual. Everything was normal.

It was as though he'd been isolated from the outside world, put into a small box that had only one escape route, which was foreign and almost cryptic. Asher wasn't even sure it would lead him to where he wanted to go. Just the sight of it had overwhelmed him, filling him with a disturbing impression. One that makes you slam doors now and ask questions later.

He didn't understand. Out there was supposed to be the sun that always bore down on him right when he opened the door and the old metal stairs that set most people's teeth on edge. He suddenly found himself at the doorway again, his shaky hand reaching out for the handle. He gently turned it, trying to prepare himself for the view.

His heart sunk as the empty void stared back at him once again. It was intimidating, yet also seemed to be inviting him to move farther in. So, he hesitantly stepped into the void. The ground shimmered beneath him, and when he gazed down, he was met with his own face once more, the dark floor covered by a shallow layer of water. He grimaced as the dampness soaked through his socks.

Once he shut the door behind him, it instantly became silent. He couldn't hear the air conditioning system struggling to work, or the faint chatter of voices from neighbors or people walking by, nor the chirping birds. It was as though his home had disappeared as soon as he closed it off. He would have truly thought it had if it wasn't for the fact his hand still rested on the knob. There wasn't even light protruding from under the door. All he could hear was his own breathing, and when he moved, the water sloshing under him.

He squinted into the darkness, looking for something that would guide him in the right direction. What furthered his discomfort was how, deep inside him, he felt as though he was seeking something other than an escape. He couldn't put his finger on what, but he felt a sense of urgency when it came to finding what it was. His hand squeezed the doorknob, making sure it was still there in case he had to run and needed a place to hide.

Something began to materialize in the distance, first appearing as a dark haze and eventually developing into something more permanent. A door, how large Asher couldn't tell, was waiting for him across the vast expanse. His clammy hand released the door to his hiding place.

Waterlogged shoes weighed his feet down but didn't slow his pace in the slightest as he found himself traveling towards the door. Fear was slowly withdrawing from his body to be replaced by genuine curiosity. Asher wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing, but it was impossible to dismiss.

It was massive and dark, at least twice his height and several of him wide. Hesitantly, he placed his hand on the door to push it open but immediately snatched it back to his chest. It was freezing to the touch.

With great effort, he thrust the massive door open, a strong gust of air attempting to propel him backward. It revealed a dark labyrinth. Only every loft or so would a tiny light appear, barely illuminating his way but coaxing him in a specific direction. A slushing sound caught his attention, and when he looked down, Asher realized that he was now walking through deeper water than when he'd first entered the void.

As the boy traveled, he began to hear voices around him, murmuring and overlapping. Asher strained to pick out just one voice and listen to its words, but it was impossible. He heard the door close behind him, eerily in the distance. It sounded so faint, as though it was considerably far away.

How long have I been walking? He wondered.

The water continued and deepened, but he pressed on through its increasing resistance, searching for the unexplainable thing he felt he had to find. He squinted as a small shape began to take form ahead of him. At the top of several steps, was a clear case, perhaps made of glass. At that moment, it was empty.

By the time he was a few feet from the bottom step, he was chest-deep water. Looking up the staircase, he stilled as a figure began to materialize, slouched against one wall of the container, head lulled against the wall. It seemed somewhat familiar, but there were too many shadows for Asher to make out any specific features. Yet, somehow he knew in his gut that the figure was aware of his presence. It was this that he must have been subconsciously searching for.

Asher gasped as his head abruptly felt an extraordinary amount of pressure, so much he thought his skull would shatter. He clutched his head tightly and crashed his teeth together. The sudden pain caused his knees to nearly give out, but he would have managed to stay upright if something hadn't sent him plunging beneath the water's surface.

It didn't take long before his chest began to burn. Every cell in his body was crying for oxygen. He couldn't open his eyes due to the pain, but he could definitely feel the steady hand that grasped his throat. He tried to pry it off, but when he reached for the hand, he found nothing but his own neck. Yet, the grip increased in strength.

His ears were ringing, and he could distinctly hear his pulse. He thrashed through the water blindly, lungs blazing, trying to escape the ghostly hold. Something snapped within him. It was as though an explosion had gone off beside his head. Perhaps his eardrums had subsequently given out, no longer capable of handling the endless ringing. Simultaneously, it felt as though he had been punched in the chest, expelling all the air he had left. He coughed out bubbles, eyes finally shooting wide open.

He noticed a figure was standing at the edge of the stairs. It was in the closest corner of its cage, staring down on him. It was nothing more than a silhouette, for Asher still couldn't make out a single detail. That creature. That was what he'd been searching for.

He was no longer in a panicked state, and the pain had subsided. Instead, he felt heavy, stiff, and exhausted. The ringing was gone, as was the loud drum of his heartbeat. He watched on helplessly as the figure gave him a slight wave before turning his back on him. Asher's eyelids became challenging to keep open as the figure faded away, and the water darkened around him. His waterlogged shoes aiding like cinderblocks in his decent.

Why?... Why would I search for such a horrible creature?...

He woke as if there was an emergency, throwing himself off the couch and harshly falling to the ground. He coughed violently and gripped his throat, his heart feeling as though it would burst from his chest. Gasping for air, his chest heaved violently against the old carpeted floor. As he tried to regain his breath, he gazed around the living room. It was incredibly messy, books and dishes everywhere, and Asher had never been so happy to see his home in such a disastrous state.

He pulled himself up, dashed anxiously over to his front door, opened it, and was mindful of how hard he pulled. Asher could tell by the sky that it was preparing to rain, but still, the unforgiving sun struck through the clouds and into his sleepy eyes. Asher smirked as he heard the ear-piercing whine of the stairs as someone traveled down them. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with a shaky hand, he slouched against the doorframe and let his head lull to the side - a dream.

He moved about his apartment cautiously, almost paranoid, while he got ready for work. He feared that he would be sucked back into that darkness at any moment, unable to escape the invisible hand that had drowned him. He moved swiftly, and once he was set, he grabbed his keys and unlocked his front door. It may be guiding him straight into the scorching sunshine, which would soon turn into rain, but at least he knew what to anticipate. Asher smirked to himself and opened the door.

"What the hell!" he shrieked, quickly retreating from the doorway and snatching an umbrella tossed nearby, holding it up in defense.

"I figured I would stop by and make sure you survived the night," the Captain explained, standing there clad one again in informal clothing. Asher still couldn't understand how natural it seemed for the man to be in the village when he dressed that way.

Asher glowered and dropped his guard. "I have a feeling I'm going to hate this even more than I originally thought." He shouldered past the older man, who seemed to have decided to accompany Asher, twirling his own umbrella by the handle.

They continued down the stairs and into the back ally—the quickest way to the docks and also the least visible, keeping people from seeing them together. Asher looked at the ground, watching the water splash beneath his shoes. He shivered, the display reminding him of his dream. Asher knew that vivid dreams were common, he'd had them before. However, he'd never experienced anything like that.

"Sleep well?" the Captain inquired, glancing at Asher out of the corner of his eye.

Asher huffed, choosing to ignore his question as the man had done to Asher many times before. "Why are you here?"

"As I said, I wanted to make sure you made it through the night. It was no doubt challenging for you."

"Do you check on all of the people you train?"

"Only the more limited ones."

Asher's brow twitched, and before he knew it, the Captain had caught him by the wrist before being able to land a sharp blow to the man's jaw.

"You're too easy to irritate," the man grumbled.

"And you're an ass!" Asher shot back.

"Both statements are true," the man shrugged, allowing Asher to yank his wrist free of his grasp.

"Unless you need me for training, fuck off," Asher hissed and marched away from the man. He exited the back ally and headed straight for the docks for work, fury burning in his chest. This was not how he had intended to start his day.

The Captain sighed and leaned against the brick building at the end of the alleyway, watching the young man stomp away in a borderline childish fit.

A soft, feminine voice laughed in his ear, "He's got a mouth on him, doesn't he?"

The man smirked and adjusted the small earpiece, "Yes, as usual."

"Is he always like that?" she asked.

"Pretty much."

"Reminds me a little bit of you, Kash."

"Don't." the Captain growled, "He's nothing like me."