AFTER HOURS

"David, David!" a male voice chanted "come back to us, David!" Who's voice was that? Where did it come from? Who is that? The confusion started to swell up inside. Wait. Who am I?

Light. An office? Was it my office? Familiar items surrounded me; computers, notes, desks, and every cubical had a small printer. The coffee in the pot was still hot, burning my fingers at the touch. I see faces in pictures. Is one of them mine? I don't know. There is something on the printer, a note? It was still warm and crisp in my cold hands. It could have something to do with who I am or what happened to me.

"Dear Mr David Smith,

I am sorry to inform you, you are being let go. You have been given one day to collect your belongings and leave. Funds have been lacking; therefore, we have had to let you and some of your colleagues go.

-I am sincerely sorry, James Devan.

"David?" That sounds vaguely familiar. Is that my name? I had heard a voice calling it before, but why was he shouting even if it was my name?

The scream of sirens blared outside. Sirens? I froze, and thousands of thoughts and questions rushed through my head. "David, David!" cried a voice. A voice… Wait! That was the same voice as before! The feeling of eureka hit me like a tidal wave. Maybe they will have answers to what's going on.

I started running, one foot after the other. I kept gaining speed until my feet were a blur, and my surroundings seemed to disappear. The wind lashed against my face, making my skin feel refreshed and calm. I felt like I was flying. And then I saw it, the door. Behind that door, my answers could be answered, but there wasn't just the door.

In front of it was a desk, only a few meters away, but I couldn't slow down! No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop! I braced myself for impact, shutting my eyes and holding my breath. Here it comes! I thought… then nothing.

I opened my eyes but didn't see the desk! How? the thought hammered through my mind. I slowly turned around only to see the same object that made me panic moments earlier. It was the desk. But, the only way to get past it was to go… THROUGH IT! I quickly checked my body for reasons or signs of what had just occurred. Oh no, what happened to me? I wondered, panicking; my thoughts jumbled up, and my brain was trying to comprehend what had happened.

I looked down at myself, from my chest to my legs to my transparent feet. Okay, I sighed, relief pouring into me. I am alri… WHAT! MY FEET! What happened to my feet? I started panicking whilst my brain was close to imploding. Oh no, oh no, why can I see through my feet? Why can I go through objects like they're not there? And now that I think about it… How was I able to run so fast? My mind started racing, and my thoughts became unclear. HOW WAS THIS HAPPENING?

"Weeooo, Weeooo", the sirens sang, snapping me out of my trance. I was racing towards the front door to see what all the commotion was about! At first, I thought that whatever the fuss was, it might give me answers, but now, I was sure it held answers.

I started hurling myself towards the door again, this time not caring about any objects in my path due to my most recent discovery. I kept running and bolting towards the door; I needed to know what was on the other side. I reached the door and grabbed the doorknob, and noticed something. I was shaking. I was terrified of what might be on the other side of the door. My body was quivering with all the swelling emotions in me.

I impatiently grab the doorknob, fearing what would be on the other side, but my hand slipped through it, reminding me of my situation. I glide through the closed door, releasing the cool, fresh air onto my transparent face. And then I saw it, my answer.

I walked out onto the dirt-stained concrete whilst looking at the surroundings. There were trees of beautiful shamrock green, and the sky was a strikingly clear blue, but in front of me, lying on the ground, was a lifeless body, rag-dolled across the black asphalt road. A grey car parked rigidly on the street, the front was dinted, but there was no driver to be seen. There were two ambulances and well a police car present.

I saw a man shouting, sitting next to the body crying. I watched as a couple of the paramedics moved the body onto the grass whilst another two came out with a defibrillator. They started shocking the body on the count of three.

"One, two, three!" the electricity zapped through him, making his body squirm. "One, two, three!" he jolted again, "one, two, three!" The electricity zapped through him, but this time, he jumped up.

"DAVID!" shouted the man, launching himself at David. "I'm so happy you're okay," he said through tears. David sat up, accidentally knocking the paramedics back.

"What happened?" he asked, looking confused and tired. The paramedics carried David into the ambulance, where he was driven off to the hospital…

But I was still there, watching this all happen. Seeing David recover whilst I just stood there.