Awakening in the Unknown

Some details for a better reading :D

'Test' is for when people think

"Test" is for when people talk

~Test~ is for when the system talks 

[Test] is used when a message is displayed on phones or other devices. 

Enjoy reading!

As I drove home, I thought back to that evening. The night had been as hazy as a foggy dream. I remembered a few bursts of laughter, loud music, and blurred faces.

As I fell asleep at home, I had little memory of how I got home—all I knew was that I was lying on a bed with my eyes closed and a sharp pain shooting through my skull.

"This is the last time I drink this much, I swear," I told myself, though I didn't believe it.

I got up to get a glass of water and realized that I must have been pretty drunk the night before.

"Where am I?" I mumbled and looked around.

Not that it was a habit, but I assumed a buddy must have given me a ride home, and I must be in a spare room.

"Am I at Mike's? Maybe I am. He told me he was pretty rich, even if this is a bit embarrassing. I hope I wasn't a pain on the way back..."

I walked over to the window to check out the view from the bedroom. Leaning against the sill, I muttered:

"I don't recognize a damn thing. What the hell am I doing on a street? He told me he had a house. Maybe I'm not at Mike's. Maybe I brought a girl home and we had some fun. Did I bring condoms? I hope I didn't do anything stupid..." I muttered skeptically.

I left the windowsill and made my way to the door, at least to thank the person who welcomed me. And to get a drink of water, because with the shock I'd completely forgotten that I was thirsty...

Pushing open the door, I entered a kind of small kitchen, functional but not very luxurious. Still no sign of the tenant. But when I found a sink, I drank from the tap like a thirsty man in the desert.

"Oh yeah, that feels good," I said as I straightened up.

Taking my time with my diminishing headache, I looked around the kitchen. As I approached the table, where a few papers were scattered about, I saw advertisements, aid to associations, and maybe a rent bill.

Not paying too much attention out of respect for the tenant's privacy, I deduced that the door with the eyecup was the front door. So I went to the other door, which I assumed was the living room.

As I was about to knock on the door, I hesitated, wondering if it was a second bedroom and if I would disturb the tenant. Changing my strategy, I decided to look for a way to make some coffee. But just as I was about to open a drawer in the kitchen, someone knocked insistently on the door.

Not feeling particularly frightened, I decided to open the door after checking through the eyecup. A man in his fifties, with white hair and a receding hairline, stood there standing confidently. Turning the key in the lock, I greeted the old man politely.

"Hello, what's up?" I asked, inviting him to speak.

"Good morning, Mr. Lewis. You didn't pay the rent this month. Is there any particular reason?" he asked, catching me off guard.

"W-What do you mean? You must be mistaken. This isn't my apartment, and how do you know my name?" I stammered, caught off guard.

He looked at me, squinting.

"I don't know what game you're playing, Lewis, but if you haven't received your paycheck, you can tell me. Don't worry, there's nothing to be concerned about if you're a little late," he said reassuringly.

I was confused by his answer. Looking behind me to see if the lodger would show up, I turned back to the old man to tell him that I would wake the lodger, but he added:

"Well, I have things to do. But I want payment by the end of the month. If you have any problems just drop me a line, okay? See you soon, Mr. Lewis," he said as he walked out into the hallway.

"Okay..." I mumbled.

As I walked back into the apartment, I thought about this strange interaction. How does he know my name? I decided to lock the door and go to another door to explain the situation to the tenant. But what I found was a toilet with no adjoining room.

Not understanding where the tenant was, I walked around the apartment looking for a door I could have ignored, but there was nothing there...

"What the fuck? I wake up in an apartment that I have no memory of being in, I have no idea where it is, and I face a landlord who knows me and wants me to pay rent? What a mess I've gotten myself into..."

Gathering my thoughts, I needed to know where I was. Getting ready to leave, I looked for my wallet and cell phone. My wallet was on the floor at the foot of the bed, but my cell phone was nowhere to be found.

"Damn, I must have dropped it or had it stolen!" I exclaimed, although on second thought, my wallet wouldn't have been there either. When I found a few hundred dollars in bills, my stress eased a bit, and I prepared to leave the apartment.

I stormed out without even locking the door and found the stairs to go down without meeting anyone. Once outside, I took a deep breath. When I saw a cheerful-looking young woman, brunette and well-proportioned, I waited for her to come closer before I asked her, embarrassed.

"Excuse me for bothering you," I said as she looked at me suspiciously.

"Yes?"

"Could you help me? I just got into town, and my cell phone just died," I said with a look of complete loss.

"Y-Yes, if you like. What would you like to know? I'm in a bit of a hurry, so if you could make it quick," she said reassuringly.

I scratched my head in embarrassment, "My buddies played a joke on me, and I don't even know what city I'm in."

"Uh, it is rather atypical, but we are on the outskirts of Arboris. How could you not know? It's hard to get out of the city; you have to be at least a C-rank adventurer," she replied, increasingly doubtful.

"Oh yes, of course I knew we were in the city of Arboris," I said as convincingly as I could. "What I wanted to know was where in the outskirts," I added with a smile.

"Oh, right. We're in the eastern suburbs right now," she explained, "but I really have to go; I have to get home before curfew," she said, hurrying off.

"Thanks for the information," I said as she hurried off in the opposite direction. A second later, I stopped, recalling what she had just said.

"A curfew?" I muttered, confused.