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Bonus Story #1: A Dream in Another World
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“Duc! Duc wake up! You're gonna be late,” came a voice ushering me to my senses.
I awoke hunched over a desk. It seems that I fell asleep playing games. *Wait a minute....* I looked down at my hands. *My human hands! And human body! This must be a dream.*
“Duc! Seriously, come on,” said a boy younger than me, but who looked like me.
*Oh, that's my brother. My brother Tommy. I'm remembering?*
“Yeah, yeah,” I said getting up and slapping on some deodorant and then grabbing my work clothes.
It was like muscle memory. Whatever memory I was watching play out was from my previous life. A day in the life of Duc the human. *Funny, I can't recall my human name and my subconscious doesn't seem to either.*
“Bro, I'm gonna be late to college! Let's go!” yelled Tommy for the last time.
“I'm coming. I'm ready.” I said, walking slowly towards the door in a work apron, grabbing my keys.
“Jeez, you look like crap.”
“Let's just go.” I said groggily as we stepped out into the hallway of our apartment building.
We were on the top floor of a four story apartment complex. Most of our neighbors were elderly folks except for… The elevator dinged and she walked off, coming back from a morning workout it looked like.
*Oh, I remember her! Rebecca. *
The girl I've been crushing on for two years since I've moved here on my own. Tommy has only been here for a couple months and could already tell she was my crush as he met my eyes with a stupid grin.
“OH! HI REBECCA!” Tommy exploded out, causing her to stop.
“Hi Tommy. Duc. It's a hot one out there today already,” said Rebecca making small talk as our eyes met, with some sweat on her forehead.
“Oh, uh, good to know,” I uttered and nodded.
Tommy shook his head in disbelief as she smiled and went on her way. We then made it onto the elevator and headed down. As the doors closed, Tommy just started laughing at me.
I drove Tommy to school and then headed off to work. It was my every day routine. My main job was working a register at the local gas station Clamme, for eight hours a day, five days a week. A basic humdrum life, and for the most part, I was fine with that life.
“Hey! Be on your guard,” came a curmudgeonly old man from the back hallway behind me at the register.
“Oh, Hello Mister Juan. I didn't know you were here today,” I said to my boss.
“Yeah. I wanted to work the night shift because there's been robberies in the neighborhood lately.”
“I didn't know that,” I said surprised.
“Maybe check out the news every once and a while. Jeez.” said Juan turning on our corner tv to the news as a local broadcast was playing.
“Wade's Web, a nerdy hotspot for internet gaming and retro items is the third place hit by a fire in a string of arsons across the neighborhood,” said the newsreporter as they faded into the background noise.
“Robberies and arsons. World's going to crap. World's always been crap. Just be on guard,” Juan muttered and walked back down the hallway leaving me alone.
However, the rest of my shift went by smoothly. It really was the same old same old. But seeing how much bad is so close by and how much I want change in my life… *I know it falls on me. I have to be the change. I have to do things differently. But how do I even start?*
All I could do was think and think the rest of my work day, on the way home, and as I got back on the elevator to return to my apartment just to start the cycle all over again. But then, before the doors closed, an arm reached in, stopping the elevator. The doors opened back up and it was Rebecca. We were alone and going up together.
*This is it! This is my chance to start a change. Do something! Say something!*
“Uh,” I squeaked as she looked at me.
“Hi Duc,” she responded.
“He-Hey Rebecca, how're you doing?”
“I'm, good. Tired from the work day. Adulting is just not as good as anyone might say it is,” she laughed.
“I feel that. I always just want to unwind and do nothing at the end of the day.”
“Same! Though some times, I do wish some of my friends lived closer so I could have someone to hang out with every now and then.”
“You could… Er-hang out with me some time, like tomorrow night?”
“Duc? Are you asking me out?” she said seemingly sarcastically.
“Ye-yes.”
*I did it. I said it!*
“What took you so long?” she laughed again.
“What… do you mean?”
“You don't think after all this time I haven't noticed you always looking at me? Being too shy to say something. I honestly thought it was cute,” she explained.
“Oh, well, just nervous, I guess,” I said scratching the side of my head.
“Better late than never I suppose,” she laughed, as the elevator dinged and the door opened to our floor.
We both went to our separate places, but she turned my way before going in, “Tomorrow night then?”
“Tomorrow night.” I said nodding as I pushed inside.
My chest was beating like crazy! *I still can't believe that happened. That I did it! Tommy's never going to believe me.* I paced back and forth in the apartment looking for him, but there was no sign.
*Must still be working on something at college. Guess I'll tell him in the morning.*
It was already decently late, so I decided to go to bed. *The faster I sleep, the faster I wake up and start a new day that's not just the same old same old!&
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxfDwWKqGD
𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅭𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅭𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅹
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcW19L8uLiY
“Duc! Duc wake up! Seriously, get up!”
It was Tommy, more regular than my alarm clock, except…
*It's still night? What's going on?*
Tommy was in my room shaking me awake.
“Tommy?” I said groggily, “What's going on?”
“Our building is on fire! Someone disabled the alarms and the neighbors have knocked on everyone's doors. We've got to go!”
“What?!”
I jolted up and followed him to our front door and opened it to a hallway filled with smoke. You could see neighbors running past with their things, pets, and loved ones to the elevator.
“Let's get to the elevator while it's still working.” said Tommy.
As we approached, nearly everyone from our floor was on it. Those missing weren't home at night.
“Is that everyone?” asked one neighbor.
“Who cares?!” shouted another.
“Come on now! The fire's in the stairwell. This is the only way out,” explained another.
After looking around at everyone, I noticed Rebecca wasn't there.
“Tommy. Stay here.” I commanded and took off running towards Rebecca's apartment which was closer to the fire.
I beat on the door, starting to cough from all the smoke. With a mighty kick to the door knob, I managed to push it in.
“Duc?” questioned Rebecca, “Sheesh, I was coming, you didn't have to break the door.”
“Oh, well, I don't think it's going to matter much. Come on!” I said with urgency as I ushered her back to the elevator.
“Alright, that's everyone,” said the floor super. They tried pressing the button, but it made an error noise and the doors wouldn't close, “Oh no, we're over the weight limit!”
Some of the neighbors threw out the belongings they brought with them, making some difference but…“We're still a little over,” said the super solemnly.
I just stood there for a moment. The smoke was overwhelming. The fire was coming. I was… shaking. Then I felt Rebecca touch me with her other hand. I apparently had been holding onto her hand this whole time. Our eyes met and I knew what I had to do.
“Rebecca, I don't think I'm gonna make that date.”
“What?” she asked and Tommy looked at me in confusion.
“Duc?” he asked.
I pushed Rebecca into him and stepped off the elevator, hitting the first floor button.
“Noooo!” yelled Tommy as the doors finally came to a close.
I felt heavy. I was breathing only smoke at this point.
*So this is how it happens? I guess, I can die knowing that they'll live.*
The hall began spinning and my balance disappeared. I crashed to the floor seeing the approaching flames through the smoke. Things went black. So… I died from smoke inhalation before eventually burning up in the fire.
“Another fire in the string of arsons finally ends with the arsonist going down in flames. A man with the intent on burning down an apartment building full of people, trapped himself in the stairwell, burning to death by his own actions. Unfortunately, there was one other casualty. One of the tenants made a brave choice to get off an over weight elevator before the fire could reach it, allowing his neighbors, friends, and even family to escape the fire unscathed. His sacrifice will surely not be forgotten. For more local news, stay tuned.”
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End Volume 1 of Ducking Around in Another World
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⋆༺𓆩The.Fellow𓆪༻⋆
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