Nobody Will Ever Believe You (An Original Sci-Fi Short Story)

Nothing exciting ever really happens.

I'm an insignificant part of a big corporate machine. A spec of dust in an infinite universe where every day is exactly the same.

I feel myself fading away. I haven't felt right for weeks now, like reality is slowly shrinking around me, suffocating me.

It's my routine. It's rendering the outside world invisible.

Another worthless Friday night down the drain. Chinese takeout and Netflix again. It’s like clockwork. At least the new season of Narcos is out.

My friends... not friends...co-workers. They're all at the bar celebrating without me. Our team landed a big new client and we're getting bonuses. I only know this because the bar is across the street from my apartment. I can see them laughing, smoking cigarettes on the sidewalk.

I close my eyes. Sleep comes quickly when your world is empty. 

Knock...Knock...Knock.........

Bang...Bang...Bang...

My heart's pounding in my throat. It's only 4AM. What the hell is going on? Maybe my drunk coworkers had seen my contempt in the window.

I grabbed a pair of dirty sweatpants off the floor and stumbled across the room. I felt for the light switch, but it wouldn't turn on.

Bang...Bang...Bang…

“Hold on I’m coming!”

I made my way through the dark mess of my apartment to the door. My golden retriever Oscar was making strange growling, almost hissing sounds.  The hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight as panic seeped into my consciousness.

I couldn't see anything through the peephole. Whoever was on the other side had their hand over the hole. My breath caught in my throat.

“Who’s there?” I shouted, my voice starting to crack.

The silence was deafening. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

My mind reeled as I made my way to the kitchen cabinet, trying to get to a flashlight. Thank God I replaced the batteries the last time the power went out.

Now that I could see, I looked around for something to protect myself from...I don’t even know. A glass serving tray on the counter caught my eye. I picked it up.

...bang...bang...bang…

BANG...BANG...BANG…

I took a deep breath and reached for the knob. Oscar was losing his mind, barking frantically.

I cracked open the apartment door and looked out. There was no one there. I felt myself gasping for air. I had been holding my breath. 

There was no one there, but it wasn’t my hallway either. That can't be right.

I spun around and shined the flashlight through my apartment. Everything was still the same.  But not the hallway.  Was this someone's idea of a joke.

I put Oscar on his leash and set out cautiously down a hallway I had never seen before. As we rounded a corner, I found the elevator. It was where it should be, but it was different, too. It definitely wasn’t my elevator. It was much older, a different color and worn down from use.

But the power was out, and I couldn't get inside to be sure. I found the stairs where they were supposed to be. The stairway smelled like piss, and was littered with broken bottles and trash. At least Oscar had calmed down.

The stairwell lobby doors opened to a room I'd never seen before.  A strange and silhouetted woman at the front desk smiled and turned to me.

“I’m sorry for the power outage Mr. Jordan. It should be all fixed by morning.”

I had never seen this woman before in my life. I nodded slightly and walked toward the rotating front doors. Panic washing over me in violent waves. 

As I rounded the door and came outside, the city was dark. I couldn’t recognize anything or anyone. An older couple walked by and turned to me as they passed.

“Mr. Jordan! Can you believe the power went out again?"

Something snapped in my brain.

“WHO ARE YOU?” I screamed. “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” 

The couple recoiled in horror and walked away as fast as they could.

“Must be the booze again.” I heard them whisper before they were out of earshot. I'm not a drinker. I haven't been drunk since college.

I ran around the block like a lunatic. Oscar could sense my fear. He started barking. Nothing was familiar but the moon and the stars. I felt tears streaming down my face.

I turned around and walked Oscar back to the apartment. I dead bolted the door and went out on to the balcony to get a better view of the city. Up here on the 38th floor, I could see the dark outline of a city I’ve never known.

Off in the distance, power had been restored. A billboard of a car caught my eye.

I ran back inside with my flashlight inside to find my binoculars.

When the sign finally came into focus, my heart sank to the floor. The room started spinning and I grabbed my chair before I could fall.

“Cadillac 1961: Now on display at your local Cadillac dealer”

I felt my limp grasp on reality slip away. It wasn’t 1961. It was 2016. It is 2016!

I started crying. My body racked with heavy sobs until my conscious drifted away. I must have fainted. Thank God I was sitting down.

A few minutes later...it could have been a few hours...Oscar barked and woke me up.

As I reached down to pet him, he looked directly at me. He didn’t blink. He wasn't even breathing as far as I could tell. He moved his head before I could reach him.

He opened his mouth as if he was going to bark again. But he didn’t bark.

He said, “Nobody will ever believe you.” and walked away.

The power came back on an instant later. I couldn’t take it. I went back to my kitchen. I always kept a bottle of alcohol or two around for guests. I needed a drink.

I opened the cabinet, horrified to find a fully stocked liquor collection.

I grabbed a bottle of Jameson whiskey and looked at the label. It was old...really old. 

I took it back to my chair on the balcony and drank myself to sleep, watching a city I’d never seen wake up for the first time.