Matthew is not a happy man. On the eve of his 40th birthday, he stands naked before a full-length mirror and assesses what he sees reflected within. Sure, his body is toned and well-maintained. His job is physical and defined muscles are a result of the manual labour. He is handsome. But what good are these things when they house an empty heart? The most upsetting thought is that the older he gets, the less chance he has of ever finding someone to fill that void.<br><br>He runs into the night, fuelled by negative thoughts and looking to end his loneliness -- permanently. But he trips and falls. There is an explosion of pain and then ... nothing.<br><br>He wakes in a place he doesn’t recognize. He lays chained to a bed, in a prison of gray stone patrolled by heavily muscled guards. He is Nowhere, a mysterious place of erotic fantasy.

Nowhere

Another of their kind, no more than a skeleton in a robe, materialised and screamed towards the open door.


“Close it!” shouted Matthew, though he was the first one at the door, slamming it shut and leaning against it in case the skeleton creature began pushing back. He needn’t have worried. Once again the door was secure and Anton and whatever else dwelled behind it were safely locked away.


“Well that narrows our options down,” said Douglas with a nervous laugh.


Together they turned and examined the door on the right. Despite not knowing how much time they had before they were discovered, none of them was in any rush to open it.


“What if there’s no difference between the doors?” asked Douglas. “What if they’re both forbidden for the same reason?”


“I was wondering if the door Anton opened was actually the milder of the two,” said Matthew. “What if there’s something worse behind this door?”


“How do you know this one leads to freedom?” Douglas asked.


Chapter 22