Mr.Alex Stone

'Ten thousand dollars—that's one followed by four extra zeros! I've never seen that much money in my life. He claims that's the weekly pay. What could the job entail? Are we robbing a bank? No, it's a weekly job, so it can't be that. Could he be after my body?' My body shivered at that thought.

After hearing the man's proposal, I tried to understand what kind of job could offer such an astronomical salary. However, I was distracted by more pressing questions: Who was this man? Where did he come from? How did he know my name? And, most importantly, why could I not hear his inner thoughts?

The man looked at me as if he had found the most amusing specimen in a zoo, leaving me to ponder the unnatural situation I was in. Although I wasn't a stranger to the bizarre, the strange dreams I experienced every night could certainly be considered unnatural, right?

The man finally spoke after what seemed like an eternity due to the nerve-racking silence.

"Hello Mr. Lucas, if I didn't make myself clear earlier, I was inquiring if you would like to accept a job offer that pays $10,000 weekly."

'Mr. Lucas? Why has he become so formal? This man must be out of his mind,' I thought before replying to his question, "What are the risks?"

He looked at me strangely before returning to his annoying grin. "It seems that young Master Lucas can be direct." He paused for dramatic effect, used his eye to violate me, and then said, "I like direct people."

'Young master? I take back my earlier statement. He isn't out of his mind; he is already asylum-level crazy.' 

"So, Comrade Lucas, I work for an agency that's interested in people like you—individuals with extraordinary talents." I wasn't naive enough to think he was after me for my skill set. Although I can learn through work, I doubt the job involves unloading cargo or any other mundane tasks. The term "extraordinary talent" was proof enough.

"The dreams," I said subconsciously, but I must have spoken loudly enough for the strange man to hear me, as he responded enthusiastically, "Bingo!" He continued, "What you perceive as merely a dream is so much more inconceivable than that, to the point where no one can fully understand what it is or where it originates."

His phrasing suggested that I wasn't the only one with these peculiar experiences. The man standing in front of me was evidence of that. Well, what was I to expect? Something this special can't be unique to just one person. If it were, there wouldn't be so many people claiming to be psychics.

"What we know," he said, "is that 'it' is at risk from very violent 'encroachers,' and it is our job to stop them."

'Our? I don't remember agreeing to join your secret organization,' but that wasn't the main point.

"Encroachers? What are those?" I asked curiously. The strange man instantly became serious and replied, "These beings are creatures of pure chaos, remnants of fallen souls. You could call them wraiths, but that wouldn't do justice to their true nature. They oppose the collective and, in doing so, challenge the very essence of existence itself. They are monsters—twisted entities that must be eradicated."

I subconsciously held my breath at the frighteningly vivid image the strange man had painted. My fear could also be attributed to the fact that a man with a seemingly playful personality was now exuding a look of deep hatred for the beings he referred to as "encroachers."

After calming down, I asked, "And this agency you work for battles these monsters? If I may ask, what is the name of this agency? I'm sure I would have heard of a company that fights monsters," I added jokingly to ease my tension.

The man looked at me for a few seconds before reverting to his previous annoying grin. He chuckled and answered my seemingly funny question, "We are not known to the public to avoid widespread panic. No one would be able to sleep peacefully if they knew that monsters existed." He was right; history has shown that humans tend to fear what they do not understand, and that fear can lead people to do dangerous things.

"I work for the Collective Defense Agency (CDA), and our job is to ensure that the essence of existence and the collective remain safe from whatever may cause it harm. That is our code."

I was amazed at this shocking revelation, but what was foremost in my mind was, "What kind of dumb name is that?" The strange man instantly became stupefied at my subconscious honesty. Earlier, he had worn a smug look after revealing where he worked and what he did, but all he got in response was a depreciating remark about the name of his agency. It was a humbling experience for the arrogant man.

The man coughed awkwardly before continuing, "The agency is always in need of new blood to train, and I will be honest with you: what we do is very dangerous and can even cost you your life. So, we will give you time to decide." The strange man put his hand into his pockets and brought out a business card, handing it over to me.

"Whenever you come to a decision, just use that address to find me, and we can begin your training," he inhaled slightly before continuing. "You have already stepped half a foot into this world, Lucas. Why don't you equip yourself with the tools to survive in it?" He said this like a salesman trying to sell me insurance.

After his 'sales pitch,' he nodded slightly to indicate he was done before turning around and exiting through my bedroom door since that was where our interaction took place in the dream.

After he was gone, I finally looked at the business card he had given me. It read:

**Mr. Alex Stone** 

Supernatural Specialist 

(with the address written at the bottom right corner of the card)

"Alex Stone," I said silently. "What a dumb name." I laughed inwardly at my sense of humor.

****************

**In the Real World**

I was still lying in bed, despite being fully awake. I guess I wasn't entirely myself after being bombarded with that revelation last night; it felt like the weight of knowing something I wasn't supposed to know had reshaped everything I thought I understood.

Earlier that morning, my mom and sister had already left for work and school, respectively. I was the only one left at home, so I decided to indulge in a little laziness for a while.

Well, even if I chose to laze around all day, you can't blame me for that. Discovering that the world was at risk of being destroyed by monsters would make anyone want to relish their bed a little more because you never know if it might be your last chance to be lazy.

But as soon as I had that thought, my stomach began to rumble.

"Grrrrrrruuuuuwwwww."

"..."

I guess an existential crisis can't stop the call of nature, so I decided to see what I could do to tame this beast. "I guess moping will have to wait; I have to satisfy this little fella first."

I stood up quickly and immediately felt a piercing headache, and my vision became blurry all of a sudden. I quickly sat down to regain my bearings. 'I don't remember having any heart problems,' I thought. 'So this has to do with my interaction with Mr. Alex Stone,' I assumed, as I had never experienced anything like this before.

'Come to think of it, why can I still remember everything that happened last night with Mr. Alex?' I began to ponder, temporarily forgetting about my earlier mission to manage my hunger. 'Everything after the chat with Mr. Alex is like a blur, and if I try to recall those moments, I get the usual headache. But the meeting with Mr. Alex is as clear as a high-definition video; I can even remember the details of his business card perfectly.'

I reaffirmed my belief that Mr. Alex had something to do with what happened to me since I couldn't get him out of my head—literally. If he were a pretty lady, I might not be bothered, but instead, I had that annoying grin plastered in my mind.

"For Christ's sake, I think I just developed a new phobia."

***************

At the dining table, I had my breakfast ready. The time was already nearing noon—exactly 11:45 a.m. Since breakfast was easier to prepare, I decided to make it and save myself the drama of overthinking lunch.

I was having hot cocoa with soft white bread and a fried egg mixed with onions and green pepper on the side. I tend to put three extra spoons of milk in my hot cocoa, so when I finish drinking, I still have milk remnants at the bottom of the mug as a little dessert.

It was still the middle of winter, so drinking the hot beverage provided a refreshing sensation as it passed down my throat and into my body. After I finished, I took my dishes to the sink. This reminded me of the "little genius."

"That reminds me, their school is having a career day this Friday, and I don't think mom will be free at that time. Guess I have to step up as the dependable big brother," I thought smugly.

***************

In the living room, I was comfortably lying flat on the couch, watching a movie.

I decided to give myself a holiday since I was planning to accept Mr. Alex's offer. Some might wonder if I'm taking things too quickly, while others might feel there's enough time to reflect on my choices and take it easy.

In my opinion, there's no reason to overthink the offer; there aren't many options to consider. Mr. Alex was right—I'm already partially invested in this madness, and since I can't stop having that strange dream, I might encounter one of those "encroachers" sooner or later. At that point, it wouldn't matter whether I accepted the offer or not.

Honestly, if it hadn't been for the strange atmosphere of that meeting, I would have accepted the offer on the spot. I've always believed that anything can be achieved with the right price.

To remind you, the amount being offered is a staggering ten thousand dollars—yes, that's a one followed by four zeros! And it's a weekly payment.

I would be a fool not to accept that offer. Even if I risk losing my life, I wouldn't mind because, as the saying goes, "no pain, no gain." I'm also sure that a company capable of staying hidden for who knows how long will have good life insurance policies.

"Well, I think I'm going way over my head here. I need to get the job first before I can start thinking about the risks involved," I told myself. "I also need to stop with the pessimistic mindset before I inadvertently jinx myself." I don't know what's possible now, so it's better to be safe than sorry.

************

Later that evening, during dinner, I was trying to find a way to inform my family about the job offer I received. I didn't want to tell them everything for fear of scaring them, so I decided to take a mild approach.

While I was lost in thought, my sister suddenly interrupted me with a question.

"Lucas, didn't you have work today? Why did I see you lying on the couch when I came home from school?" she asked curiously, with a scrutinizing look showing that she was worried about me.

My mother displayed a look of slight surprise and turned to me, waiting for my answer. One of the cashiers hadn't shown up for work that day, so she had to cover two shifts and didn't get her usual breaks.

I thought carefully before responding. "Well, I have a job interview tomorrow, so I decided to take a break before the day," I answered honestly.

My mother and sister were shocked by this revelation, and they immediately bombarded me with questions.

"What job is it?"

"Is it registered?"

"How much is the pay?"

"Are there benefits?"

Despite their rapid-fire questions, I was able to answer them calmly, drawing from the information I had prepared.

Then I thought, 'Come to think of it, is the CDA registered? Well, Mr. Alex did have that business card, but if I should be issued the same card that says I am a spiritual specialist, I won't know how to explain to my family that I didn't become a scammer.'

Well, I would cross that bridge when I get to it. I'm sure an agency as old as the CDA must have measures in place for this.

'By the way, why do I always think that the CDA is an old organization?' I pondered. 'Instead of giving myself a headache, I'll ask Mr. Alex when I meet him tomorrow.'