chapter 9 they don't sleep

Lunch break arrived. Aurex sat alone in his usual corner, staring at the same bland food he had eaten for days. He didn't expect the boy to show up again, let alone sit beside him.

But he did.

"Mind if I join?" the boy asked casually, already sliding into the seat.

Aurex blinked, surprised. "I thought you weren't going to talk much."

"We never introduced ourselves properly," the boy said. "What's your name?"

"Aurex. Yours?"

"Call me Torren," the boy said with a faint smile. "Nice to meet you, Aurex. We're in this together now. We've got to help each other out."

"Yeah," Aurex said, nodding. "I agree."

Aurex lowered his voice. "Let me ask,when did things start to feel off for you? Was it after you woke up and saw that wound on your body?"

Torren paused. "Yes. That was the moment. Everything felt normal before that. Like nothing was wrong. Then it all shifted."

"Same," Aurex said, voice quiet. "Before that day, this world looked fine to me. Like I was part of it. Then suddenly, I wasn't. I saw it from the outside. That cut changed everything."

Aurex hesitated. "Do you think it's possible to change them? My family, I mean."

Torren let out a long breath. "You have to prepare yourself for the worst."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… you can try," Torren said. "But don't expect too much. My family's like yours. Strange, quiet, perfect smiles,but dead behind the eyes. You'll know when it's time. Just… don't hope too hard."

Aurex frowned. "You keep saying things like that. But you're never specific."

"Because I don't know how much I'm allowed to say," Torren answered. "Some things,if you hear them too soon,they eat at you. You have to see them for yourself."

The rest of the lunch passed in uneasy silence. Aurex didn't press further. He could tell Torren had already said more than he wanted to.

That night, the routine returned as always. After dinner, after the fake warmth and polite words, Aurex locked himself in his room. The bells rang at 6 p.m.

Three slow, even chimes.

He sat at his desk and started writing. Every detail he could remember from the day. His conversation with Torren. The food. The crack in the facade. He tried to reason with himself,tried to find a thread that made sense.

Why him? Why had he woken up?

If everyone else was caught in this loop, what made him different? He had followed the routine like the rest of them. Laughed, smiled, obeyed. Why did he break free?

He stood and walked to the corner where the sealed window sat. His family had nailed it shut months ago, but a small crack remained. Just wide enough to see through.

He pressed his eye to the gap.

Just like the night before, he saw them.

Wandering the house, their movements identical to yesterday. Timed. Patterned. Perfect. Around 7 p.m., they went downstairs. By 8, they stepped outside,his father, sister, and brother. But not his mother. Again.

He noted it.

She always stayed inside.

He waited for hours, shifting between the peephole and window. It was now a routine. At 10 p.m., he lay down, mentally exhausted. He planned to stay awake… but he didn't. Sleep swallowed him instantly.

The bells woke him at 6 a.m.

Again.

This time, though, his mind was sharp. Something was different. He remembered the plan. Today, he would investigate his mother.

He slipped out of bed and crept silently down the hallway. The house creaked under his weight, but he moved slowly. His heart pounded louder than his footsteps.

He reached the kitchen door and peered through the narrow slit.

His mother stood at the stove, humming quietly.

Across the room, his father sat at the table, sipping coffee. His sister and brother were already there,eating. Calm. Smiling.

Aurex stared, eyes wide.

It was six a.m.

When did they sleep?

When did they wake up?

How long had they been sitting there?

How did his mother cook an entire meal already?

He backed away quietly and returned to his room. He lay in bed, mind racing. When the regular call came for breakfast, he followed it.

They were still sitting there. His father still sipping. Nothing had moved.

He took his seat, trying not to tremble.

After a long moment, he turned to his little brother. "You always look tired in the morning," Aurex said carefully. "But today you seem… awake."

His brother looked at him, smiling softly. "I'm the same as usual."

Aurex didn't respond.

He couldn't.

He stared down at his plate, heart frozen in his chest.

The people in this house,his family,wore his family's faces. They said the same things. Moved the same way. Smiled with the same lips.

But he was starting to believe something terrible.

The people he loved might be gone.

And whatever had taken their place… didn't sleep.