Beyond Mortals

The metallic tang of blood filled Alex's mouth, a reminder of the bite block in his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to push the image of the alley and Leannah, and the baby, out of his mind. It felt so real, yet so unreal. Back in the dentist's chair, with the drill buzzing ominously, Alex tried to focus on the mundane, the familiar. The dentist's gentle voice, the sterile smell, the dull ache in his jaw. He felt he was unable to make a decision, all the pressure building up.

The dentist finished the filling. "All done," he said, a smile playing on his lips. "Just try to avoid chewing on that side for a few hours, alright?"

Alex nodded, relieved. He rose from the chair and thanked the dentist before heading towards the front desk. As he paid, the receptionist asked, "Are you alright? You seemed a little out of it back there."

"Yeah, just a little tired," Alex replied.

He walked out into the afternoon sunlight. He paused, feeling disoriented. He looked at his watch: the dentist appointment had lasted about an hour. Was it real? The dentist. The filling. It all seemed so solid, but the other world and Leannah and the baby seemed like the bigger reality. He looked back at the office building. Nothing looked wrong, all seems normal.

He started walking towards his house. Every step felt heavy. "What am I doing?" he mumbled to himself. He should be back in the alleyway. He should be with Leannah. Where did she even go?

He could feel the phantom sensation of Leannah's presence, a pull, a beckoning. "I can't just abandon everything," he muttered, "but I can't abandon this."

He reached a crosswalk, the light turning red. He glanced across the street, expecting to see her, to see something, but nothing was out of the ordinary. He started moving. As he stepped off the curb, something, some kind of impulse, sent a jolt through him. He felt his legs get weak. He was falling, with his hands in front of him

Then, a blurry vision of Leannah, and the baby, a flash of pure, white light, and then nothing.

He was sitting on a park bench, the setting sun casting long shadows. The air was crisp. Beside him, a woman who looked like the mother he dreamt of, was leaning over him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

He looked at her, confusion etched on his face. The woman's face was calm, her hands were warm, and her eyes held a familiar spark.

"Yeah, I...I think so." he managed to say.

"You just sort of... vanished. For a moment there, I thought you might have collapsed." She smiled and said in a soft voice "We have to be careful". She took a deep breath, and took a step back and said. "I'm Leannah. I had to make a difficult choice, so I put you here."

Alex was confused. "Leannah? But... the dentist? What about-"

"This is our home." she interrupted and sighed. "It's difficult to explain. There are threads of reality. These worlds are not entirely separate, and not entirely connected. I want to show you something but It won't work in your world yet."

Alex looked around the park, the fading light painting the trees in hues of orange and purple. It looked ordinary, but that only added to his confusion.

"Where is the baby?" Alex asked.

Leannah hesitated. "He is safe. Don't worry about that."

A flash of images flooded his mind, the darkness, the voices, the child... was any of it real?

He glanced at his watch. It read 5:30 PM. He had been gone for a long time, or maybe not. He wanted to ask a thousand questions, but he didn't know where to start.

"Why am I here?" he asked finally.

Leannah turned toward him, her eyes filled with a mixture of determination and regret. "Because we have something to show you," she said softly. "The nexus. I found it. And now you must come with me."

Alex felt a tremor of excitement course through him, but also a wave of fear. He was torn. He wanted to explore this strange new world, find answers, and maybe even embrace the possibilities he hadn't dared dream of before. But he also had a life, a family, obligations. He needed to know what exactly was going on.

"What about my parents?" he asked.

"They are... occupied, for now." Leannah offered. "They are safe, Alex. You must trust me. This is the only way."

He knew that his parents would freak if they would be in the same situation he would have to face.

He looked at Leannah, and for the first time, he saw the weight of responsibility in her eyes, the toll of her actions. It was a difficult decision for her to make. He knew he would have to face a choice of his own, and maybe a harder one.

She stood up. "Come. We don't have much time."

Alex stood up too, his heart pounding in his chest. He had a filling and a dental appointment to think about, but he was already there. He looked back, one last time, at the bench. He took a deep breath, and followed her.

Not expected, his eyes started flashing and he saw himself in his mother's car looking confused.

"So how was the filling?", His mother asked

"Uh great....I guess...wait I thought...I.....nevermind." Alex said confused

"You alright dear?", his mother asked loooking confused with hands fully on the steering wheel.

"Well its been a long day mom, long day." he replied.