Salem woke to the sound of dripping water.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound echoed endlessly, as if it came from every direction at once. He opened his eyes to darkness—not the usual kind, but a living, crawling black that felt like it was watching him back.
For a moment, he couldn’t tell if he was lying down or floating. Gravity seemed optional here. His body felt weightless, disconnected from itself. His thoughts were slower, stretched like chewing gum between two timelines.
Then the whisper returned. The one that had been following him since the glitches began.
> “Salem.”
His breath hitched.
“Who—who is that?” His voice trembled, swallowed by the void.
> “You’ve asked me that before.”
“I don’t remember.”
> “Exactly.”
The darkness shifted. Something like a silhouette emerg
