Lucas was watching TV late at night. His girlfriend, Grace, sat on the couch next to him. Grace had invited Lucas over to her house to binge-watch an anime he had never heard of before. Grace's three housemates: Ava, Marcy and Rin, had gone to bed hours ago.
Grace had fallen asleep on Lucas's shoulder. Lucas let the episode wrap up before turning the TV off. Lucas delicately removed Grace from his shoulder and tucked her in with a blanket that was nearby. He stood up. He gathered the trash from the food delivery Grace had ordered and threw it out.
When Lucas returned to the TV room, Grace had stretched out across the entire couch. Lucas sighed. Grace looked so cute when she was sleeping. He had no will to move her. He took a throw pillow and placed it on the floor. Lucas lied down with his back against the floor. He soon fell asleep with a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest.
---
Lucas woke up in a train station. His heart started to race because he was in an unfamiliar place. Yet, his alarm was stifled by an overwhelming lethargy that filled his body.
A train arrived at the station. Figures that resembled humans shuffled out of the doors. Lucas couldn't see any of their faces. It was as if the part of his brain that processed faces had been turned off. Lucas stood up.
Suddenly, he was on the train. He didn't recall walking to it. One moment, he was on the platform. Then, he was on the train without making a step.
A monotone chime filled the cabin. The doors automatically closed. The train left the station. Lucas was the only person on the train. He sat on the bench with his mouth agape. His mind was too foggy to interpret much of what was going on.
The train slowed and crawled to a stop. The doors opened, again. Lucas stood up. A bright and blinding light filled his vision. Then, Lucas woke up.
---
Lucas was lying on the floor of the TV room. The blanket he had used to swaddle his girlfriend was now covering his body. Grace must have woken up before him. He heard noises coming from the kitchen. Either Grace or one of her roommates was making breakfast. Lucas cast the blanket off of his body.
What the blanket unveiled shocked Lucas to his core.