Another body was found near the east district. I’ve drifted past the area several times though it never struck me as hazardous. This must surely be a string of connected killings. Perhaps a serial killer is on the loose. I don’t know what’s happening with Alice. She’s still held in custody. I plan on seeing her later this week and I’m sure she’s not a culprit. I walk past a coffee shop and consider ordering something but think better of it. The distance of the moon above the skyscrapers seems shorter than usual. Whatever will happen has already happened. I imagine the moon as an abstract object, not entirely physical. Many times I’ve visited it in my dreams. K is such a magic elixir. It’s all I dream of, all I think about, and all I do.
I’m still reeling from the conversation with William Merrick. Though he seemed innocent enough I won’t rule him out as a suspect. He certainly knew Alice and even though I was in close contact with him, he struck me as pretty opaque. My leads are dry and I’m seeking desperately for a new suspect. Maybe the vision in the dream theatre was a hint. Something I should investigate further perhaps. I still remain unsure of the status of New Eden. I know of a garden in Totallitaria though I’ve never been there. Perhaps I should visit. The visions I witnessed in the theatre were certainly ominous, I still don’t know what they meant. Was someone trying to communicate with me? The visions in Club Illosury are dreams. Transmitted from subjects living in Totallitaria. I’ve certainly seen images from my own mind on the screen. The visions are similar to the hallucinations you receive from K. This city is obsessed with dreams. Maybe it’s escapism. We all wish we were somewhere else, I certainly wish I was.
I catch the subway in the direction of New Eden. The train is vacant and solitary. A man is sitting before me reading the Mirror. His eyes drift along whilst he’s flipping his pages and he seems dissociated. I collect myself and gaze sporadically across the cart. The sea is visible in one of the windows. It’s beautiful. Waves caress the shore with a gentle touch. Another woman is sitting opposite of me with a sullen expression. I try to meet her gaze though her eyes drift. The dog she carries in her lap is a small poodle. She gently brushes the dogs fur while gazing at the floor. Suddenly I see a mountain through the window. The sea might be wonderful but the mountain strikes me on another level. Suddenly the train comes to a stop and I exit the cart and walk along the archaic buildings while gazing arbitrarily into the windows whilst wishing I was inside.
I finally reach the forest. There’s no one around. I walk along a trail which leads me into the trees. I still remember the scene from the dream theatre. As the witch mentioned my name I felt transparent in a sense. As if I wasn’t real. She must surely be the key to the mystery. My key to the locked chamber of Alice’s mind. I still don’t think Alice is a suspect, but she must surely know who is. I reach a small wooden cottage. The trees clear as I arrive and I recognize the house. I knocked twice, no response. I gaze into one of the windows where no lights are visible. Suddenly the door handle turns and the door opens. No one’s inside though. I look around the room which is vacated. A brooding blue fire is visible in the corner. Surely someone must have lit it. The kitchen as well is empty. There’s a noose hanging in the living room, I gaze at it momentarily with a brooding sensation in my gut.
“Hello?” I speak loudly
No response.
I open the door to the bathroom where a woman is pissing.
“Sorry!”
I close the door quickly and make my way into the living room again.
As she exits the bathroom she closes the door and walks into her bedroom
“I feel like a husk.” She speaks with a sorrowful inflection.
I follow her.
“You summoned me here, did you not?”
She lays down onto the bed and pulls the covers over her body.
“I witnessed you speak to me in Club Illosury.”
“Maybe I did, my dreams have a habit of wandering from my mind.”
“Do you know Alice? Do you know who’s the culprit of the recent murders?” I speak forcefully
“You seem lost, young man. The answer is right before you. Look in the corner. What do you see?”
I spot a mirror in the corner of the room. My vision must be damaged. I see myself as a fading corpse.
“What is this witchcraft?” My tone is solemn
I gaze further into my eyes which look like black holes.
“Am I dreaming?” I can’t be, I haven’t used K in weeks.
The witch laughs and the room darkens. The mirror turns black and ominous.
“Enter it.”
I feel bewildered. I touch the surface of the glass and feel my hand sinking into it. Suddenly I’m consumed. I fall at a high velocity whilst stars surround me. Am I in space? I’ve never experienced something like this. Even after a hundred shots of K this seems uncharted. My soul feels occupied and I am at a loss of words. The planet I land on looks vacant. I gaze around and spot the same cottage I entered in the distance. The witch is by the door. She gently gestures for me to enter. As I open the door I see the same vacant house I recently visited. The fire is red this time. As I step into the living room the noose hangs ominously, as I tie it around my neck I see the woman wave at me a last time before the cord tightens.
I wake in my bed.
Delirious.
