Albatross

By YD La Mar

Cássio's last memory is of laughter and clinking glasses, and a Halloween party that should've ended with the rising sun. But instead of waking in his own bed, he finds himself in a reality that's constantly shifting—buildings morphing, faces changing, time bending, yet he has no idea how he came to be here. Nothing is as it should be as reality is ever-changing. 

 

The only constant is Bakath. A mysterious being who appears to be more than what it seems. It's presence is as constant as the key he finds in every environment, a key that doesn't unlock any door, yet seems to hold the answer to this never ending nightmare. 

 

A strange bond blooms amidst the chaos. But as he seeks answers, the boundaries of his reality become even more blurred. Is Bakath truly a companion in this hell he finds himself in, or could it be something more sinister?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: YD La Mar
• Release date: Feb 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224451227

Book preview

Prologue

Hey Cássio, you leaving the party already man? The night is still young!

The voices float from beyond the couches laden with half drunken men and women. The night may still be young, but these partygoers weren’t going to make it the rest of this halloween night.

Yeah, man. I’m going to hit it early.

Aww, old man can’t hang with the youngins anymore? Got an early curfew? one of the girls teases as she leans over the arm of the couch, her tits threatening to spill beyond the collar of her low cut costume, her skin is fair as snow.

Most of the girls here wore outfits that are poor excuses for costumes. Maybe it’s my old age that makes my mood sour at the monotony of these parties. They were all the same. The slutty outfits, the men who tried their best to get the girls drunk enough to give them a chance. It’s my last year of college after a five year stint in medical school and I’m tired, so tired of the same song and dance each year.

Finals are behind us and I’m hoping this halloween party will be my last hurrah before I start my residency across the country. I wouldn’t be seeing these fools for a while and guilt sat heavy in my gut.

Yup, sure do. See you fools around. I hope none of them drink and drive. The frat house has plenty of room to house their passed out asses if need be. After two drinks at the start of the party, I’m done with their kegged piss water.

Throwing a wave over my shoulder, I finger my keys as I make my way across the grassy front yard. My car sits a block away and I don’t mind the stroll through the cool night air. Some empty cans scattered the area and the sound of feminine giggles floated from nearby dark corners. Tilting my head back, I look at the stars and wonder if I’ll survive my residency on little to no sleep in a different time zone, far away from everything I’ve known.

It’s the path I chose, the one I knew would lead to this. But being the first in my family to go to and finish college, I can’t let them down. All I needed was a little over three years and I would be free to be my own person again.

With a deep breath, I unlock my door and got in the passenger side, sliding my palms across the worn steering wheel. Packing is what I needed to be doing right now. Not this party.

Obligations and expectations take over my thoughts as I pull away from the curb and onto the dimly lit streets.

Chapter One

Cássio

A beeping cuts through the heavy weight of darkness, calling to me like a beacon. A monotonous tone that irritates over time. There’s a buzzing in the back of my head as if a thousand ants are marching across my eardrums. Stretching my hand out, I grasp at nothing—my entire arm gets engulfed into the void. Smokey vapors kiss my skin like a lover when the scene abruptly changes and everything is forgotten once more.

The party lights filter through the frat house windows. Silhouettes of girls dancing provocatively and guys lifting their cups in the air entice everyone lingering outside. With my hands in the front pocket of my pants, I trudge forward behind everyone else through the open door beyond the porch.

The music blares through my ears and my chest, its beats influencing the rhythm of my heart.

The moment I cross the threshold, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Someone or something is watching me. Turning my head left and right, everyone at the party is busy chatting away with everyone else. Some cast their gazes over me to meet with those behind me.

My skin itches but I dodge bodies until I enter the kitchen where kegs and alcohol decorate as well as provide entertainment for those half wasted.

Grabbing a red cup, I reach out to get myself a drink when my hand collides with another sending electricity up my arm. But the moment my head jerks up to see who it is, everything disappears.

My eyes flutter open from some type of trance and I find myself embedded deep in the woods, surrounded by a thick fog wrapping itself around my torso as I continue to lay on the soft fallen leaves. An owl’s hoot in the distance jerks me into sitting as if it alerts me to nearby danger.

Wait. How the hell did I get in the woods? I don’t remember parking my car and coming here. Dude, where’s my car? I mumble.

There’s no answer to be found.

Getting to my feet, I dust myself off and squint at my surroundings, trying to see through the clouded atmosphere.

I need to find my car.

I navigate through the thick brushes and around the trees, careful to not spook an unsuspecting bear or predator around me. The crunches of the branches beneath my feet speeds up my heartrate as I continue along the path with no sense of direction.

Patting the pockets of my pants, I pull out my cell phone and wake up the screen. It glows with large numbers. 11:00 p.m. But my phone has no service. Where am I?

Tapping the flashlight button, I aim the light in front of me for some sort of clarity. The scenery is dimly lit by the light of the moon overhead but not enough to bring comfort to my surroundings.

Something catches the corner of my eye and I jerk my head and my phone in its direction to catch the tail end of what looks like a form in