there were so many people around, yet it barely registered with alex. then again it wasn't odd for alex to feel so lonely in a crowded room. perched on one of the high barstools in the kitchen, they drifted into a quiet reverie, letting the conversations swirl around them like background noise. their mind wandered aimlessly—flitting between the town’s odd happenings and the strange, unsettling dreams that had kept them awake for nights on end. daydreams were a rare luxury, lost amid the sleepless stretches they’d come to endure. the motel, though peaceful, sometimes felt too quiet—an emptiness that only deepened in contrast to the noise around them. but here? perhaps this was the life they should have chosen five years ago.
"it's hard to believe anything’s really wrong," alex mused aloud, the words slipping out before they could fully grasp them. "feels like things are... normal, like on the outside, i think." they paused, a shadow of uncertainty passing over them. truth be told, alex had long since forgotten what it was like to live with a routine, with structure, with any semblance of a life. / @ludics
