Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women

Jude hesitated before stepping forward and lowering himself into the seat. As soon as he did, the woman moved beside him, adjusting the small device attached to one of the monitors. "This will help you see," she explained.

"See what?" Jude asked, his throat dry.

"The truth."

She pressed a button, and suddenly, the room around him shifted. It was subtle at first, like a ripple spreading through water. Then, in an instant, everything changed.

Jude's breath caught in his throat. The walls of the room flickered, distorting like static on an old television. Shadows stretched unnaturally, bending in ways that defied logic. Objects in the room blurred and reformed, as if struggling to decide what they were supposed to be.

And then, he saw it.

A memory—his own memory—playing out before his eyes. But it was wrong.

He saw himself as a child, sitting in his old bedroom, staring out the window. The details were painfully familiar—the worn-out curtains, the faint sound of his parents talking in the other room. But something was off.

His reflection in the glass.

It wasn't right.

It moved before he did.

Jude's heart pounded as he watched his younger self, frozen in place, while the reflection in the window turned its head… and looked directly at him.

He gasped, the memory shattering like broken glass. The room around him stabilized, but the air felt heavier now, charged with something he couldn't name.

The woman placed a hand on his shoulder, grounding him. "You saw it, didn't you?"

Jude swallowed hard, his body trembling. "What the hell was that?"

"A crack in the illusion," the man said. "A glimpse of what's beneath the surface."

Jude pressed his hands to his face, trying to steady his breathing. His whole life, he had ignored the strange moments, the lingering feelings of something being out of place. But now, faced with undeniable proof, he couldn't push it away anymore.

He looked up at them, his voice unsteady but firm. "I want to know everything."

The woman nodded. "Then we keep going."

And Jude knew there was no turning back.

Jude sat there for a long moment, his body still trembling slightly from what he had just witnessed. The images had burned into his mind, leaving behind a hollow feeling in his chest. The others were quiet, watching him with patient expressions, as if they had all been through this same moment before. He wanted to ask questions, but his mind was too tangled to form the words. The only thing he knew for certain was that he couldn't walk away now.

The woman finally broke the silence. "I know it's overwhelming. But this is just the beginning."

Jude exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "What else is there?"

The man across from him leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "A lot. But we have to take it one step at a time. You saw the crack. Now, you need to understand what it means."

Jude shook his head. "I don't even understand what I saw."

The woman gave him a knowing look. "You saw your reflection move before you did. That wasn't just an illusion. It was a sign that what you think is reality… isn't complete."

A chill ran through Jude's spine. "You're saying I've been living in something fake?"

"Not fake," the man corrected. "Just incomplete."

Jude let out a bitter laugh. "That sounds like the same thing to me."

The woman sighed. "It's not easy to explain. And it's even harder to accept. But reality isn't as simple as you think it is. There are layers. Some people live their whole lives never seeing past the surface. Others—people like you—start to notice the gaps. And when that happens, there's no going back."

Jude leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed. He wasn't sure if he was ready for any of this, but it didn't seem like he had a choice anymore. "So what happens now?"

The man exchanged a glance with the woman before speaking. "Now, we show you more."

Jude hesitated, then nodded. "Fine."

The woman stood and motioned for him to follow. He pushed himself up, still feeling unsteady, but he forced himself to move. They led him down another hallway, this one darker than the last. The air felt heavier, as if it was pressing against his skin. He didn't know if it was just his imagination or if something was truly different about this place.

They stopped in front of another door. This one was old, the wood worn and the handle rusted. The woman placed her hand on it and took a deep breath before pushing it open.

Inside was a room filled with screens. Rows of monitors lined the walls, each one showing different images. Some displayed empty streets, others showed people walking through crowded spaces, and a few had nothing but static. Jude's stomach twisted as he realized that some of the people on the screens looked… familiar.

He stepped closer, his eyes scanning the images. And then, he saw himself.

His breath caught in his throat. There he was, standing in front of his apartment building, staring up at the sky. It was a moment he remembered—just a few days ago, he had paused outside after work, watching the clouds roll in. But the footage on the screen… it wasn't right.

In the video, he wasn't alone.

There was someone standing behind him.

A figure, blurry and indistinct, barely more than a shadow. It was so close he should have felt it. But he remembered that moment, and he had been alone. Hadn't he?

His pulse pounded in his ears. "What is this?"

The woman's voice was quiet. "Proof."

Jude stared at the screen, his hands clenched into fists. His mind was racing, trying to find some logical explanation, but there was none. Either the footage was fake, or his memories were wrong. And after what he had seen in the other room, he wasn't sure which was worse.