Borderline

Sleuth was always just a pretty ordinary guy, spent his days going to school and the likes and not really paying close attention to anyone outside of his friend group. That is, until the eve of his 16th birthday. He had gone to bed early that night, his parents promising a day of “fun” and whatnot, but really he was most looking forward to the time spent with his friends, and ofc, the gifts. After a series of increasingly bad nightmares, easily written off by birthday paranoia, he wakes up at exactly 11:59 pm; only to find himself,,,, still in his room. However,, something was off. It was darker, even darker than it should be considering the time. The soft light that usually poured in from his windows was missing. And the air felt hollow, cold, empty. It was quiet, far too quiet,, and still,,, too still for his liking. Padding out of his room he searched around, noticing that his parents weren’t home,,, nor were any of his neighbors,, the entire street was deserted, and after a bit more exploration he found that it wasn’t just the street, but he’s quite literally the only one left alive on earth. Shortly after discovering everyone’s disappearance, the world in front of him slowly fades into darkness, and he is surrounded by a voice that comes from everywhere and yet nowhere all the same. The voice, hoarse with torment and pain that could only last a lifetime, tells him that he isn’t supposed to be here yet, and that if he wants to leave here he must help the other “travelers” on their journey. When asked where exactly he is, the voice (albeit cryptically) tells him that he had managed to lift the veil between realms and peer into purgatory. Baffled, and yet somehow surprisingly calm he set out to help the ‘travelers’, spirits that were stuck, cross over to their designated place. As perilous and tedious as this was, he manages to console these spirits, and in doing so ‘wakes himself up’. He snaps back to his time, his realm, where he’s tucked back into his bed, and just waking up. It’s 11:59, and after long seconds of contemplation the clock hits 12. It’s his birthday. In a cold sweat and near hysterics, the initial adrenaline and shock seems to wear off, lulling him back into a deep sleep. 

He wakes up, with only a vague memory of what has happened to him. He quickly wrote it off as just another nightmare, and continued out with his day and with celebrating his new age. It wasn’t until he saw spirits and entities wandering the earth that he realized that everything had been real, and his ability to see the spirits had lingered. The revelation of this slowly turned him from his normal self into a more paranoid, quiet shell of himself. Eventually he opens up about his experience to his concerned peers, much to their disbelief. From here on out he sort of distances himself from everyone, becoming the sort of outcast,, the weirdo you don’t really wanna talk to, not even to pick on him. He doesn’t mind this of course, but he can’t help but feel lonely after a while. Not to mention, ever since realizing he can see them the spirits never really leave him alone. After a while, Sleuth manages to actually be quite content with his situation, people aren’t as freaked out by him, and he’s manages to tune out or straight up ignore most of the ghosts he’s met. That’s why, when a certain duffy goes missing, nobody really expects him to have the answers, least of all himself