The Abstracted Neightbour Opposite

[Translated with AI, original author – me] Pomni tried to “fall asleep” in her room. Once again, lying on that rectangular bed, without a single hint of softness, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, which shimmered with lines. “Most likely just glitches,” she thought, sitting up on the edge of her bed. Once again, her eyes took in the room, full of useless clutter: enormous blocks for children, toy chairs she couldn’t reach, a mirror that reflected nothing. Caine probably hadn’t put much effort into this, or maybe it was some algorithm generating rooms for new characters. Suddenly, a sharp desire to drink rose in Pom’s subconscious. She probably couldn’t have described it to anyone else except as a “voice inside her.” She stood up and walked toward the room’s exit. Opening the door, she stepped into the corridor. The sounds of her movements echoed through the circus, bouncing off every surface. The lights had already been turned off, with only a few lamps illuminating small parts of this enormous space. She walked down the long corridor, turning left and right. Finally, she emerged from the maze of hallways and entered the hall connecting the main part of the circus to their apartments. There it was—the coveted water cooler waiting for her. Approaching it, she took a cup and began pouring cold water into it while glancing around. Suddenly, she saw Caine above, lying in a hammock, certainly not awake. The water overflowed and ran down her fingers; she jerked her hand back as if burned. After drinking the cup, she threw it into the nearby trash bin and headed back. Turning right for the second time, she heard strange noises from afar, as if someone were trashing their room. “But no one could be that crazy,” she thought, “Unless it’s Jax…” She smirked, and a small laugh escaped her lips. As she neared her room, the sounds had ceased. Assuming whoever had made them had calmed down, she entered her room, ready to lie down, but for her, it was a nightmare… The sounds returned. Now she could clearly pinpoint where they came from—her neighbor across the hall. This meant only one thing—her suspicion about the source was confirmed. She stepped out and approached her neighbor’s door, pressing her ear to it to listen—maybe he had just fallen and was cursing Caine? But these sounds resembled… whimpers? She could have sworn to God that Jax was crying right now, and the other sounds were… Suddenly, a prolonged howl erupted, mixed with white noise. “What the hell is happening in there?” she thought and decided to try opening the door. The door gave way on the first try; the handle turned, and she pulled it toward her. She immediately saw Jax sitting by his bed—but it wasn’t quite him. His ear was already… abstracted. The same had happened to his left hand and his leg. She couldn’t believe her eyes—Jax was abstracting. He looked at her plaintively, tears streaming down his face. “Pomni… Pom…” he began, wiping a tear with one hand, “Come here… please…” Pomni couldn’t ignore him. She ran to him and knelt down, simultaneously taking the part of his face that hadn’t dissipated into her left hand. Her fingers touched his, and she looked into his eyes; there was only one question in them—“Why?” “Why didn’t I speak up?” Jax asked, as if reading her thoughts. “Maybe because no one would care… or you just wouldn’t believe me… Pom, I wanted to open up to you, but I was so scared, scared that you’d stop seeing me the same way. But I don’t want your pity, understand?” Another tear slipped from his eye. Tears welled up in Pomni as well. “Jax, I wanted to ask so many times… but I was afraid you’d misunderstand…” No answer came, and his pupils shrank. “Jaxy, why are you leaving?! I don’t want this!” She collapsed completely onto his body and cried. The door remained open, so it was only a matter of time… when would someone come? Jax managed to place his hand on her shoulder while she hugged his waist, pressing her face into his stomach. Pomni absorbed the pain of his abstraction, but she didn’t run; she accepted it, trying to help her friend. And it truly helped—the pain began to fade. Pomni could look Jax in the eyes, but they no longer looked at her; they gazed just above her head. His pupils had turned white, and the dissipation had lost contrast. He had fought it off—well, almost. Pomni watched him, realizing that Jax had saved her from death. She couldn’t help but be grateful, though she likely wouldn’t have survived much longer without him. Suddenly, the others arrived. Hearing what had been happening, they all woke up and, gathering together, walked to Jex’s open door. They slowly entered and finally saw... Jex’s half-disintegrated, dead body, covered in confetti...