Endless Hallway Leads to a Café Key Mystery

Endless Hallway Leads to a Café Key Mystery

I woke up late for work and sprinted down the hallway of my apartment building, but the hallway kept stretching forever. The fire exit door was ajar, and I slipped into a dimly lit street that looked like the downtown café where I used to meet Alex in college. The barista behind the counter was my old English teacher, but his face kept flickering between his own and my brother's. I ordered a coffee, but the cup was empty, and when I tried to pay, I realized I had no wallet—just a stack of old library cards. A police officer in a trench coat asked me why I was lingering in the back room, and I told him I was looking for the missing key to my apartment. He handed me a rusted key that fit the lock on the café's back door, and when I turned it, the door opened onto my office lobby, where everyone was staring at me in silence. I felt a cold dread, then the alarm rang, and I jolted awake, heart pounding.