The Man Who Never Existed

James Carter had always been a creature of routine. Every morning, he took his coffee black, read the news, and left for work at precisely 8:15 AM. His colleagues called him predictable. His wife, before she left, had called him boring. But James preferred "consistent." It kept his world in order.

Until the morning everything changed.

He arrived at work to find his key card disabled. Frowning, he tried again. No beep, no green light. Just a dull red denial. "Strange," he muttered. He knocked on the glass door, catching the attention of Linda, the receptionist. She glanced up, puzzled.

"Can I help you?" she asked, walking over.

James chuckled. "Funny, Linda. My card’s not working. Mind buzzing me in?"

She hesitated. "I’m sorry, sir, but... do you have an appointment?"

James felt a prickle at the back of his neck. "Linda, it's me. James Carter. I work here. Have for ten years."

Her brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, but I don’t think we have a James Carter in our system. Let me check."

She turned to her computer. James felt a creeping unease as the moments stretched. "Ah, here we go," Linda finally said. "Carter, James. Former employee. But..."

She trailed off. James leaned forward. "But what?"

"It says here you died five years ago."

James let out a breathy laugh. "Okay, this is a joke, right? Who put you up to this? Steve? Mike?"

Linda’s face remained grave. "I think you should go, sir."

James staggered back. The world tilted. His hands trembled as he pulled out his phone and dialed his best friend, Mark.

"Hello?" Mark answered.

"Mark, it’s James. I... I think something weird is going on."

A long silence. Then, "Who is this?"

James's grip tightened. "Not funny, Mark. I need help. Something’s wrong."

A sigh. "I don’t know who you are, but please don’t call this number again. My best friend James Carter died in a car crash five years ago."

The call disconnected.

James’s heart pounded. He raced home. The key wouldn’t fit the lock. The name on the mailbox wasn’t his. His apartment... no, the apartment that had been his, now belonged to someone else.

Panic gripped his chest. He stumbled backward, turning to find his reflection in a nearby window. He looked the same. Didn’t he?

A shadow moved behind the glass. A figure stepped forward, mirroring him. But it wasn’t his reflection.

It was him.

The other James smiled, tapping the glass. And then, in a voice identical to his own, it whispered, "You were never supposed to come back."

James screamed.

And then—

He was gone.

The world continued, unbothered. James Carter, who had never existed, faded from memory once more.

Somewhere, in a place beyond time, another James opened his eyes. He gasped for breath, cold air rushing into unfamiliar lungs. A new world surrounded him, but the same voice echoed in his head.

"Welcome back, James. Let’s see if you get it right this time."

James shivered again.