Chapter Text
2026 PRESENT DAY
University. The very time in a young person's life where they still clutch tightly onto the tethers of being young and free; little responsibility weighing on their shoulders as they party most nights and procrastinate on assignments due in a few hours time, surviving off cup noodles and dreams that remind them of just how much closer they are to being an adult with bills and mortgages to pay, families to feed and nine-to-fives with no end in sight.
You were stuck in that limbo at age twenty-four choosing your degree after a gap year of travelling, now stuck in a shitty room with a shitty roommate. The desk you were sitting at was like a magnet for your head as your elbow did very little to stop the force of you banging your head against the wood; “Fuck!” you shot up and pressed your hand tightly to the sore spot, standing in that same spot until the pain turned into an annoying throb and you slowly sat back down “I really need a coffee” you crane your head slightly and notice your roommate snoring soundly in the bed just a few feet from where you sat.
You shake your head slightly, the chair creaking slightly as you stand and push your phone in your jean pocket. The room is dim as you blindly fumble for your wallet and airpods case and placing them into the safety of your coat, there was a cool breeze you could vaguely remember from hours ago when you were walking across the campus grounds. Cold enough that you were angry with yourself for not bringing a coat to any of your classes.
You won't forget this time.
With ease you pushed the door to the dorm block open whilst simultaneously pulling your phone out from the denim pocket. The last track you were listening to not even minutes ago illuminating the screen
Thriller.
And the sound of Vincent Price’s voice filled your eardrums as you unpaused the song and began your very short walk down to the local 7-11. It was a route you’d memorised from the past year and one you were confident you could walk blindfolded.
However as you got closer to where the usually well-lit store would be instead stood a dilapidated building. Your brows furrowed in confusion as you pushed the door open and stepped into the musky smelling room
“Hello?” no answer, of course. The building looked like it had been abandoned over forty years ago “I must be dreaming..” You shook your head and stepped out the door
You had barely taken a step when the sounds of Human Nature cut off with the suddenness of a cold slap and the ringing in your ears began. If anyone was watching it probably looked like a foal walking for the first time as you staggered, hands cupped tightly over your ears as you tried to shut out the uncomfortableness of…everything. It was like your body was protesting its surroundings, rejecting a change you were still unaware of.
It wasn’t until you peeked an eye open for everything to stop.
And it was like something shifted. Like the world had suddenly fallen into a settled silence. The cold night air had turned warmer and everything felt…less constricting.
“Okay…” On shaky legs you stood from your kneeled spot, and craned your head only slightly when you were back on your ass again
Surrounding you was a crowd of zombies, black goo drooling from their lips as they staggered closer “What the fuck?!” you scramble back and fumble for something- anything to protect yourself with, “Back off!” with a rock grasped in a palm you hurl it forward blindly
“Ow.”
CUT!”
Wait what?
You look up and see the zombie who got the rock to the face clutching their eye in pain as the one beside them used gentle hands to look at where the sharp end of the rock had scratched their brow and rubbed the..makeup off.
This must be some sort of trip. Did the 7-11 have some sort of carbon monoxide leak that was making you hallucinate?
“What do you think you’re doing?” A man sitting on an elevated chair overlooking the set exclaims as he drops down and rushes to the scene, beige coat catching as he strode closer to you, “Who let her in?” there was a murmur from onlookers and he lets out an exasperated sigh
“I’m sorry I-” you slowly stand to your feet once more in time for the man to stop just short of where you stood
“How did you even get onto..” he trails off, eyes darting to the side where a trailer sat in the shadows of the bright floodlights. You follow his gaze with squinted eyes as you try to make out the writing but with no success, the words a jumbled mess on the placard “God fans these days..”
“Excuse me, I don't even know what’s going on!” you snap “I was just trying to get coffee from the 7-11 and-” You stopped with a grimace when you realised the once irritated expression had turned to confusion on the face of a man who was starting to seem more familiar as the seconds ticked by
He stares for a moment, then with a scoff he turns away, “Yeah, sure.” He makes his way back to the raised chair overlooking the set “Can someone please escort her out of here.” And within moments a man in a dark charcoal suit appeared, exhaustion written all over his features as he nudged his head towards the exit
“Miss,” You hesitated, still looking around and trying to grasp onto a reality that was slipping through your fingers like sand
Why wouldn’t anyone tell you what was going on?
“Please don’t make this any harder than it has to be.” You nodded in resignation, letting the man grasp your shoulder gently and guide you away
You passed by the extra who you threw the rock at being attended to a medical professional and winced at the damage you had done, “Hey I’m really-” He glares and looks away
Yep. Deserved
The security guard dropped you at the streets outside of what you had now realised to be a studio and not a closed off neighbourhood.
Coffee.
That was all you wanted. Just a cup of shitty coffee which would always burn the tip of your tongue and kill your tastebuds with the bitterness of burnt coffee beans- And your bed; Tough as rocks and always leaving you with an ache in your lower back was something you had never desired for until now. The wall of the studio, even just a pile of bricks, looked like a fine compensation, “God could this night get any worse?” You pressed your back to the wall and slid down into an awkward scrunched position
It was all so loud…Even in the darkness of the night it was like the sounds had been dialed up max and you couldn’t help but flinch at the smallest rustle of something in the trees or even car tyres screeching in the distance. You tried in vain at thinking of anything but the events that unfolded only minutes ago, but that just made it worse. You looked down and finally realised through blurry eyes that your hand had been shaking uncontrollably since the moment you sat down.
Fuck, where the fuck were you?
~~~~
You didn’t know how long the time had passed. The shake which migrated to the rest of your limbs hadn’t stopped but the chill of the night air was a balm to the sweat clinging on your face and neck. But the unsteadiness of a change you still weren’t aware of had tipped you on your axis, like something had pinned you in place while everything continued to move around you. It was nauseating.
It was the sound of metal gates creaking open and a car pulling out of the studio lot which got your attention, looking up blearily in time to see the headlights of a shiny Rolls Royce appearing in your peripheral along with two night guards appearing beside the vehicle. It looked like it was about to drive off when there was a sudden commotion from inside and the door cracked open.
“You okay, miss?” It was a man. That much you could deduce from the voice, but it sounded so familiar. He stepped closer and the man driving the car got out quickly, his presence carefully watching the scene unfold
“I-” Your voice catches in your throat “I don’t know where I am” You sniffle and press the sleeve of your coat under your nose
He stepped into the light under the street lamp, and like a rock sinking into the pit of your stomach you realised with horror at who this man was
He tilts his head, almost like he was studying you, “You were the girl from earlier.” He states, “The one that wandered onto set and threw a rock at James.”
“How did you-”
“The director's assistant told me. Scared everyone too, apparently.”
“Didn’t mean to,” You reply, “Just wanted to get a cup of coffee is all.”
“You were scared.”
“Now that’s just ironic” You snort as you leant against the brick wall
“Huh?”
“Nothing…” You go silent and he shifts uncomfortably, “Are you real?” You finally murmur out
“Pardon?”
“Either you’re some hallucination from- I don’t even know,” you chuckle dryly, “Or you’re really Michael Jackson. And I don’t know which option is scarier.”
“I’m real.” He softly assures and goes to kneel when a hand on the shoulder stops him
“Michael,” The driver warns, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Michael shrugs him off, “If she was dangerous, she would’ve hurt me already.” He kneels down beside you, placing a comforting hand on your arm and giving it a squeeze “I’m real.”
You nod, teeth worrying a line into your lip “‘s good to know.”
“Doesn’t seem that way to me.”
“True.” You agree, “But it’s enough of an explanation for me.”
“Can I help you with anything?” He asks softly
“Never been to California before, so I don’t know where the nearest motel is.”
“So you’re a tourist?”
“Sure..You could say that.”
“I’m sure Bill knows where the nearest motel is, he can give you directions.” He nods Bill over, who appears within seconds and somehow having already produced a pen and paper
Do body guards always carry pen and paper?
He messily scribbles out instructions on how to get to some motel you didn’t bother to learn the name of and presses it into the palm of your hand, “Thanks, Bill.” You slide up the wall to a standing position and go to follow the directions when you pause
Michael was just standing there. Fingers fidgeting with the threads on his sweater as he too turned to go back inside the car, “Are you alright?” He stops short and turns around
“Just thinking…”
Your gaze slid across the studio lot and back to where he nervously stood, “It was Thriller, wasn’t it?”
“Huh?”
“The set I accidentally walked on to” You reiterate, “It was for the Thriller music video.” He looks down to the ground and nods shyly, a small smile on his face which falls seconds later “What is it?”
“I don’t think I should do it.” You cock your head to the side and he slowly continues, “The music video it’s just… I worry people are going to take it the wrong way” He lets out a small snort, “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. I don’t even know you.”
“It won’t.”
“How do you know?”
You shrug your shoulders and you press his hands into yours, giving them a small squeeze, “Call it a hunch.”
He almost looked unsettled as his gaze swept across your features for any hint of deception, finding none. Your words almost made it seem like you had already watched it on loop time and time again. “Thank you.” He steps back, releasing his hands from your grasp and dropping them to his sides “Have a good night, miss”
“You too.” You begin to walk away but paused mid-step and turned to face the retreating figure, “Hey!” He turns back, “Don’t let anyone make you feel like what you’re doing is wrong.”
“How did you kno-” But you’d already turned and walked off, “Bill, how did she know?”
Bill shrugs, “I’m not sure, Michael.”