The flickering lights woke me up from what seemed like a deep state of sleep. I couldn’t recall leaving any lights on. It was strange. Darkness and tightly shut blinds were my trusted companions for a good night’s rest. Am I still dreaming? As my eyes slowly adjusted to the glow, a sinking realization crept in: the lights were the least of my concerns…

The first thing I saw were peculiar, human-like figures. Was I in a hospital? This certainly wasn’t my home. My body froze in sheer panic, the only sensations I could feel were the sweat trickling down my face and the relentless pounding of my heartbeat. The flickering lights in the room added to the unease, illuminating the strange figures and amplifying my terror.

They resembled people, but something about them was deeply unsettling. Their hollow, vacant eyes told me everything I needed to know—something was seriously wrong. And what was that police box doing here? Do those things even exist anymore? My chest tightened as I swore I felt two heartbeats thumping simultaneously.

“Good morning, Ivana,” one of them greeted warmly.
“Where am I?” I asked, my voice trembling with fear.
“You are home. You’re one of us now,” another voice replied calmly.
“Who are you people? What do you want from me?” I demanded, my heart racing.
“Ah, where are our manners… You must be scared and confused,” a third figure stepped forward, his presence commanding yet oddly reassuring.
“We are the last of the Time Lords,” he explained.
“Time… what?” The words barely escaped my lips, and I struggled to process what I was hearing.
“We are lords of time,” he continued, his tone steady and deliberate. “We are aliens from the planet Gallifrey. Our home was destroyed during the Time War, and we sought refuge on Earth to escape our enemies and ensure the survival of our kind.”

Aliens? Another planet? My mind raced as I tried to make sense of their words. Surely, this was some bizarre cult—there had to be a logical explanation. I decided to play along, hoping to uncover the truth.

“Why… why do I feel two heartbeats?” I stammered, my voice barely audible.
“Like we said, you are one of us now,” the peculiar-looking man explained, his gaze unwavering.
“We turned you into a Time Lord. You have two hearts, just like us. We’re dying, Ivana. We need to rebuild our species.”

Dying? The irony hit me like a cruel joke. Here I was, lying in some kind of invisible bed, trapped in a stark white room with flickering lights and strangers who claimed to be aliens. None of it made sense—until a chilling thought struck me. Could this be it? Could I be dead? A shiver ran down my spine as the realization sunk in. This must be my own personal hell.