The Women with Tattoos

The Woman with the Tattoos

After a long, dazy day at work, Alex was drained. Standing at the tram stop, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, glancing at his watch impatiently. The chilly evening air wrapped around him, but he barely noticed as his thoughts drifted elsewhere. As the lights of the city flickered and danced around him, the rumble of the approaching tram grew louder, and he instinctively turned to face it.As the tram glided to a stop, he caught a glimpse of himself in the glass window. For a moment, the world around him faded, and he was struck by the reflection staring back.He stood tall, with an athletic build that hinted at a life filled with activity. His dark hair, slightly tousled, framed a chiseled face marked by sharp cheekbones and a strong jawline. His deep-set, expressive eyes held a glimmer of mischief, revealing a playful spirit beneath his serious exterior. Dressed in a fitted black shirt Yet there was something deeper in that reflection, something he hadn’t noticed before

The last thing he expected was to meet someone intriguing on his way home. The rhythmic sway of the train, the hum of conversation, and the fluorescent lights overhead barely registered as his mind wandered. But something, or rather someone, caught his eye— Her.

She was beautiful in an unconventional way, with striking features and an aura of confidence that made Alex feel both curious and uneasy. Her eyes locked on his, a gaze that held too long to be casual. Alex shifted in his seat, wondering why she was looking at him. And when the train halted at his stop, the woman followed.

Outside the station, she approached him—her voice smooth but with an edge of playfulness as she asked for an address, something he recognized wasn’t far from where he lived. They walked together, the cold night air sharp, but her presence made it warmer. There was a brief flirtation, playful banter. She smiled, leaned closer at times, but always pulled back just when Alex felt the connection deepening. It was like she was playing a game, and he was unwittingly participating.

Feeling bold, Alex asked if she wanted to grab a drink. She agreed, almost too quickly. He hadn’t expected her to say yes so easily. They entered a bar unlike any place Alex had been before—underground, dimly lit, and full of edgy artwork and eccentric people. There was a raw, underground energy about the place. As they passed a few posters, Alex noticed something strange: some of the posters featured a woman who looked just like her.

"Wait, do I know you from somewhere?" he asked, suspicion gnawing at the back of his mind.

She laughed it off, lifting the sleeve of her oversized pullover to reveal an intricate array of tattoos snaking up her arms. “Maybe,” she said cryptically, “I get that a lot.” Her tattoos were a tapestry of symbols—some recognizable, others foreign and arcane, like they held some kind of hidden meaning. One tattoo in particular stood out: a black snake coiled around her wrist, its eyes glowing a bright, unnatural red.

Alex couldn’t shake the feeling that he did know her, and when she took off her pullover, revealing more inked skin, it hit him. She was a famous DJ, someone he had seen online, known for her chaotic performances and her wild, unpredictable life.

They talked endlessly, the conversation flowing like they’d known each other for years, yet there was an undercurrent of tension. Her movements grew more erratic as the night went on—at one point, she grabbed a rope hanging from the ceiling of the bar and climbed up, hanging upside down, laughing. The next moment, she was back beside him, pulling him into a passionate kiss, the taste of alcohol and something bitter on her lips.

People around them started commenting, admiring his boldness, telling him he must be crazy. But Alex felt like he was slowly losing his grip on reality. She wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met. Her energy was electric, but there was a darkness to it, something dangerous lurking beneath the surface.

Outside, they went for a walk and found themselves at a construction site, sitting atop scaffolding, watching police patrol below. She giggled and whispered, “Don’t look down,” but Alex’s attention was drawn to her eyes—wide, dilated pupils. It hit him: she was high. High on something stronger than alcohol.

As they wandered into a strange neighborhood, things grew stranger. They entered a bizarre communal housing structure, like a maze, where one home led into another. A man mistook Alex for a worker and barked orders at him, demanding things that didn’t make sense. It was like reality was dissolving around him, and through it all, she was fading too. Her skin seemed to lose color, her body less substantial, as if she was slipping away.

"Are you... real?" Alex asked, his voice shaky, the weight of everything pressing in on him.

She laughed, but it didn’t sound as carefree anymore. “Does it matter?”

Before Alex could answer, they ended up at a movie theater that resembled a massive ship. The theater was divided like a class system, the elite sitting up high, the rest below. She insisted on seeing a movie, but Alex didn’t want to stay. He hesitated, and by the time he returned to her in the second half, she didn’t want him there. He felt her pulling away emotionally, but more than that—something about the whole situation felt deeply wrong, like he was missing some crucial piece of the puzzle.

As they left the theater, she began asking for a tablet— Urallmine, a name that meant nothing to him but seemed critical to her. They wandered through dark streets, stopping at a pharmacy, but she couldn’t find what she was looking for. She grew more agitated, more desperate.

“What is this tablet? What does it do?” Alex asked, concern in his voice.

She didn’t answer, only staring ahead as her form grew even more translucent, her fingers barely grazing his hand now, as if she was becoming something unreal. Then, without warning, she disappeared.

Panicked, Alex searched for her, calling out her name—but he realized he never even knew it. Then, in a strange daze, he saw the tablet on the ground. Urallmine. Without thinking, he picked it up and swallowed it.

Suddenly, Alex wakes up in the bed, breathless, looking around,  with heart pounding in chest. Was it all just a dream? But something in the air felt different, like a part of that night had lingered—perhaps the woman, perhaps something else entirely. After all the strange encounters, the conversations, the moments that felt like reality was slipping through Alex's fingers, everything seemed to come to a halt when she disappeared, and Alex found the mysterious tablet. The night had been one wild, chaotic spiral—from the train to the underground bar to that strange maze-like house. So as Alex runs through the with the constant thoughts, also getting ready for the night of Alex's DJ night prepping up with beats and ropes- then puts on this black hoodie covering the snake tattooes. Running up the tram realises some absurd stares and a familiar voice in a black shirt with strong jawline call her up. Alex! and she makes a sharp look towards and its him.

But now, in this moment, the truth hits her like a wave. She was the one been dreaming. And she's Alex!