The cab drove around the corner to another street. It seems like the unmanned vehicle has been driving for ages, making it's way to the nearest vacant house. Ethan is sitting in the back facing another row of seats where his luggage is sitting. The cab is driven by computer. Tell it where you want to go and it does the rest. Ethan told it to find the nearest vacant "Holo-House". Finally, half way down this street, Ethan can see a house with a bright green light coming from the key slot. The vacant house. #547278.

"If it hasn't been the longest day of my life," Ethan thought to himself. "If getting up at the crack of dawn wasn't bad enough, I fell in the shower bruising my hip, then I drop my toothbrush in the toilet. Then after getting in the cab it breaks down half way. If only the cab that came to replace it had gotten their a few minutes earlier, I wouldn't of missed my flight. The only one I was able to catch after that left two hours later."

"Then the flight was just as bad. I got caught in front of the emergency exit, so the seat wouldn't recline. The person sitting in front of me kept trying to recline farther and farther. They kept trying to push the damn seat back over and over again. I grabbed my laptop off the food tray right before they almost crushed it. Oh, then the weather in Chicago was freezing. Damn weatherman couldn't forecast that could he?"

"The meeting, the whole point of the trip, fell through. The client wasn't happy at all with what I was showing them. But I still put on my show and dance, faking the best smile I could with the mood I was in. I'm not even sure what the hell I was doing out there to begin with. I could tell right from the moment I walked in they weren't going to bite. Right after the meeting I changed my flight to that night so I could get home and relax."

The cab stopped in front of the house. He opens the door, waves his hand over the payment box and the screen flashes "Payment Accepted. Thank you." He scratches at his hand. Every time that payment chip sends off a signal like that it stings a little bit. A reward for spending money. Grabbing his bags he shuts the cab door and goes up to the house. Fumbling for his key in his pants he can't find it. "Shit, did I leave it somewhere?" he panics then his fingers get a hold on it, "Hopefully something can right today," he says. Sliding the key into the slot, he waits for the screen. It says "Loading...," then the green light changes to bright red, occupied. Home sweet home.

The house was just like the rest on the entire street. A grayish box about the size of a Tuff Shed with no windows, no adorning features and no yard to speak of. It's a neighborhood of "Holo-Houses". A GE invention that took the world by storm. The second level, the view out of the window and everything else inside is generated by the "Holo-Network" computer. The concept is that the inside of the house is entirely empty until someone puts a key in the slot. When the key is inserted, the ID of the key is sent to the "Holo-Network" computer and the inside of the house is created from the information sent back. A sort of holographic virtual reality.

It's a spacious house. "For a house that doesn't really exist it better be" Ethan always told people. High ceilings, white walls and large windows with a view of the beach. The living room is on the right with a very modern couch facing a large flat screen tv hanging on the wall. The kitchen is just beyond that. On the left is a stair case leading to the second floor. Above the living room is a overlook from another room that Ethan has made into a game room with pool and darts, even beer on tap. Ethan's choice in furniture is "modern sleek". Everything has very clean lines to it and is made up of either black wood or steel. It gives the room a very stark look but lets the view of the beach stand out.

First things first, bathroom. Ethan throws his bags on the couch and heads straight for the toilet.

Zipping up, he looks at himself in the mirror. Ethan isn't much of an eye catcher but he's not bad looking. Average height and about 190 pounds. He wears it well. He's always asked if he works out but he just laughs "I've never been to a gym a day in my life and I'm not planning on it." He has big dark brown eyes, the kind you might get lost in if you look into them too long.

For only being in his mid twenties he looks much older. When he was young people said that he had and old soul and that showed through his young exterior. The bags under his eyes have been growing in the past week. Only around 12 hours of sleep in seven days will do that to you. He splashes some water on his face and dries off.

In the kitchen, Ethan looks through the fridge for something to eat. He catches a glimpse of the time on the microwave, 2:00 AM. Another late night. He pulls out an old tv dinner. Pasta prima vera. Expired one month ago. "Oh well, what are the chances are that it will kill me?" Tosses it in the microwave and sets it to nuke. Taking it out he looks at it to make sure it's not moving or growing. It looks normal. Poking it with his finger he decides it's ok. "How does a frozen dinner in a virtual house expire anyway?" he asks himself shaking his head.

Ethan flicks on the tv and looks for something to watch while he eats dinner. There isn't much on as usual but he settles on some cheesy sitcom. Doesn't matter much anyway, he only watches tv while he eats so he's never able to keep up with any of the shows.

After taking a few bites he throws the awful food in the garbage, "Death by pasta." He turns off the tv and lights and heads upstairs to the bedroom.

The bedroom resembles the rest of the house, simple and clean. A large king size bed in the center of the room and two impressive book shelfs on either side against the back wall. Each one is filled to the brim with books. They are made of a dark mahogany wood. In the corner opposite the bed their is a large recliner chair with a lamp next to it. When Ethan is having trouble sleeping he picks a book and sits in that chair. It seems like he has been doing that a lot lately.

He walks past the bed and into the bathroom for a shower. The warm water on his face and body puts him in the best mood he's been in all day.

He starts to think about his life, multi-tasking. "Not married, not even a girlfriend at this point. What was the last ones name? Brittany or something? Not many close friends either. All I have really going for myself is the job. Grabbed it right out of college and left the rest of my life behind. In hindsight, that may have not be the right way to go. It's left me feeling like an empty shell." He shakes these thoughts from his head and gets out of the shower. He towels off and wraps it around his waist. He walks into the bedroom and stops in mid step.

In his bed is a lump forming what looks like a human body. The light pouring out from the bathroom gives the scene in front of him a dramatic horror movie look. The arms are splayed about and one leg is hanging over the edge. The bed sheet is covering it from head to toe, making it impossible to tell what or who it is exactly. Ethan breaks out into a cold sweat despite the shower he just had. His hands start to tremble.

"Was that in here when I came in? Has that been here the entire time I've been home?" he muttered to himself. "But that can't be possible. It wasn't here when I left this morning and there is no way it could of been brought in here without me... I've had the key the entire time and it's a ‘Holo-House'." The blood rushes from his face leaving him ghost white.

He steps back towards the bathroom, not daring to turn his back on the uninvited guest. "Just get a handle on yourself. You haven't had much sleep lately, hell this is probably a dream," tricking himself into feeling a little better. He takes a few deep breaths and moves towards the bed. When he gets close enough he kicks the bed to make sure the thing doesn't move. It doesn't. He slowly moves his hand towards the sheet and rips it off in one quick motion.

He's in the middle of the street in a matter of seconds, loosing his mind. Trembling "I must be seeing things. That thing can't be real. This has to be some sort of sick joke. Like a rubber sex doll or something. It couldn't of been me."

The thing under the sheets is Ethan, or something like Ethan, because Ethan is out in the street trying to collect himself. It's wearing nothing but boxers and grim look of fear on it's face. Blood is running from several deep gashes in it's midsection. It looks exactly like Ethan, there is no mistaking that, but Ethans outside.

After about twenty minutes and several confused looking neighbors, Ethan finally pulls himself together and moves towards the house. He walks into the living room keeping his eyes on the stairs the entire time, making sure nothing is going to come walking down the stairs. "Just put some clothes on and it will be gone." He pulls some clothes out of his luggage and puts them on without taking his eyes off the stairs. Feeling a little more grounded now he goes back upstairs to confirm that this was all just a delusion.

He pauses a moment before turning the corner into the bedroom. His heart is beating so loud that he can't hear anything else. Take a deep breath. He turns the corner and the bed is empty. The sheets are made up just as he had left them this morning. There is no sign of the thing, the pseudo Ethan that was there just minutes ago. He looks everywhere, finding nothing. It's as if nothing has happened in this room. But thats impossible, he saw it with his own eyes, it was right there.

Scared, Ethan runs back down stairs, grabbing his bags, hits the cab button next to the front door and runs back into the street. Doubled over, catching his breath he looks back at the house. The light on the key slot now glowing bright green. A vacant house.