My lab partner, Moros and I had created an experiment that had unexpectedly opened a portal to a parallel world. We found ourselves compelled to delve into the depths of this newfound world, driven by the insatiable thirst for knowledge and the desire to claim sole credit for the miraculous portal we had created. Yet, in our eagerness to unlock its secrets, we remained oblivious to the lurking dangers that awaited us. The allure of discovery blinded us to what loomed on the horizon, but little did we know where our journey would leave us.
The first thing that hit me when we entered was the overwhelming yellow tint that permeated everything, casting an eerie glow on the walls and floor. It's as if the very air was saturated with this sickly color, distorting my perception of reality. My colleague and I found ourselves standing in a narrow hallway that stretched and branched out endlessly in front of me. The walls were bare and featureless, devoid of any distinguishing marks except for occasional stains or cracks that hint at years of neglect. The ceiling hung low overhead, creating a sense of confinement that made my skin crawl with unease. The floor was carpet that looked as if parts were either soggy, dirty or molding. The flickering fluorescent lights above me hummed, casting erratic shadows that danced along the walls.
The buzzing and constant flickering would make any person go insane if they spent too long here.
Almost immediately after entering I had this dreadful feeling that I was being watched, and when I checked on Moros, I could tell by his face that he had felt the same ominous feeling as me. It felt like something sinister was lurking just out of sight in the shadows. My heart pounded in my chest as we pressed on.
The more we explored this place, the more questions piled up. As we walked around we noticed objects and machinery that came from our world, like cars, bikes, and boats — we had even found a fully furnished office. Papers piled up on the desk with a computer that wouldn’t turn on when I tried the switch, it was as if the person in the office had just vanished. It was physically impossible to explain scientifically how such objects had shown up in this world with no indication of human life anywhere. After only 30 minutes of exploring, we were ready to head back after we realized we weren’t prepared nor equipped for this kind of expedition — all we had was our contamination suits and flashlights that we seemed to not even need.
Moros and I began to head back to our lab, but to our horror, the entrance that we came from was missing, now replaced with a wall. Panic set in as the walls surrounding us began to morph and shift into a maze, creating an eerie atmosphere that sent shivers down our spines. It was as if the very structure of this place was alive.
Suddenly, in the midst of our frantic scramble for escape, a haunting cry pierced the air. My heart lurched in my chest as I instinctively spun around, the dim lights casting eerie shadows across the walls.
"I hear a child crying," I exclaimed, my voice trembling with a mixture of fear and concern. I turned to my partner, hoping he would acknowledge the eerie sound that echoed through the desolate corridors.
But to my dismay, he waved me off, his face contorted with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. "You're hearing things," he said dismissively. "We need to focus on finding a way out of here, not chasing after imaginary cries."
His words struck me like a blow, I knew he was right, but I refused to let his skepticism deter me. Ignoring his protests, I turned around, determined to find the source of the distressing sound that echoed through the labyrinthine depths.
With a sense of dread knotting in my stomach, I turned around and searched swiftly for the source of the distress, my senses on high alert. But as quickly as the cry had come, it vanished into the oppressive silence, leaving me standing alone in the labyrinthine depths, but I continued to search.
Then, a voice interrupted my frantic hunt for the young boy, a desperate wail echoed through the darkness. Moros voice, calling out to me in panic and fear. With a surge of adrenaline, I turned towards the sound, my heart pounding in my chest, but horror seized me as the walls around us began to shift and morph. The walls on both sides of the hallways started twisting, in a display of horror, tendrils of muscles and nerves shot out of the wall began to weave together, attempting to form a twisted barrier to close of the path between Moros and me,
Desperation clawed at my chest as I reached out to try and grasp my partner's hand. But it was too late. Abruptly, to my horror, with a sickening squelch, the muscles and nerves began to weave together, forming a twisted barricade that blocked our path from each other, pulsating with an unnatural life that defied all reason. I could hear the wet, slithering sound of flesh as the walls twisted and turned. The stench of decay hung heavy in the air, mingling with the metallic tang of blood, threatening to overwhelm my senses.
Every instinct screamed at me to run, to flee from this twisted nightmare, but my limbs felt heavy and leaden, paralyzed by fear. I stared at the flesh that created a barrier between me and Moros. Panic surged within me as I pounded futilely against the unyielding walls, my partners cries growing fainter with each passing moment. I tore at the walls with savage desperation, my nails splintering and blood oozing from raw, shredded fingertips. Each frenzied scrape against the unforgiving surface sent waves of agonizing pain coursing through my trembling limbs. I screamed until my voice cracked and splintered, until it felt as though my very soul was being torn from my body. I screamed until there was nothing left but the hollow echo of my own torment, reverberating endlessly in the empty void of my shattered psyche.
I tried everything I could to the wall in desperation to try and reach my partner again, but the blockade between us solidified, separating me from my companions in a cruel twist of fate.
And just as swiftly as it had begun, the nightmare ended. The flesh wall receded, leaving the muted yellow plaster walls, I stepped forward, desperately searching for my partner, but to no avail. There was no one left except for me and these goddamn buzzing lights.
I looked around for my friend, calling out their name, but there was no response. The lifeless corridors now seemed like a twisted maze, leading me deeper into the heart of this labyrinth. I followed a path that seemed to stretch on endlessly, each step echoing ominously against the plain, unforgiving walls. As I ventured further into the depths of the labyrinth, the hallway began to narrow, the walls closing in around me.
Gradually, the flickering fluorescent lights in the hallway grew darker, and darker until I was forced to pull out my flashlight if I wanted to venture further.
It was a new area and there was no going back. I knew I would die from those freak walls if I stayed there any longer, so I flipped the switch on my flashlight that was once previously useless and pressed on. My flashlight shined through the darkness, casting eerie shadows on the ever-changing walls. It felt like the very air was thick with a menacing presence.
With trembling hands, I swept my flashlight across the desolate expanse before me, its beam slicing through the oppressive darkness like a gleaming blade. Before me stretched row upon row of barren shelves, their hollow emptiness a stark testament to the desolation that now reigned. Dust-coated packages littered the floor, their contents long since plundered or forgotten. The frigid air whispered through the aisles, a mournful lament for the life that once thrived within these walls. Glass freezers stood silent, their frosted panes cracked and shattered, a chilling reminder of the decay that had consumed this place. No longer did they hum with the promise of an icy refreshment.
As I continued down the grocery lanes, a sense of isolation crept over me. The silence was broken only by the echoing footsteps of my own nervous pacing. Every turn I took seemed to lead me further into an unknown abyss. It was a disorienting experience, and the feeling of being watched intensified with each passing moment.
Fueled by a mix of fear and determination, I pressed on, hoping to find an exit or some semblance of familiarity. As I traversed the cryptic corridors, a glint of light caught my eye. Cautiously, I approached the source and discovered a bloodied corpse that laid on the frigid floor, its upper body missing. Despite the gruesome scene, I could tell it was a teenager by the remnants of a school backpack and a bloodied school notebook scattered nearby. There's no way the cry I heard earlier came from this guy, which means there might be other survivors!
Cautiously I go down to pick up the notebook to see if any clues are given in this notebook.
I opened the notebook and begin reading and was horrified with what I read:
“Today was just, you know, normal. walking to school, talking nonsense with my friends, the usual crap. but then, outta absolutely nowhere, I was falling — falling straight into the ground. I looked down, and it was like I was phasing right into the earth. no time to question what was happening or scream for help, everything just went pitch black, and I was knocked out.
next thing, I was waking up on this freezing floor, surrounded by darkness that was so thick, I couldnt see a damn thing. I swear to god it felt like there were eyes watching, lurking behind me. I was practically tearing through my pockets, desperate as hell for my phone. finally grabbing it, flashlight blaring, I looked behind me but thankfully there was nothing there.
I stumbled up, grabbed my backpack and scanned around for a bit. broken glass crunched under my shoes, shelves stripped bare, fridges hummed like they were possessed, Iwas in a grocery store, and the flashlight on my phone was the only thing keeping the shadows from swallowing me whole. Im all alone, not a single person to be seen. but these walls, I swear that these walls are watching me. its hard to explain. it just feels like the walls have eyes of their own, and when I got really, really close to the wall, I swear to god it looked like it was breathing! I’m scared, I didnt know what to do and I just got up and starting running. no particular direction, I just ran, looking for any exit or anything that would help me get out.
idk how long i was running for but finally I found an exit into a hallway. I was so happy! I felt like I could finally get out of this hellhole. but after running for a couple minutes down the hall I realized that I wasnt getting anywhere. when I turned around the exit was gone! no, I left that place just to get stuck in another hellhole. its still pitch black here without my flashlight. idk whats going to happen to me, im going to try saving battery and turning off my flashlight to get some sleep. if anyone is reading this, please tell my family I love them. I dont know why god decided this punishment upon me but I hope I can just live another day to see my friends and family.”
I’m not sure what happened to this kid but I continued to read more of the story. When I flipped to the next page his once coherent account devolved into a harrowing plea for help. His writing became messy, rushed, panicky and in a hurry as if the writer had been in a frenzied rush to get the warning down on paper. A chill was sent down my spine. The following pages were a chaotic jumble and more warnings, parts of the book were either covered in blood, scribbled on, torn or just unfinished as if he was interrupted. My heart raced as I absorbed the urgency in the message. I could only read bits and pieces, but my heart raced and my head began to sweat just from what I had gathered from the warnings the boy had left behind.
“-DONT TURN OFF THE LIGHTS THATS WHEN THEY COME NEVER TURN OFF THE LIGHTS NO MATTER WHAT-
-I TRIED TO TURN OFF MY LIGHTS TO GET SOME SLEEP BUT-
–I THOUGHT MY MOM WAS TALKING TO ME BUT ATFER I TURNED ON MY LIGHTS THE VOICES STOPPED. DONT LISTEN TO THE VOICES AND DONT GO NEAR THEM O-
-OH GOD WHAT IS TH-
-DONT MAKE A SINGLE SOUND DONT EVEN LOOK IN ITS DIRECTI-
-IM ONLY AT 5% ON MY PHONE. OH GOD IM GOING TO DIE OH FUC-
-OH FUCK ITS SO DARK I CAN HEAR IT CHASING ME- IM NOT GOING TO MAKE IT-
-MOM DAD IM SOR-”
And then the words cut off abruptly. The journal, now a canvas of terror, finally ended. I knew what had happened to the poor young boy.
I closed the blood-stained book, I don’t know what is out there still. The labyrinth's secrets had claimed another victim, leaving only a chilling account of fear and desperation behind. The weight of the lost writer's fate lingered as I turned away. I leave the notebook beside the body in case someone else discovers it and is looking for clues.
Heart pounding in my chest, I gather my courage and venture forth into the oppressive darkness, determined to find a way out of this nightmarish labyrinth. When suddenly, without warning, the beam of light begins to falter, flickering like a dying flame. Panic surges through me as I frantically smack the flashlight in a desperate attempt to restore its functionality. With a final, desperate strike, the flickering ceases, leaving the flashlight seemingly revived.
As I lift my gaze, my blood runs cold. Just ahead, obscured by the shadows, I catch a fleeting glimpse of a figure darting around a corner—a young boy, his form shrouded in darkness. A surge of hope courses through me as I call out to him, my voice echoing through the desolate halls.
Without hesitation, I break into a sprint, determined to catch up to the elusive figure and seek refuge in another human's presence. But when I turned the corner that he went to, he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I found Moros! However, he wasn’t in his contamination suit anymore like I was. Instead, he had torn up clothes, covered with a mix of blood and dirt. As I gazed upon my partner's disfigured visage, his once smooth, baby-faced features that I used to make fun of him for, were now marred by deep scratches and bruising. I unexpectedly noticed the growth of thick facial hair that now covered his once youthful countenance.
It defied all reason. How could he appear as if he had been trapped in this hellish place for months, when mere hours had passed since our arrival? The thought of it made me anxious, as I struggled to comprehend the twisted reality that surrounded us.
As I cautiously approached my fallen comrade, dread weighing heavy on my heart, I braced myself for the worst. His body lay limp, a pool of blood expanding beneath him, there was a wound on his stomach that seemed like he was torn apart by a rabid animal.
With trembling hands, I reached out to touch him, hoping against hope that he might still be alive. But as my fingers brushed against his skin, a sudden movement jolted me back in alarm. His arm shot up, clutching a gleaming knife with a grip fueled by fear and desperation.
I recoiled just in time, narrowly avoiding the deadly slash aimed at my stomach. My heart thundered in my chest as I staggered back, the shock of the sudden attack rippling through me like a bolt of lightning.
I braced myself for another swing of his knife. "Who's there?" he shrieked, his tone tinged with fear, the knife in his hand trembling with each frantic wave.
But as my flashlight met his eyes, horror clawed its way up my throat, threatening to choke me with its suffocating grip. For where once had been eyes filled with life and laughter, there was now only darkness—a void of emptiness, that made me gag at the sight.
I recoiled in horror, unable to comprehend the savagery of what had been done to him. Someone, or something, had torn away his sight, leaving behind only hollow sockets that stared blankly in my direction.
"It’s me! It's Moriz!" I cried out, my voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief and horror. "Oh my God Moros, what happened to you?"
Recognition flickered in his vacant gaze, a glimmer of hope amidst the encroaching darkness. "Oh God, Moriz! Where have you been?" he gasped, his voice choked with emotion. "I've been searching for you for months! Oh God, Moriz, I’m not going to make it."
"But how is that possible? I was only separated from you a couple hours ago!" I exclaimed, my voice tinged with disbelief and confusion as I struggled to make sense of the impossible.
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“Come here.” Moros waved his hand weakly, gesturing for me to usher over. With a sense of dread, I reached out and grasped his blood-stained hand, offering what little comfort I could in the face of such overwhelming horror. "I'm right here with you," I reassured him, my voice trembling with emotion.
With a determined effort, he released his hand that was holding his wound on his stomach and fumbled for something within his torn clothes. Pulling out a small voice recorder, he pressed it into my trembling hand, his fingers leaving behind streaks of blood. "I don’t know you’ve only been here for a couple hours," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Take this. Survive. Please, big brother."
His words hung in the air like a solemn oath. With a weary sigh, he lifted his head, allowing it to rest against the cold, unforgiving wall. I watched in silence as a ghost of a smile graced his lips, a fleeting moment of a bittersweet acknowledgment of our reunion amidst the chaos that surrounded us.
Tears welled in my eyes as I gazed upon him, my heart heavy with sorrow and regret. But as I looked closer, I noticed something unsettling—a silent cascade of tears began to form from his vacant eyes, only to be swallowed by the darkness within, leaving behind a haunting puddle of despair in his empty sockets.
A sob caught in my throat as I realized the depth of his suffering, the anguish etched into every line of his weary face.
With trembling hands, I reached out to brush away the few tears that dared to escape his empty gaze, offering what little solace I could in the face of such overwhelming despair.
But as my fingers grazed his skin, a realization washed over me like a chilling tide—the warmth that once coursed through his veins had vanished, leaving behind only the cold embrace of death. His wheezing breath had fallen silent, his chest still and unmoving beneath my touch.
My brother had passed away, peacefully in my arms, despite this hellish labyrinth we were still stuck in.
As I knelt beside my fallen comrade, I offered a quiet prayer, wishing for his spirit to find solace in a realm untouched by the horrors of our world. With a heavy heart, I leaned against the unforgiving wall, taking a moment to reflect on the surreal events that had unfolded before me.
My gaze fell upon the bloodied voice recorder clutched in my hand, a grim reminder of the burden now placed upon my shoulders. With trembling fingers, I pressed play, the crackling static filling the empty air like a sinister whisper.
"Bzzt-bzzt... It's day 79, no sign of life other than me and this damn monster."
His voice, tinged with exhaustion and desperation, sent a chill down my spine. For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of his labored breathing, each ragged exhale a stark reminder of the perilous situation he faced.
"This thing keeps on chasing me," he continued, his words laced with fear. "I've never seen it, but I know it's following me. Man, I haven’t been able to sleep in 2 days. I’m tired. It stalks me like it’s toying with me, waiting to wring every bit of energy out of me before it kills me. Before I give up, I will find Moriz before I die."
The voice recording doesn’t reveal as much as I was hoping for. But why did my brother give me this voice recording if it was nothing useful? I replayed the recording again and again, until I noticed something. A faint whisper in the background. I turned up the volume as much as I could and strained my ears to listen closely.
It started on day 11, It was the little boy! Moros didn’t seem to hear it at the time but the boy must be saying something important.
"Nine..." the boy's voice echoed through the darkness, a faint murmur that set my nerves on edge.
As the days passed, the whispers grew more frequent. "Thirteen... Twenty-five... Ten..." Each number being a clue to something that I yet could figure out.
As the voice recording reached its chilling conclusion, my heart pounded in my chest with a rhythm of impending doom. The silence that followed the whispered "Twenty-one..." hung heavy in the air, a palpable tension that seemed to suffocate me in its grasp.
I strained my ears, desperate for any sign of what awaited me beyond those suspicious numbers. But there was nothing. No whispered words, no sound of my brother's voice, only the oppressive silence of the void.
The numbers echoed in my mind like a haunting refrain, each one a cryptic puzzle waiting to be deciphered. Nine, thirteen, twenty-five, ten, and twenty-one. What could they mean? I racked my brain, searching for any semblance of logic or pattern within the sequence, but the numbers remained stubbornly enigmatic.
Nine... Thirteen... Twenty-five... Ten... Twenty-one...
I paced back and forth in the dimly lit hallway, my frustration mounting with each passing moment. There had to be a reason why the boy had whispered these numbers, a hidden message buried within their sequence. He might be trying to help me. But try as I might, I couldn't unravel the mystery that the numbers concealed.
With a sense of urgency gnawing at my heels, I pushed aside the nagging puzzle of the whispered numbers and focused on the task at hand: finding a way out of this labyrinth of horrors.
Each moment spent dwelling on the cryptic message only served to delay my escape, and time was a luxury that I did not have.
Gripping my flashlight, still being my only light source and my life source, I pressed forward, my footsteps echoing in the eerie silence of the hallway.
I began losing track of time in this place, every minute I spent searching around this twisted maze felt like hours had passed. Every dead end taunted me with its familiarity, mocking my futile attempts to find a way out. And each corner turned revealed the same haunting vista, an endless maze of twisted pathways that seemed to lead only to madness.
No matter where I went it seemed like I never made any progress. My flashlight began flickering more often as its life started to deplete.
I continued to explore the network of halls and walls. But it was different now. Something was watching me. I knew it was there but I had no evidence. It grew closer to me with every corner I turned. Then, piercing through the silence of the void, a sob echoed, chilling me to the core. "Moriz," Moros whispered, I spun around confused, for it was the voice of my brother that I thought had passed away.
Frantically, I searched for my ally, his voice leading me deeper into the abyss. "Where are you?" I implored, my heart racing with dread as I navigated the labyrinthine corridors, each turn leading me further into the clutches of the unknown.
"Come here," he beckoned, his words filled with anxiety and pain. Desperate for clarity in the suffocating darkness, I pressed for more information, “Where, Moros? Just stay there and I’ll come to you! But where are you!” Only to be met with another dull response, "Please, big brother." The voice sounded desperate and weak.
With a sinking realization, I halted in my tracks, a cold sweat breaking out across my skin. “How did you get here, Moros?” I called out, to determine what his response would be.
“Oh god, Moriz! I’m not going to make it.”
Without a second thought, I turned around immediately and bolted down the corridors. Filled with terror, I fled. The sound of my footsteps echoing through the labyrinth.
That wasn’t Moros. That was something mimicking my younger brother. It was just copying the last words that he had said to me!
And then, as if the very depths of hell had opened up before me, a cacophony of shrieks filled the air, the voices contorting and merging into a grotesque symphony of agony. "Moriz! Where have you been? I’ve been searching for you for months!" they howled, their words a twisted mockery of humanity.
No matter how fast I ran, the entity followed, their sinister cries casting echos that rang in my ears.
I raced down twisting corridors, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I sought refuge from the relentless pursuit of the unseen horror, my lungs burned with exertion as I raced down twisting passageways, but I pressed forward. I could hear the monster getting closer and closer to me.
As I began to tire out, and the monster closing in on me, I wanted to just give up. But finally, I stumbled upon it — a heavy iron door, its surface cold and unyielding beneath my trembling hands. I slammed against it, frustration lending strength to my futile efforts to escape.
But the door remained stubbornly closed, a final barrier between me and sanctuary. With trembling fingers, I swept the beam of my flashlight around its frame, my heart sinking as it illuminated a small keypad nestled within the steel.
In that moment, I realized the cruel truth—I was trapped, a helpless pawn in a game of darkness and despair. And as the voices closed in around me, their cries grew louder with each passing moment.
As I desperately thought of a way out, a switch went off in my head. Numbers echoed in my head. Nine... Thirteen... Twenty-five... Ten... Twenty-one… It’s not like I had any better idea, so I scrambled to the keypad and I frantically punched in the numbers, my heart pounding in my chest, I could feel the floor trembling beneath me, the sickening thud of the monster's footsteps growing louder and closer with each passing moment. But I refused to let fear consume me. I had to escape, no matter the cost.
And then, with a beep of acceptance, the door swung open before me, a sliver of freedom in the suffocating darkness. Without hesitation, I darted through the opening, the adrenaline coursing through my veins lending me strength and speed.
As I slammed the door shut behind me, a sense of relief washed over me, tinged with the bitter taste of dread. The entity on the other side let out a deafening roar of frustration, its monstrous form crashing against the unyielding steel in a futile attempt to break through.
“Moriz! Where have you been? I’ve been searching for you for months!”
“I’m not going to make it! Please, brother!”
“Come here! Please, big brother!”
“MORIZ!” The multitude of voices of the entity echoed through the darkness, pleading and wailing for my return, I simply flipped it off with both hands, a gesture of defiance against the horrors that lurked within the labyrinthine depths.
With a newfound resolve to escape, I turned away from the door, But to my surprise I was outside. I was euphoric until it twisted into a sickening dread as the truth revealed itself.
As I looked around and the realization dawned on me. I was outside, but I hadn't escaped. I had managed to escape the confines of the dark, labyrinthine corridors, only to find myself thrusted into yet another twisted reality, a parallel world that seemed to mock my every attempt at freedom.
Standing alone on a desolate road, surrounded by rows upon rows of identical white houses stretching into the horizon, I couldn't help but feel a sense of profound isolation. The vast expanse of flatland that stretched before me seemed to mock my attempts to find meaning or purpose in this strange new landscape.
The sun beat down mercilessly from above, casting harsh shadows that danced across the empty street. Despite the brightness of the day, a sense of unease hung in the air. With a heavy heart, I realized that my journey was far from over. Trapped in this surreal nightmare, I knew that I would have to summon every ounce of strength and courage within me to navigate the endless expanse before me, hoping against hope that somewhere amidst the sea of white houses and endless green fields, I would find the key to my salvation.
Against my own wishes, I was forced to move forward with no other place to go.
I tried to enter a couple of the doors but they were all locked. So with no other options I just followed the road.
After a couple hours, time no longer felt real, I could no longer see the steel door that I left behind. Both forward and backward looked completely identical. Every direction I looked, it was the exact same thing. The road stretched out endlessly before me, its asphalt surface gleaming ominously in the harsh glare of the unyielding sun.
With each passing moment, the oppressive heat bore down upon me like a suffocating weight, blistering my skin and leaving me gasping for breath. My lips cracked and bled, the parched air sucking the moisture from my very soul.
The growling of my stomach echoed through the empty expanse, every direction I turned, the scenery remained unchanged, a maddening repetition that threatened to drive me to the brink of madness.
As the sun hung motionless in the sky, its unblinking gaze burning into my flesh, I felt the creeping tendrils of despair closing in around me. Lost in an endless loop of agony and despair, I knew not how long I had been trapped in this nightmarish landscape, nor how much longer I could endure its suffocating embrace.
My mind, once sharp and focused, now felt like a dull, hollow shell, drained of all thought and emotion. I stumbled forward, head hanging low in defeat, my steps faltering with each passing moment, as if caught in the grip of some unseen force that sought to drag me further into the abyss.
When I was going to give up, I looked up one more time to stare at the infinite road, but there stood the young boy again. He waved at me. The sight of him standing amidst the desolation put me on edge, his form wavering like a mirage in the scorching heat. I rubbed my eyes, half expecting him to vanish into thin air, but he remained, his gaze fixed upon me with an unsettling intensity.
My parched throat constricted with the effort to call out to him, but no sound escaped my lips, lost amidst the suffocating silence of the empty expanse. I quickened my pace, each step a struggle against the oppressive weight of the heat that threatened to consume me.
The boy encouraged me forward with a languid wave of his hand, his expression inscrutable beneath the relentless glare of the sun. I stumbled forward, my vision swimming with exhaustion and delirium. As I approached, the boy's face remained obscured, a mask veiled by the relentless glare of the sun. Each step forward felt like a struggle against an invisible force, my senses dulled by exhaustion and delirium. Just as I neared enough to discern his features, he pivoted sharply to his left and darted away, vanishing into the blinding haze of the grassy landscape filled with houses.
I followed the direction the boy had fled, my eyes straining against the oppressive brightness of the sun. As I stumbled forward, my feet heavy with fatigue, I beheld a sight that I couldn’t believe—a new house, distinct amidst the endless rows of identical structures that stretched into the distance. It stood out like a lone sentinel in the vast expanse, its presence both unsettling and inexplicable in this surreal landscape. The house seemed to beckon me with an otherworldly allure. Although I’ve never seen this house before, its familiarity stirred a sense of unease deep within my soul. Despite the uncertainty gnawing at the edges of my mind, the promise of refuge within its walls was too tempting to resist. With each step closer, a foreboding sense of déjà vu enveloped me, as though I had tread this path before in some distant, half-forgotten dream.
I walked up to the door and held the cool handle, took a deep breath in and turned the handle. I let out a huge sigh of relief as the door opened up. The nostalgic creak of the door hinges echoed through the empty hallway as I stepped inside, the coolness of the handle a stark contrast to the oppressive heat outside.
As I moved further into the dimly lit interior. It felt like I knew where I was—a place I had long forgotten, buried deep inside of my subconscious.
A sharp sound of shattering porcelain pierced the silence that broke my train of thoughts, drawing me towards the source with a mix of trepidation and curiosity. I entered the kitchen, my heart seized in my chest at the scene before me—a woman stood over a young boy, her features contorted with rage as she brandished a broken plate, its jagged edges stained crimson with blood.
But what struck me most was the boy's eerie calmness in the face of such brutality. Despite the blood trickling down his temple, staining his tousled hair, he remained unfazed, his gaze fixed on some unseen point in the distance. There was no cry of pain, no whimper of fear, just a haunting stillness.
I stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do as the woman's frenzied tirade continued, her words a jumbled mess of anger and resentment. I tried to call out to the women to stop, but the women continued to scream and hit the boy with the already shattered plate. It was as if I had stumbled upon a scene frozen in time.
After it seemed that the woman had finished letting out all her anger on the child, she shooed the boy away with a dismissive gesture, his silent retreat barely making a noise in the empty kitchen. My heart clenched with a mixture of sympathy and dread as I watched him vanish up the staircase, his small figure swallowed by the darkness beyond.
But just as I thought the boy would go up the stairs and head to his room, my heart dropped. the boy turned back, his gaze locking with mine, he smiled at me that made every instinct in me want to run away. But in that moment, a strange compulsion gripped me, pulling me inexorably towards him as if some unseen force was guiding my every step.
I began to sweat, as he beckoned me to follow, his gesture both innocent and unsettling. Despite the voice of reason screaming in my mind, I found myself compelled to obey, my footsteps echoing through the empty corridors as I ascended the stairs.
As I reached the top, the boy disappeared into his room, leaving the door slightly ajar as an invitation. With a mixture of fear and curiosity gnawing at my insides, I stepped forward, the threshold of the room beckoning me into the unknown. With shaking hands, I reached out to flick the switch, but to no avail. I resigned myself to relying on the narrow beam of my flashlight to illuminate the room's secrets.
I heard the kid crying, confirming my suspicions as I quickly scanned the room with my flashlight. After a moment, the beam illuminated the figure of the child I'd been chasing, huddled in the corner with their bare back turned to me. I walk up to him and tap his shoulder.
To my horror, the second I made contact with him, the boy's neck made a sickening crack, his neck snapped 180 degrees and stared at me with his pitch black eyes. And even though he was still sobbing, the kid had this smile that seemed like a nightmare. His teeth were razor sharp and there was blood dripping from his mouth.
Looking at the young boy's face, his face was swollen from bruises with a cut lip, deep purple bruises wrapped around the boy's neck, cigarette burns left all over his cheeks and hands, lacerations covered his entire body and the boy looked like a skeleton with how malnourished he was.
I realized at that moment, dread cascading through every fiber of my being. The boy before me was not merely a figment of my imagination, nor a specter of the past, or some random boy. He was a manifestation of my deepest hatred, a twisted reflection of the darkness that lurked within my own soul. In that harrowing moment, I realized with a sickening clarity that this boy was me — a fragment of myself that I had long buried in the depths of my subconscious, a part of me torn asunder by the traumas of my past.
The hatred, the pain, the unrelenting agony that I had carried within me as a child had birthed this malevolent entity, casting it adrift in this cruel world. I shrieked and fell back, dropping my flashlight on the floor and trying to escape through the door that I had once entered from, but the door that led to my salvation was locked.
I watched in terror as the boy, his movements disturbingly unnatural, rose to his feet. With each step backward, his head remained fixed on me, his grotesque smile twisting his features. The air grew thick with anticipation, suffocating me as the darkness closed in. And then, with a sickening crunch that echoed through the void, the boy lifted his foot and brought it down with a brutal force, shattering my flashlight into a shower of sparks. In an instant, I was plunged into an endless abyss of darkness, the void swallowing me whole. Panic surged through my veins as I groped blindly in the blackness, every sound amplified, every shadow a lurking threat. Alone and defenseless, I braced myself for whatever horrors awaited me in this endless void.
The boy that I thought was leading me to an exit and helping me find clues was all a ruse to get me to arrive here. This creature had planned this from the second I entered this wicked world, and I was the fool that fell for it.
For a few seconds there was only the sound of me breathing heavily. After a few seconds had passed, I was overwhelmed by the sound of my own agonized screams echoing through the darkness, punctuated by the sickening noise of something tearing into my flesh.