“STAIRS! THERE'S STAIRS!”
Shouted out one of them.
“COMING UP STRAIGHT AHEAD!”
Desperation has now turned into a bout of hope. Making their way towards the stairs, Robbie came up with a grand scheme to get Louis back on his feet.
“Louis! I’mmmm sorrrrr-ry my man but daddy’s gonna have to drop you. You gotta fly, okay? Sprout your wings young cub. Do you think you can doooo it?”
I’m tired, hurt, bleeding out from the head, and I feel like I'm about to pass out at any moment. Run? That would be a good joke.
“N-no… c-chance…”
“Don’t worrrr-ry, you just need a little…PUSH!”
At that moment as we were approaching the stairs, Robbie grabbed me and launched me off his shoulder, sending me flying in the air, down the stairs. All my friends watched in awe as they were running down the stairs. Zion, who was in the front, tried to hurry up and make it down the stairs to catch me, but I knew he wouldn't make it in time.
Goddammit Robbie, you dumbass!
It was like everything was moving in slow motion. I was falling head first, towards the ground at the end of the steps.
If I fall now… I die. If my head hits the floor, Robbie risking his life carrying me would’ve been for nothing.
I’m not gonna die… just yet!
Just as I was about to land, I extended my arms, reaching my hands out to the ground. I caught myself in a handstand position, I used my arms to propel myself forward into a jump. My luck must’ve ran out because after jumping up, I crashed into the wall. Staggered and barely able to stand up from it, I wobbled near, and fell down the next flight of stairs. “Why…,” disregarding the pain, I stood up and continued to run.
My friends who witnessed it all unfold were all shocked, while Robbie had a devious grin on his face, but that was only for a moment as they continued to run after me from behind. I can curse Rob all I want later, now, I have to focus on staying alive. There were more and more stairs leading down, and those monsters weren't going anywhere any time soon, this was gonna be a while. But none of us are gonna let up.
The wrapping of the bandage began to unravel slowly as red started to fill my other eye from the blood, making sight even more worse than it already is. But I don't care, I have to keep moving. I won’t die again. I won’t! Ever since waking up in that void… I refuse to waste this opportunity!
These stairs felt like they were never ending. But I don’t think I can see those things behind us anymore. Did we outrun them? It’s a strong possibility. I don't hear the gross scraping sounds of their legs anymore…. We… we MIGHT be good.
“I don’t hear them anymore, we should… we should rest!” I roared.
We looked up, and around to see if they were truly gone. The disgusting sound of the guards’ scraping legs were no more. Seeing that we were okay, our running came to a halt on the staircase.
“This is… too much… running than I'm used to…” Ryan said, bending over with his hands on his knees, his breathing running ragged. He looks like he’s reached his limit.
“We should… take… a break.” I also said out of breath, just barely holding myself up now that we’ve stopped. “Ryan has asthma and Robbie is completely out of it right now. Not to mention I feel like utter shit.”
“True, but as far as I'm concerned, I’d rather be sitting ducks elsewhere. The monsters may be gone but I still have this eerie feeling.” Elijah said, sitting down on one of the steps. He leaned back against the steps, after catching his breath, he lifted his head up to see the vast amount of floors we cleared in such a short amount of time. The scenery of the staircase left him in awe.
“I… I know what you mean.” Ryan said, finally managing to catch his breath a little. “Like we’re being watched. I felt that way in the room before that… flower showed up.” He leaned up against the weirdly pattern, white wall, to support his tired body as he talked.
“This place is the worst. The hosts are even shittier,” he lets out a sigh and leans his head against the railing, “This is all too weird, like I can’t even wrap my head around it yet.” Elijah started to grab his head from overthinking, “I didn't, it was just the guards that were here, and I was right, that flower was something else entirely… if we’re being watched… then we have no idea what it could be…”
“Watched? I wonder…” By the way they’re speaking it has to be something besides the monsters. But still, hm… could the place itself be alive…?
The weird pattern of the walls, and that demon seemed as if it came out of thin air. I guess it wouldn’t be too crazy to think if this place IS actually alive, and I do get this creepy feeling that Elijah was describing while I looked at the walls. For some reason that perfect white color keeps throwing me off, like I can’t get used to it, and the pattern is strange…makes me sick in a way.
Maybe it came from my vomit… No, highly unlikely. Could it have been something from the outside? The window. If what Zion said is true… then what will be waiting for us on the outside? Beings far beyond what we can imagine? From what he was describing, A different dimension maybe, or a realm between life and death. Like the void maybe…
If I was in the void before, then this time… Hell then? I doubt hell is a place where we would’ve held out for as long as we have now. ‘Abandon hope, all who enter,’ I don’t feel hopeless yet. At least if not for them…, “Robbie… did you perhaps see where the flower came from- EUGH!” My head started throbbing as the bandage of shirts fell from my head. A wet, splashing sound could be heard as they came into contact with the ground. “That’s… a lot of blood…” It grazed my shirt as it fell, leaving a large stain of blood on it.
Everyone's reactions were as expected. But we don’t have time to focus on a petty injury. We have to figure this out, now.
“R-Rob… d-did you hear me?”
“s-STOP! I- STOP TALKING!” A terrible screech came from Robbie’s mouth, anxiety filled his voice, it made my ears turn and ring even more. “Stop speaking for a second! I’m too high for this, I say! Too high! These sounds… they’re freaking me out right now! MY GOD!”
Turning to look at Robbie, I could see him holding his head with both of his hands, he was bending over staring at the ground, he’s whispering very fast and quiet to himself. It’s as if we weren’t here at all, he’s starting to panic too much, this could get bad if we don’t try to calm him down.
“You!,” Elijah yelled, getting up and marching towards Robbie, “Are you fucking crazy?! You could’ve killed him!” He screamed, pointing at me, “His head was already as bad as it is! And here goes you with your stupid fucking plan of throwing him, you could’ve smashed his head! And now I bet he can barely see from his eyes, burning from his own blood! You goddamn… UGH!”
“e-ELI, stop!” Zion screamed, “don’t…”
“No! He’s our boy, but he just pissed me off. Louis could’ve died! He’s barely standing up right now! Everytime he wobbles, I can see more blood dripping on the goddamn ground!” He grabbed Robbie by the collar of his shirt, pulling him in closer, “This isn’t a game! Sober the fuck up, or i’ll beat you till you are!”
“S-stop…!” Robbie pleaded with him, “Let me go!”
“I’ll let you go when you start making an ounce of sense!”
Walking up to him, I pulled Eli off of him, “I got this… Please?” He didn’t like that one bit, especially after seeing my red eyes up close, but he bit his tongue, and listened.
I lifted Robbie’s head to see his face, he was sweating bullets, his breathing made him sound like he was about to hyperventilate. It looks like he’s about to explode. “Robbie, what's wrong? What are these sounds you’re talking about? …I’m here man, you gotta calm down, just try to focus your head for a second.” I sat him down on the ground, “Are you seeing things? …Look at m-”
Before I could finish, I started to fall back. Before I was met with the ground, Elijah caught me, and sat me on the ground next to Robbie. “Woah!”
“Just… sit down please…” Eli looks angry, but I can tell he’s worried about all of us. I hate that I have him going through all this. It’s my fault. “Don’t forget about the state you’re in…,” he let out a sigh, “What did you take Robbie…?”
There was no response. Just the same fearful expressions.
“I’ve never seen him like this… what did he take to trip like that…?!” Zion said in a small voice. He’s never seen him like this before. Rob had gotten better with this stuff. Everything with his mother, sent him crashing back down to square one again. “r-Rob… it’s okay…” He started to walk towards him. Giving him a warm, hopeful tone as he spoke, “What did you take…? Tell us, we can help you.”
“Better yet, how did you even get it? Where did you get the money from?” Elijah asked. After a couple of seconds of getting no response, he asked again, “Rob-bie, …where did you get the money?!”
Just like before in the room, he sprung up to his face like an animated being, “Yeah well…,” he began to smile a little, “I took what was left of the money I saved up for a college. It wasn’t much anyway, just a shitty two thousand, annnnnnnnnnd I went on a little shopping spree…” Robbie admitted, not a shroud of regret in his voice. “No point in going, and seeing as we’re marching to our deaths, I'll say, I'd hate to be you guys right now… SOBER!”
There’s now way… Did I just hear him correctly?
“What do you mean?!” I jumped up, screaming at him.
Zion’s eyes started to widen, as the words that left his mouth were of utter disbelief. “What is wrong with you?!”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
All of us were in shock. What Robbie did… he worked his ass off for that. Why?!
“I thought I could feel good while also seeing cool shit, I didn’t think i’d be at the haunted mansion of the fucking younger plummer brother! Don’t blame that on me if we die!”
“What are you even- what are you talking about?!” My head started to ring from my screaming, “EUGH…” I crouched down on the ground, and started to hold my head from the pain, “Stop saying… we’re gonna die!”
“T-take it easy, Robbie calm down!” Zion tried, “Don’t forget where we are right now!”
“You’re right, we’re in school. I always knew this place would be the death of me. HAH!”
“STOP! Just stop… we don’t have time for this right now…” Elijah said, leaning against the wall, covering his face a little, not wanting to register what was just said from his friend. “We just need to get out of here. Or… we might not after all. …Maybe Rob’s right. We’re just parading to our deaths.” Sounding defeated, he slid down the wall, onto the floor.
Eli saying that didn’t help the situation at all one bit. In fact it made it worse. Our resolve was already on the verge of breaking, but that might’ve been the nail in the coffin.
All of them started to stare at the ground aimlessly. The atmosphere turned dark and melancholy. Thinking about the impending inevitable. It’s despairing. The feeling is crushing us.
Is there any hope in their eyes? If there was, I wish I could see at least a twinkle. We need to get our heads in the game fast. We have to… we need to! Or… we might as well consider ourselves food for those monsters.
“We’re never gonna make it out of here. This place is something we can’t even comprehend… stuff like this… shouldn't exist…” Ryan blurted out, not a sliver of hope in his voice.
“Haha… haha! You’re right… has god abandoned us? …Why?" Zion said. I turned around to face him, only to be met with him on the ground holding back tears in his eyes.
We can’t give up. Not yet. I have to say something… anything. But would my words even reach them? …NO! I have to try.
“g-GUYS!” I yelled, managing to grab ahold of their attention. “We… we can’t stop! Not now! We can get out. N-now I know this looks bad, hell even now i’m not in the best of shape… but w-we can’t give up hope! We’re gonna get out of here, we have to.”
It was as if I said nothing at all. The despair they felt overpowered my hopeful words. The look on the faces of my friends was straight out of a nightmare. This is not what I wanted.
“If either of us were alone right now… we would surely be goners already, right?
I gotta tell it to em straight. There’s no sugar coating our predicament.
“There’s no one we can wait for to come and save us. In fact, at the pace we’re going, Rob’ll be right. We’re just walking corpses. …But that isn’t something I want. That isn’t what you guys want. I know it is.”
I struggled to my feet as I stood up, “Enough! I’m still standing aren’t I?! A face as broken as mine, yet I look stronger than all of you right now!”
I have more right to be angry then all of them right now. They wanna give up now?! What was the meaning, the point of the other times then?!
“Have some pride! Where’s your will to live?! I didn’t think I was friends with a bunch of Wusses!”
I started to grip my head from aching, throbs of pain surging through my head. The sight of that made all of them lift their heads.
“I’m not ready to give up. Surely if either of us were alone right now, we’d be dead. But the five of us are together! You guys are my best friends, and I refuse to lose any of you…”
I removed my now bloodsoaked hand from my head, and began gripping my chest with determination.
“I’m still fighting… Fight with me!”
Hearing my words, and seeing the determination in my eyes through the broken state of my body. They saw I wasn’t ready to give up hope just yet. Seeing a man before them who’s willing to move even as blood falls from him, they knew that they couldn’t be the ones to give up.
“Depending on how long it’s been, our families are probably worried sick about us. We’re going to survive! We’re gonna make it back to all of them! Don’t give up yet… Please don’t!”
“You’re right Louis….” Elijah said, with a new look in his eyes, “We have to look on the bright side, we all still have each other. That alone can get us through this, and out of here. …Back to our homes.”
The rest of them, with a more confident head, began to look up with more hopeful eyes.
I’m grateful. But now for a change of topic.
“Do any of you have an idea of where we might be?” I said with a concerned look on my face, hoping they knew anything. But unfortunately, they all seem to be just as clueless as I am. “Nothing huh… dang.”
That was to be expected, as much I wanted to think otherwise.
“Sorry it’s just… well… hmmm. I actually don’t know how I got here. Last thing I remember is going to bed, then you guys waking me up, and I was… well, here.” Ryan said with a puzzled look.
Woah. so they were all doing things as well before this happened. “That’s bizarre. What about you guys? How’d y’all get here?”
“Well for me…” Elijah said, scratching his head. “Well…”
I could hear the hesitation in his voice. “Take your time. My head isn’t the only one that’s hurting from all this I bet.”
He let out a deep sigh. “I broke up with Eliza. It was night out and I was walking home from her house, then suddenly I was in a white room with all of you, as if I was transported there. One second I was walking on a concrete road, the next I felt my feet leave the air and fall on the floor we’re standing on now. Ryan sleeping, Zion and Robbie crying, and you… dead on the ground…”
“Woah, I was already creeped out by the time you said you were suddenly transported… but damn man, I'm sorry to hear that also.”
The other’s tried to express their sympathies as well.
“Don’t be, the air headed hoe cheated on me.” His entire demeanor changed, he looks angry. “I came over and walked in on both of them, I beat the fuck out of the guy and it took everything in me to not hit her as well. I swear I could hear the very first time my mom told me not to hit a girl echoing in my brain. She had no right to feel sorry or scared! You were only sorry because I caught you red handed and was gonna beat both of your asses!”
His anger quickly turned to an emotion even Elijah couldn’t understand.
“Two and a half years… for what? It’s stupid… stupid…”
I could tell he was hurting, hell they were dating damn near all throughout high school. But cheating… I don’t think any of us know what to say to him. I wouldn’t even if I did go through the same thing.
“Keep your head up man, there’s more-”
“Yeah yeah more fish in the sea and what not, I know. Just drop it.” He interrupted.
“I wasn’t gonna say that, but yeah you’re right.” I think that’s about all he’s ready to say on the matter. I think it’d be best to leave it be for now.
“What about you Zion? Wait… Eli said you were crying, what was that all about?” I said, concerned for my friend.
“I-I was uhhh… at the hospital.” He said looking away while he talked.
“At the hospital? Why would y-”
“Louis, wait!” Elijah screamed.
I was confused. Why did he do that?
I started to notice tears coming from Zion’s eyes.
“Zion… before… you texted me as I was walking from Eliza’s House… I'm so sorry.”
“Why? What happened?” I asked. I’m so confused.
“I didn’t… I didn’t wanna say anything because I thought it’d only make the mood even darker after what Robbie told us… but… my grandma, the one who i’ve been visiting in the hospital… I got a call saying she passed while she was supposed to be taking a nap… I rushed to the hospital, not caring about check in or security. I busted open the door to her room, only to be met with her body laying in bed with none of her vitals showing on the monitor,” he paused for a moment trying to wipe his own tears from his face. “T-there was b-...blood coming out from her body… h-her n-nose, e-eyes-”
“Zion! Stop, it’s okay.” I said, reassuring him he doesn’t have to say any more.
“Y-yeah, thank you, I'm just… still a little shocked is all. Like I can’t comprehend what happened, I know she died but…” Tears start to fill his face once more. “Visiting her… cracking jokes with her, w-we… we have no more time together… no more… she’s really gone.”
It seems like we’ve all been through the ringer before being sent to this place.
Me and Elijah walk up to him and start to help him up to his feet. “Zion, we’re for you man.”
“We can talk about it later… after we escape,” He said faintly, finally managing to the flow of tears.
“This has to be the worst timing ever. I’m sorry for your loss, and that all of you have to be dealing with this right now.” Ryan said, feeling sympathy for all of us. “I know I probably won’t be able to do much, but please don’t be afraid to depend on me if the situation calls for it.”
“You’re a little quiet like Louis, and Zion, that’s funny, but thank you. I really appreciate it. Any friend of Marrion is a friend of mine.” Elijah said with a smile, laughing a little.
I’d be lying if I said that didn’t make me smile, because it did. But, “You dummy, you’re still here too, we’re here for you just as much. Depend on us just as much as we will you.” I said with a smile, extending my arm, giving him a thumbs up. I would probably appear crazy to the average person if they saw how happy I looked, while covered in my own blood, “Thank you, I'm happy to see you after all these years, regardless of our hellish circumstances.”
Ryan’s face started to widen with a smile, he started to scratch his head and look away a little. “T-thank you, we’ll get out of here. I know we will.”
“T-thank you Ryan,it means a lot.” Zion said, wiping his face of tears.
Robbie sprung up to his feet, pointing a finger at us.“Hey! Don’tttttttt leave me out of the emotional moment-”
Suddenly, The strange patterns of the walls started to light up. The outlines of the patterns started to glow even brighter. Then with a loud clanking noise, the walls started to open up in a twisting fashing.
As if the situation couldn’t have gotten any more unpredictable, More of those twisted demon security guards started pouring out from behind it.
Without wasting a second breath, I shouted. “GET DOWN THE STAIRS NOW!”
Without a moment to lose, we all took off down the stairs.
Some of us jumped down a few of the steps or even over some of the railings when we were low enough to do so, not caring about the risk of landing wrong or falling. Any means that widened the distance between us and those things were welcomed. Stopping now would mean dying a fast and cruel death.
My body feels like it’s on fire, I don’t have adrenaline helping me anymore. My head is beating in pain, it’s hard to breathe, and my legs feel like they are about to cramp. I can hear a tiny voice in the back of my head telling me to just stop running, but I'm using that as motivation to keep going. I don’t wanna get caught by those things.
Please… there has to be some type of exit. Wait…
As I'm running down a flight of stairs I tilt my head over to look at the ground and sure enough through my red field of vision, I can see the ground… and a door leading out of here!
“g-GUYS! There’s an exit at the bottom of the stairs! Get ready!” I shouted, preparing them.
As we made it to the last set of stairs, I got a little ahead of myself and jumped off, halfway off the steps. Although I landed it, I couldn’t handle the momentum and ended up slipping and crashing head first into the right side of the double door.
“Gahh… dam… mit” I wept.
“LOUIS!”
They all made it to the end of the stairs. Elijah, and Ryan helped me up while Zion held open one of the doors for us all to pass through.
“We have to… We have to go! We have to go! God we have to go!” Robbie said with terror in his voice.
After they helped me up and made sure I was good to go, we started running again.
I think we’re on the first floor now. The scenery isn’t all too different from its usual white tone, but as we ran through the hallways, we passed by dozens of lockers, even some classrooms, I think I even spotted a bathroom once. How long is this hallway… no how big is this school?!
Suddenly, we made our way into the middle of a large empty area. Standing in the middle, we could see dozens of different pathways leading off into different hallways, with some that looked like they had no end in sight, while others had doors that led to only who knows where. There were also different staircases leading upstairs and downstairs, even some hung off of the ceiling. It all felt eerie and looked unreal.
“T-this place… what is this place?!” Zion asked, looking scared.
“It’s like a mini and weird looking Times Square.” Elijah uttered, not being able to believe what he’s seeing.
“D-do you guy’s think we’re on earth? It’s like Hogwarts…” Ryan asked, also in disbelief.
The others pondered at the question, reeling that our situation might be even more twisted than it seems. Robbie sat on the ground and started to mutter a prayer under his breath.
This place is breathtaking. The sheer size of this room is probably half of our school… maybe more.
The entire scenery of this location has me in awe. It looks twisted, yet beautiful in an uncanny sort of way. Judging from those staircases going up towards the ceiling, we’d probably look like ants from here.
My eyes were nearly closed from squinting them, trying to see if I could spot anything else above us. I spotted a bunch of Speaker phones, spread out a few feet from each other. They covered the entire wall, just a little below the ceiling.
Just how up is that…?
“Holy shit…”
It was weird, where do all these paths lead? And which way would we even go?
Damn…
I start to look around, trying to see if I can spot any clues. There’s nothing to be found in this room. Just imagining having to cross to the other side is a nightmare for my legs.
The pure white color of the room is making my eyes turn, and my head throb even more.
“I’m not gonna lie… we’re just gonna have to say fuck it and pick one. Stairs… or a hallway.” The best solution I could come up with.
“I applaud your enthusiasm Louis but I don’t even think we would know where to begin.” Ryan said, peering up at the different staircases on the ceiling.
“Well maybe- EUGH!” I fell back, collapsing on the floor. My head feels like I just banged it against a car. I started to hold my head with both of my hands in pain as I curled up into a ball on the ground.
Everyone started to run towards me to make sure i’m okay. Zion and Eli kneeled down, trying to see if there’s any way they can give support to my head.
“M-my head… it hurts…” My voice cried out as my eyes started to tear up from the pain, I sniffled my nose repeatedly to stop snot from coming out of it.
“I think he’s losing too much blood! He might pass out soon!”
My eyesight started to look fuzzy and I started to feel dizzy. I could barely even tell who was speaking.
“Pass out?! Will he survive that…?! Cmon Louis you gotta stay awake!”
“One of us might have to carry him!”
If I lose consciousness now… I might die. I have to… stay… awake!
A loud ringing sound started to play from the speakers, hurting my ears more, causing the pain in my head to increase.
My body twitches and spasms from the pain. The ringing from the speakers felt as if it was vibrating against my skull.
I began screaming in agony, hoping my friends could come up with anything to aid me in my current state.
Am I gonna die again?
“Attention all students, class has concluded for the day. Unless you have club activities, please exit the building swiftly, and safely so you can make it to your ride or bus on time, so you can go home. See you all tomorrow morning.” A soft echo spoke out from the speakers.