Victor didn’t waste a moment before coming up with a plan. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were no longer in their world, and the others were inclined to agree. Everyone, that is, except for Jason, who seemed to be the only one objecting.
They armed themselves with whatever they could find, sickles, crowbars, and even makeshift spears. Victor’s idea was to tread carefully and hopefully gain some insight into their new surroundings while avoiding any potential dangers. Even though mark was injured, they couldn’t risk staying in the farmhouse. Their best shot lied in going outside.
After gathering their supplies, they made their way to the gate. The air was thick with tension, and even the sound of their own footsteps seemed to echo with an eerie resonance.
With trembling hands, they slowly pushed open the gate, and the sight that greeted them was nothing short of terrifying. Moments earlier, it was a deserted highway but now...The once familiar surroundings were twisted and distorted, like a nightmare come to life. Every shadow seemed to move, every creak of wood was a whisper of impending danger. Their hearts beating like drums, they stepped into the unknown, unsure of what awaited them in this strange new world. Their eyes strained to adjust to the dimly lit surroundings as they stumbled through the barren streets. The hollow buildings loomed above them like ancient monoliths, their walls cracked and weathered by time. The sky above was muted and muffled, its usual vibrant blue replaced by a hazy grey that seemed to seep into every corner of the world. The offbeat environment felt unsettling, like an unwelcome guest that had overstayed its welcome. They walked in silence, their only sound the rustle of their feet on the barren earth. The air was thick with a sense of foreboding, and every corner seemed to hold some unseen danger. The once-familiar streets were now twisted and distorted, like a carnival mirror come to life. Everything felt wrong, as if they had stumbled into a nightmare from which they could not awaken. Despite the familiarity of the surroundings, an eerie sense of otherness permeated the air. It was as if they were in the same place, but in a different dimension entirely. They pressed on, fear and uncertainty gripping them tightly.
Victor, his mind racing, muttered under his breath, “I can’t...I can’t believe this. Is this even real?” Jason, his face contorted with fear and disbelief, exclaimed, “This is fucking hell. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this!” Mark, his voice barely above a whisper, added, “It defies all human understanding.”
As they stumbled forward, a bright red beam of light shone in the distance, casting an eerie glow across the barren landscape. They hesitated, unsure of what lay ahead and afraid to approach the mysterious light. The stormy rain beat down upon them relentlessly, threatening to tear them apart bit by bit.
Their only hope was to find a place where they could take shelter and restock their supplies. After a few moments, Victor’s eyes widened with recognition, and he pointed towards a large building in the distance. “I think I found it,” he said. Jason turned to him, bewildered. “Found what?” he asked.
Victor pointed towards the building, where the words “Lifespring City Hospital” were written in bold letters across the front. A glimmer of hope flickered in their hearts as they hurried towards the hospital, hoping to find safety and refuge within its walls.
As the group approached the Lifespring City Hospital, they couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong. The red beam of light they had seen from a distance seemed to pulse with an eerie glow, casting long shadows that danced around them. Jason pushed open the hospital’s heavy metal doors, and the group stepped inside, shivering as a chill ran down their spines.
The first thing they noticed was the complete absence of anyone or anything. The only sound was the creaking of their footsteps echoing through the empty hallways. The reception desk was empty, and there was no sign of life anywhere. The flickering fluorescent lights added to the eeriness, casting shadows that seemed to move on their own.
Victor’s voice echoes in the hospital hallway. “Hello? Is anyone there?”
But no one responds.
As they made their way through the hospital, they noticed strange bloodstains on the walls and floors. The stains seemed to have been there for a long time, but there was no sign of decay or decomposition. They were fresh, as if the blood had been spilled only moments ago.
Mark pointed out that the stains were not in any particular pattern, and they seemed to lead in different directions. The group followed the stains, their hearts beating faster with each step they took. They soon found themselves in a room that looked like a laboratory. There were test tubes, beakers, and other equipment scattered around the room. But what caught their attention was the strange writing on the walls. It looked like some kind of hieroglyphics, but it was nothing they had ever seen before.
As they moved further into the hospital, they saw more strange things. In one room, there were piles of bones, all clean and white, as if they had been meticulously picked clean. In another room, they found a wall covered in a strange, pulsating mass of flesh.
They stumbled upon a room that was filled with old, dusty equipment. Among the machines, they noticed an old television set, flickering with static. They approached it cautiously, and to their shock, the television suddenly sprang to life. It was showing a news broadcast, and the reporters were discussing their disappearance from Earth. Victor’s heart skipped a beat as he realized the date on the screen. It was October 7, but they had only crashed into this strange dimension a few hours ago. He knew that time flowed differently in this place, but this was still too much to process.
“How can this be?” he whispered to the others, his voice trembling with fear. “We just got here, and yet it’s been d-days on Earth?” The others looked at each other in disbelief, realizing the implications of what they had just witnessed.
But that was not the worst part. Jason’s heart sank when he heard his mother’s voice on the screen. He had never heard her sound so broken. Tears filled Jason’s eyes as he heard his mother’s sobs. He felt an intense rage building up inside him. He couldn’t understand why they were being kept in this strange dimension, unable to return to their families and loved ones.
“They’re keeping us here for some sick experiment,” he muttered through gritted teeth. “I swear to god, I’m going to find a way out of here and make them pay for what they’ve done to us.”
The others tried to calm him down, but Jason was beyond reason. He stormed out of the room with a crowbar in his hand, determined to find a way out of this nightmare and back to his mother. As Jason made his way through the hospital corridors, his grip on the crowbar tight. The others followed him cautiously, their eyes darting around for any signs of danger. Suddenly, the lights flickered and went out, plunging them into total darkness. The only sound was the pounding of their hearts as they waited for the lights to come back on. And then they saw it. A figure in the shadows, lurking just out of sight. Its shape was indistinct, shifting and twisting like smoke. But there was something undeniably sinister about it, something that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand up.
“W-What the hell is that?” whispered victor, his voice shaking.
As they stared at the unknown figure before them, fear and uncertainty filled the air. Victor’s heart pounded in his chest, and his hands shook with a mix of terror and adrenaline. Despite the horror of the situation, there was a strange thrill to the fear that he couldn’t deny. It was an adrenaline rush unlike anything he had ever experienced before, one that made his senses feel heightened and alive. But even as he felt the rush, he knew deep down that the danger they faced was very real.
Jason didn’t say a word. He knew what he had to do. He stepped forward, the crowbar held high, ready to strike. The others followed him, their fear palpable in the air.
The figure moved towards them, its form becoming clearer with each step. It was like nothing any of them had ever seen before, a creature from some nightmare realm beyond their understanding. Its eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, and its skin seemed to writhe and pulse like living flesh.
Jason stood his ground, his rage and frustration boiling over. “You want a piece of me, you cosmic son of a bitch?” he yelled, brandishing the crowbar. “Come and get it!”
The others tried to pull him back, to tell him to think about what he was doing. But Jason was beyond reason. He charged towards the creature, swinging the crowbar with all his might.
And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the figure vanished, leaving no trace behind. Jason stumbled to a stop, his heart racing, the anger slowly draining from his body.
“What the fuck was that?” he muttered, still trying to catch his breath.
The others looked at him, their eyes wide with disbelief. None of them knew what to say. They had all felt the same terror, the same sense of cosmic horror, that had consumed Jason in that moment. And they knew that, no matter what happened next, they would never be the same again. Jason paced back and forth, his eyes darting around the room as he tried to come up with a plan. “We need to get out of this damn hospital,” he muttered, his frustration evident in his tone. “This place is a death trap and it’s only a matter of time before that thing comes back for us.”
“Going outside is dangerous... Even if we want to...how would we?” Victor replied thoughtfully.
“The fuck you mean how would we? The same way we came in here,” Jason retorted in frustration.
But Victor continued, undeterred. “It’s not that simple. The hospital is symmetric, and with the blood stains and chaos, it’s easy to get lost. We need to approach this systematically and find a way out that we can all follow.”
Jason scoffed, “And how the hell are we supposed to do that? You got a plan, oh smart one?”
Just then, Victor pulled out a diary he had found in one of the rooms. “Maybe this will solve the mystery,” he said, waving it in front of Jason’s face.
Jason snatched the diary and started flipping through it. When he reached the middle of the diary, he saw that several pages had been torn out, leaving only the first page and half of the second-to-last page. The handwriting was shaky and the ink had smudged in places, but the words were still legible.
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The first page was written by someone named Nathaniel.
“Looks like this Nathaniel guy was on some sort of voyage,” Jason said, reading aloud. “He was with a group of people, maybe...50 or 60 of them. They didn’t know where they were going, but they all seemed to trust the captain. And then...things started to go wrong
What happened next was unclear due to the missing pages. However, the half page at the end caught his attention.
“It’s here,” Jason read aloud. “The red beam of light that we’ve been following for days. It’s coming from a mansion in the distance. We can’t see what’s inside, but we’re going to investigate.”
Before he could finish the rest of the sentence, the writing abruptly stopped, as if the writer was interrupted or cut off. Jason’s mind raced with possibilities. What could have happened to the writer? Was it something related to the mysterious red beam of light? He couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease that settled in his gut. Maybe the read beam of light was the way to get out of this place?
Everyone was on edge, but Victor was surprisingly calm.
“I’ve been thinking,” he began, his voice steady and confident. “We need to find a way out of here, but we also need to figure out what’s going on. What if we split up? Half of us can search for an exit, while the other half gathers information about this place
Jason scoffed. “Are you crazy? What if that thing gets us again?”
“That’s true,” Victor said, “but I think it’s our best shot at finding a way out of here. We can’t just wander aimlessly for hours, and get nowhere.”
Jeanette spoke up. “But isn’t it dangerous to be alone? What if we encounter the creature?”
Victor nodded. “That’s a risk we have to take. But we’ll be more efficient in covering more ground if we divide and conquer. And we’ll stay in touch via walkie-talkies.”
“Walkie-talkie? What do you mean?” Mark asked in confusion.
Victor grinned as he pulled out a pair of walkie-talkies from his bag and handed one to Mark. “I grabbed these from one of the rooms,” he said, winking.
Mark’s eyes widened in surprise as he took the walkie-talkie, impressed by Victor’s resourcefulness.
“I knew you were prepared for anything, Victor,” Jeanette chimed in, giving him a nod of approval.
Victor shrugged modestly, a small smirk playing on his lips. “Just trying to stay one step ahead,” he said. “Now we can communicate in real-time and stay connected while we search for a way out.”
Mark and Shia exchanged glances, realizing the advantage of having the walkie-talkies in their mission to explore the hospital.
“Alright, let’s split up and stay in touch, mark and Jeanette, you come with me” Victor said, taking charge of the situation. “We’ll cover more ground that way and increase our chances of finding a way out.”
Victor led his team down a winding hallway, his mind racing with possibilities. As they turned a corner, they came face to face with a heavy metal door.
“This could be it,” Victor said, excitement creeping into his voice. “Let’s try it.”
However, as they opened the door, disappointment crushed their soul. It was just like every other room, or was it?
Victor continued to rummage through the drawers and cabinets until his hand felt something smooth and metallic. He pulled out a small device that looked like a GPS tracker. Excitement filled his body as he realized what it was.
“Guys, look what I found,” Victor exclaimed as he held up the device for everyone to see. “This is a GPS tracker. We can use this to locate our position in the hospital.”
He pressed a button on the device, and a map of the hospital appeared on the screen. It showed their current location in the hospital and the different rooms and corridors around them.
“We can use this to navigate the hospital and find our way out,” Victor said, his voice filled with enthusiasm. “We just need to follow the map and stay together.”
Jeanette lets out a sigh of relief, grateful that they finally had something to guide them.
“Okay guys, listen up,” Victor said through the walkie talkie. “We need to make a left at the end of this hallway and then take the stairs up to the second floor. From there, we need to find the east wing and follow it until we reach the exit.”
They followed the map and made their way through the hospital. The corridors were dark and eerie, and they could hear strange noises coming from the walls. But they pressed on, driven by the hope of escape.
“Thank god for your brains, Victor,” Mark said with a smile.
As Victor took charge and guided the group through the hospital with precision and strategy, he felt a sense of validation wash over him. For so long, he had felt like the odd one out, the one who didn’t quite fit in. But now, as his ideas and plans were put into action, he could feel the respect and admiration of his companions.
For once in his life, his intelligence was not belittled or dismissed. His mind raced with possibilities, and he felt a newfound confidence in his abilities. As they made their way towards the exit, Victor couldn’t help but smile to himself, grateful for this moment of recognition and validation. But as they stepped outside, they heard the sound of something following them. They turned around to see the same figure from before, emerging from the hospital walls. It let out a blood-curdling screech, and the group froze in fear.
Jason quickly snapped out of it and yelled, “Run! Everyone, get out of here!”
They sprinted down the street, but the figure was gaining on them. The group was nearing exhaustion, and it seemed like there was no escape. But Jason noticed something ahead – a small alleyway.
“Everyone, turn left here!” he yelled, pointing to the alleyway.
They followed his lead, running down the narrow passage, with the figure still hot on their heels. It seemed like it was going to catch them any second.
But just as they were about to be caught, Jason spotted a pile of trash cans at the end of the alley. Without hesitation, he grabbed the cans and threw them in the figure’s direction, causing it to stumble and fall to the ground.
“Quick, let’s go!” Jason shouted as they ran past the figure and out onto the open street.
They finally stopped to catch their breath, but the relief was short-lived. The figure was still following them, albeit at a slower pace. Jason knew they needed to find a place to hide, and fast.
“Over there, into that building!” he pointed to an old abandoned store across the street.
The group followed him inside, and they barricaded the door with whatever they could find. They all collapsed to the ground, panting and sweating. The figure was still outside, scratching at the door and letting out its deafening screech.
Jason leaned against the wall, clutching his crowbar tightly. “We have to find a way out of here,” he said between breaths. “We can’t stay here forever.” The store was odd, but it looked helpful. Pictures and leads were stuck onto the wall by someone else, and there were even some maps and survival guides scattered around. The group split up, each of them examining different parts of the store. Shia was drawn to a picture of a mountain range. She stared at it for a long time before looking away, a pained expression on her face. Jeanette was flipping through a survival guide, muttering to herself about what they should do next. Victor was looking at a map, trying to figure out where they were and where they could go next.
Jason was staring at the page with the note, trying to make sense of it. “For God to give you a chance, you must be faithful and turn your fears into strength. Only then will you find a way out.”
“What does this even mean?” Jason muttered under his breath.
Victor took a quick glance at the note and then fixed his eyes on Jason. “It means that faith and courage can help us overcome our fears and find a way out of here,” he explained calmly. “We need to believe that we can make it and act with bravery. Only then can we hope to escape this place.”
Mark nodded in agreement. “That could be it. We need to be strong and not let our fears control us.”
Shia looked at them all, a hint of a smile on her lips. “We’ve been through so much already, but we’ve made it this far. We can make it out of here, too.”
Jason turns to Victor in frustration. “I don’t care if this hurts your sorry ass but these three... they are doing nothing. They’re just sitting there and blabbering their mouths like monkeys.”
Victor raises an eyebrow at Jason’s outburst. “Let’s try to keep calm and think logically, Jason,” he says in a calm voice. “What do you think they should do? Just go out and get killed by this unknown entity?”
Jeanette agrees, “Exactly, that’s what I’ve been saying-”
Jason interrupts her, “You shut the fuck up.”
He glares at Victor and continues, “Let me tell you what I think they should do. Don’t get scared like a pussy and fight the thing head-on, like I did!”
Mark interjects, “The hell you talking about, We can’t fight it, it’s not a human, it’s the devil.”
Jason responds coldly, “If you’re not using your brain, use your body.”
He then orders the group, “We’re going.”
Shia asks in a low voice “But where?”
Victor responds“ To the red light, isn’t that right?”
The group fell into an uneasy silence, unsure of what to do next. The weight of their situation hung heavy in the air. Even with the tension, they decided to stick together and follow jason.
The group exited the store and stepped outside into the dimly lit street. The red beam of light still shone in the distance, like a beacon calling out to them. They started walking, the tension in the air palpable.
As they walked, they heard strange whispers and rustling noises coming from the shadows. Every time they turned to look, there was nothing there. The feeling of being watched was overwhelming.
Suddenly, they heard a faint moaning sound. They cautiously followed the sound and came across a figure slumped against the wall. It was a man, his clothes tattered and torn, his hair matted and unkempt. He looked up at them with wild, bloodshot eyes.
“I’ve been here for a year,” he croaked. “A year in this cursed place.”
The group was taken aback. They had never seen another human in this dimension before.
“What happened to you?” Shia asked.
The man shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. “I don’t remember much,” he said. “Everything is a blur. But I do remember the red beam of light.”
The group exchanged nervous glances. They were getting closer to it, and the feeling of dread only increased.
“Can you help us find a way out of here?” Jeanette asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The man’s eyes flickered with a strange intensity. “There is no way out,” he said. “Not for me, not for you. This place is a prison, a never-ending nightmare.”
The group was silent, the weight of his words hanging heavily in the air.
Suddenly, the man’s eyes changed. They grew darker, more sinister. He let out a low growl, and the group realized too late that they had been lured into a trap. The man lunged at them with inhuman speed, his mouth twisted into a snarl.
The group scattered, trying to avoid the man’s frenzied attacks. They fought back with whatever they could find, but the man was too strong, too fast.
Jeanette and Mark fought back with their weapons while Shia tried to find a way to escape. But it didn’t seem to faze the creature. It kept attacking, with a speed and strength that surpassed anything they had ever seen.
Just when it seemed like all was lost, Jason landed a solid blow with his crowbar, sending the man reeling back. “Here!” Victor shouted while showing jason a different direction to reach the red light.
They seized the opportunity and made a run for it, leaving the man behind.
They continued towards the red beam of light, their hearts pounding with fear and adrenaline. They didn’t know what awaited them there, but they had no other choice. They had to keep going, keep searching for a way out of this nightmare.
As they ran, the distance to the red light seemed to stretch out before them endlessly. No matter how far they travelled, the light remained just as far away.
Moment’s later, they were suddenly halted by a sight that defied all logic and reason. In the distance, they could see the faint glimmer of a red beam of light piercing the night sky. But what drew their attention was the twisted wreckage of a massive ship, its metal frame violently impaled into the side of a tall building. The group stood there, speechless, as their minds struggled to comprehend the horror before them.
As they approached the wreckage, their senses were assaulted by the eerie stillness of the scene. The mangled metal hull of the ship was torn open, revealing glimpses of the dark, unknown void inside. The half of the building it had destroyed was crushed, leaving behind only debris and rubble. The silence was deafening, as if the entire world was holding its breath in anticipation of what would happen next.
The core problem with humans, the group thought, is that we try to make reason out of everything. But when faced with a situation that defies all reasoning, our minds are unable to process it. How could a ship of this magnitude have crashed into a building with such force? What caused it? These were questions that had no answers, at least none that could be easily comprehended.
The group knew they had to find a way to reach the red beam of light, but mindlessly walking towards it would not suffice. They began to search for clues, analyzing the wreckage for any signs of a gate or entrance that would lead them to their destination. The diary they had found at the hospital suddenly came to mind, filled with cryptic messages about a group of people that came in a ship.
As they pieced together the fragments of information, a disturbing thought entered their minds. What if this was not an accident? What if it was a trap, set up by some cosmic force that was beyond their comprehension? They had been warned about the dangers of exploring the unknown, but now they were faced with the very real possibility that they were nothing more than pawns in a greater game.