The feeling of cold emanating from the concrete below chills my bones. A stark contrast from the blinding fluorescence that rains from above. I’m unsure about where my slumber has taken me. I’m surrounded by wooden crates, lined up on big metal shelves. Where am I? What am I doing here? My memory of past events seem to have waned beyond recognition. I don’t seem to be any different from what I assume is my normal. No signs of a struggle, no marks to suggest anything heinous. It’s as if I was just teleported here, at complete random. The air smelled of what I imagine is warehouse smell, but I don’t know what kind of warehouse would look like this. Something about this place seemed…alien.

Nonetheless, I put aside the unfamiliar situation I have been thrown into and begin my only logical choice: Search for the way home. I don’t know what I am doing here, but I at least know my prime objective. The area around me is eerily quiet, not a noise to be heard. My footsteps echo around, mine and mine only; the area seems to be devoid of any living activity. T[here wasn’t a bug to be seen, much less a human being. The only way I could describe this foreign place is like a supermarket with no goods. The building is quite tall, with shelves stacked up 5 times my height, all filled with what I presume are empty crates; they are very light compared to their massive size. The large echo that is present tells me the area is quite large. The long shelves form a labyrinth-like maze. I have a feeling my time getting out is going to be a long, monotonous process.

How anyone would manage to navigate these long walkways is beyond understanding. I see no distinguishing factors to help lead the way. No special signs, no people around to ask, the empty feeling is wracking my nerves to no end. I felt metaphorically blind, so to speak. Only a couple of minutes had passed, yet it felt like hours of my life were drained. My aimless walking eventually led me to walls. So this place does have ends. I followed the walls for as long as I could until I eventually found a feeling of relief.

I ran into a door. A plain silver door which somehow had not been locked. The excitement in me, however, immediately dissipated. Dead end. No, this was more than just a dead end. The doorway had solid concrete walls blocking them off. This has to be a dream, right? Like, solid concrete walls behind doors? These are the kinds of things you’d hear about in people’s nightmares. This seemed… too real, though. I felt as though this was just as real as my senses were telling me. Doors weren’t a safe haven like I wanted them to be. This is where I started to truly feel hopeless. Looking for vents or openings in the ceiling would prove difficult, it would be a huge risk to my life. What is this? Where am I? What kind of sick joke is this? These three phrases echoed through my mind.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

On a bit of a side note, amnesia is the worst. One of human’s biggest fears is losing what they once remembered. Our lives are built off experience. Without any memory, we are simply living, breathing empty husks. When I awoke, sprawled out on the floor, I remembered nothing of how I managed to get here, or anything before that, including personal details. It was like my brain was a hard drive, and it performed a factory reset. If only I could get back what I have lost, I would have a little more direction in my favor. The only thing that remains in my consciousness is basic human instinct, not even my name. It felt as if I was missing something else though, something…important.

Hopelessness turned into fear. I am starting to realize the gravity of my situation. I mean, wouldn’t anyone be scared in a place so unfamiliar? What should I do? I’m defeated. I have exhausted what little options I had. I suppose sleeping is the only thing I can do. It’s merely a return to start, but I have nothing else to do. I am now in the fetal position on the smooth concrete. Maybe the sweet grace of sleep, or death perhaps (pessimistic, I know), will take me in its loving arms. Under the metal shelves proves no further explanation. It’s like looking into a void. Nothing but black nothingness that expands past my eye’s limits. It’s cold. I never have wanted to go home so badly in my life, though I am not sure where this feeling is coming from. I don’t even remember who I am, after all.

In the silence, I lay in anguish.

That’s when I hear something.

It’s faint, barely audible. If the silence wasn’t so present, I’m almost certain I wouldn’t hear it.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Immediately, my flight reaction kicks in. A noise! A noise that is not of my own! I immediately get on my feet. I take care to be quiet; I don’t want whatever is out there to disappear. Navigating the endless lair seemed so easy now. An objective was in sight. Finally, the drive I had been looking for through all those silent minutes that I had spent. The sound got louder as I pressed on. I was most certainly on the right path.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

It was a consistent tapping sound, repeating in 2 second intervals. I’m unsure of what it was. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. I was almost there, it felt so close. I carefully step, taking off my shoes to remove any sort of noise that would come from my footsteps. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. It was around this corner. I slowly edge around the bend. I peek around slowly, making as little sound as I could.

Silver was the color my eyes fixated on.