I did not know what else I could do.

Had I stayed there any longer I would have lost my mind. The freezing cold feeling that came from those colorless bodies felt like venom to me, the longer I spent in that room the more I felt myself being overtaken by that venom.

So I run out the doors into the white colored roads, I run into the white slow falling snow, I keep running down these unfamiliar roads, I don’t stop running.

The more I go down these roads, the less I know, the less I understand. Yet I am more afraid of going back to the known. I do not wanna be anywhere near that place that is filled with covers and crimson dots.

The empty streets seem void of anyone. Not a single person walking outside. I keep running down these lonely streets. Further away from the lights of the place I used to be in. Far away from the venomous feelings.

Here on the outside, it’s so cold. My skin suffering from the cold air hitting against my thin white clothes, nothing more than a shirt with light blueish pants, and a pair of thin slippers.

The painful cold starts to make my feet go numb, yet I refuse to go back. I cannot bring myself to. So I keep walking down these empty streets.

After a while, from the distance I see flashing Red and blue colors, a siren screams into the distance, coming closer. In a panic I run towards the dark corridors in between the buildings.

Just like the empty roads, these alleys are empty as well. Yet they are darker. I begin to walk slowly, the pain in my feet starting to sting. Every so often I could hear the sounds of little animals and see little colors moving around, some running away in panic from my presence as I walk by these lonely dark back alleys.

The cold only getting worse, each limb becoming too burdensome to move, only my legs still listening but the weakness in each of my strides is noticeable. I look around and notice a door in each building that can be pushed in.I try the closest door in hopes to be able to get in, but the harsh cold handles don’t budge. Every door I try gives the same answer, they remain closed, but I can only keep trying, hoping one opens.

I stumble my way from door to door, my head spinning around, tiny alarms from each part of my body going off at the same time.

Time keeps passing by slower each second, and my body keeps falling apart. My fingers have begun to not respond, instead I have to push each door with my shoulders, as I keep stumbling about, my ears can’t be felt anymore, the same as my toes. I reach the last door in the block, the other buildings are past the long snowy road, they seem so distant but there stands a shadow, standing in between the alley from the other side looking back at me.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

My body’s balance is lost and my entire body’s weight begins to fall on the door’s handle, not expecting anything from the door, I try to grab onto it quickly, the door opens, and my entire body’s weight falls in, but I just barely catch my balance.

The door behind me is closed quickly and I throw the wet slippers I had on to the side. Inside this building the cold isn’t any worse, but the cold still lingers, hardly any better. Using the walls to keep my balance, I look around, a dim yellow light makes this new place just barely possible to navigate. Behind me is the door which led me here, and to my left and right are two other doors that look different, both with different handles from the cold metal door I just used.

My gaze moves to the door on my right, the closest of both doors. My senseless hand touches the door. From the door the warmth within can be felt, but only a little. I grab onto the handle and try to open the door, denying my hopes it doesn’t open.

I turn to the door on the left which is now behind me. Trying to lower my expectations I reach out towards the handle, a warmth within can be felt in the handle, but when I try to open it, the answer remains the same. Each door seducing me, and each handle denies me.

Only left with one option, I look up the middle, of the left and right door, there is no door, Instead in the middle are stairs leading up to no clear end, the dim light doesn’t reach the top of these stairs.

The first step is the hardest, but with each step after, expectations feed my muscles, giving me enough strength to keep going up, all in my hopes that the next door can save me.

All for that small hope.

With my last bit of force I reach the top of the stairs. To my left is a wall, a gray and hard looking wall. To my left is another wall, another gray and harder looking wall. Behind me a dark abyss, the dim light no longer there, instead 2 very dim pairs of light. My legs collapse and I fall on the door in front of me. I can see the handle from the right corner of my eye.

My expectations have already faded away, yet my hand still reaches for the handle. With my dying strength I push down on the handle from my last door. The entire weight of my upper body pushes onto the door, which throws the door open. My shoulder falling and hitting the warm floor, the warmth from the carpet hugs my shoulder first.

A green carpet covers the entire floor, and the warmth of the room starts hugging me entirely. My arms grab onto the floor, and I drag myself deeper into the dark room.

The door behind me closes, I ignore it and keep pushing myself forward into the room filled with shelves, shelves that stand tall on each of my sides. Books fill each of these shelves, I grab onto them and stack them on myself. Hoping enough of these will warm my legs.

The legs I don’t feel anymore.

Each book covering me more and more, filling my entire body, The exhaustion has begun to take its toll on me, my body begins to rest.

Yet I remain awake, the darkness in the room feels familiar, this place the same as if it were a dream.

But I know this isn’t a dream. Because I can see the other man’s glare facing me from in between the shelves.