it’s dark. i’m walking along the empty corridors, heading towards the stairs. suddenly, i see a familiar figure… but i cannot quite recognize it. the creature is looking at me with piercing red eyes. frightened, i rush downstairs, but it suddenly appears at the bottom floor. and run back up- it’s above me. i hear it talk to me in that squeaky voice. i run along the stairs for what feels like forever, until i try to escape by getting out of the building, barely able to make it out. it’s all empty around me suddenly, the abandoned building gone. i run without looking back, afraid of seeing his eyes once again looking into my soul. for some reason i am sure it is a “he”… even though i still can’t quite pinpoint how i know it. haunted by the familiar feeling of helplessness and anxiety, my heart’s hammering loudly against my chest.
suddenly, i am in the middle of nowhere. the area is foreign to me, so i decide to ask someone what this place is. they eye me as if i am some kind of wild animal… a blonde woman in a suit wearing a black coat, around the age of forty. a man in a black hat, the kind that detectives usually wear in TV shows, probably in his late thirties… and another man with an average appearance. they are telling me i am.. on the other side if the city? i couldn’t have run that far away, could i? i’m not even fast in the slightest… as the man in the hat tells me he knows a truck driver heading in the direction close to my home, i have an uneasy sensation creeping up. why are his eyes suddenly red? his smile seems so off… am i imagining this now? i look at the driver in the truck and my heart skips a beat. they’re all suddenly towering above me, that same look on their faces as they stare into my soul. i cannot breathe for a moment. the scene falls apart and fades off. it’s the creature, isn’t it? it caught up to me… i pick up my speed and run away again.
i am at a bus stop now. it looks like any other street in the city- a busy area with dozens of people, bridges on the road and high traffic. seems to be around 5 p.m., and i’m clueless as ever about where i am. suddenly, i feel something holding my hand. i turn my head to see a child looking at me and clutching my fingers tightly. right, i remember dragging him here with me as i ran… but where did he appear from? once again, i am unaware. i simply want to find us a way home. i attempt to ask the driver of the bus that just stopped in front of me how can i get to A4… but he doesn’t hear me? i try to speak louder and louder. finally, he speaks up in a gruff voice through the crowd. i manage to hear a number, 277. is that a bus we should get on? as the bus drives off, i wonder whether i imagined the red glint in the driver’s eyes.
i am waiting patiently for the 277 bus to arrive. the child next to me seems anxious as well. what’s his name? why isn’t he talking to me? where did he get from? my thoughts are interrupted by the bus’s arrival. the driver tells me he’ll drive close to the gates, but i’ll have to get on another bus to reach my home. as i take some cash out of my pocket and scan it before proceeding further, i realize i don’t have enough money for both of us for the next drive. i stop upon realizing that the boy isn’t walking, though. he throws all of his cash into his scanner.. “what are you doing?!” i said, my voice shocked and disappointed. why would he waste the money when i already paid for us? we could’ve put it at use, now it’s gone for nothing… i sigh as i tug at his arm to drag him further to take a seat. he still wouldn’t speak to me.
as the vehicle drives away, i look out the window, my heart filled with worry once again. will i make it finally home? i feel tired, trapped, and overwhelmed. what if it’s all an illusion again? what if the creature lead me on? is it even safe from him anywhere? i feel trapped and look around.. i realize the bus is empty, with only the driver and the child left. was i that spaced out that i didn’t even realize when everyone got off? it would make sense since we get off at the last stop… i take a seat across from the boy, continuing to watch the road.
suddenly, the bus stops with a loud creak. all the cars on the road and people on sidewalks are gone. just where did he drive us. i see the boy quietly fidgeting with his fingers, his head hanging low. i turn back to look at the driver, who’s on his seat without making a move. i call out for him, he doesn’t respond. in contrast to the silence, the creaking gets louder and louder and i can’t figure out where it’s coming from. i grab the boy’s hand and approach the driver, putting a hand on his shoulder to turn him around.
then i freeze. the familiar red light is shining in his eyes, as the short man starts laughing, his shoulders shaking. i can’t move for a moment, my whole body paralyzed, neither can i breathe. fog begins enveloping the whole area. he got me, i think, as i feel myself sinking. then i feel something tug my arm. the boy is still here and he’s pointing at the exit. in that instant, i pick him up and run. the doors of the bus are closed, so i hit it repeatedly until i make a small gap. if i stay here any longer, the fog of the creature will catch us is the only thought in my mind as i force us out of the bus.
all i remember after that is carrying the child as i ran. i kept running and running- it’s what i’m used to in the end- with the fog following me closely. however, the luck isn’t on my side as it always is. i stumble upon something and fall on the ground, letting go of the boy. the fog catches up to me. i feel the ground slip off my feet. i saw him stop and wait for me right before i fell, so i take my last breath before yelling him out to run. the creature was after me from the beginning, after all. if he keeps running, he might make it out of his range. he might make it out… is what i thought of, before falling into nothingness, my entire being swallowed by it. all blank and empty.
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