Abyss

“I stepped closer to that last bassinet and dared to peek over the edge.”

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As the door opened in front of me I was gently pushed into the darkness from behind. As I squeezed through the opening the door was pulled shut quietly behind me. I stood there for a moment listening to the quiet while my eyes adjusted to the dimmer light in the room. It seemed almost peaceful in that
room, if only there hadn’t been an uneasiness spreading throughout my lower back, at the same moment as the lighting appeared to brighten up.

To the left of me I saw a tidy row of bassinets lined up in front of a tiny window that was letting in what little light there was into the room.

I took a small step forward toward the row of the bassinets. It was eerily quiet, the uneasiness started to turn into dread as I took another step forward. Then I took another and suddenly I was standing in front of the first one in the row.

Tentatively I peeked over and into the bassinet. Lying there swaddled in a tiny blanket was a baby that looked to be no bigger than just a couple of weeks old. My nerves softened as I heard it do a little coo in it’s sleep. Staring at the little baby I felt drawn to it as if I was being pulled closer to the bassinet.

I leaned down to get a closer look when the baby suddenly turned towards me and sat straight up, as if it were an adult, just inches from my face and opened it’s eyes. There was just blackness where the eyes should have been. I was frozen just staring at what was happening before my eyes when it opened its mouth and whispered something.

I couldn’t hear what it said and felt myself leaning even closer into the bassinet and staring straight into the bottomless pit of its eyes, and heard it whisper again, this time I heard what it said.

“Not. Me”

I leaned up and took a step back and the baby laid right back down in it’s tight swaddle and looked as if it hadn’t been disturbed at all. I took another step back and looked at the rest of the row of bassinets. There had to be 10 there in the entire line. I took a tentative step towards the next one and dared to
peek over the edge.

This baby appeared to be at least a couple of months old. Also wrapped tight in a cute little blanket, looking cozy and peaceful sleeping. Again I felt myself start to relax and smiled to myself as I leaned in closer. Then this baby shot straight up, it appear so unnatural, it just turned it’s head to me. It opened it’s dark abyss of eyes and out loud said to me the same phrase.

“NOT. ME.”

I cringed back a few steps. The baby instantly laid back down as if it hadn’t been disturbed either. What was going on in this room? Why was I hear? What was I supposed to do with these babies?

Turning around full circle I noticed there was nothing else in this room other than the bassinets and the tiny window. The corners were so dark and full of shadows. I took a few steps back the way I had come to leave out the door I had entered, and realized I couldn’t even find a door to go out of. Where had
it gone? I searched for the hinges along the wall, for anything that could get me out of this room.

It felt stuffy, as if there was something heavier in the room with me right then, frantic I dropped the heavy book that I had been holding, which I didn’t even realize I had been holding until that moment. On my knees I looked anywhere along the floor to try to find a gap that could be the door when I heard another whisper.

“Come here.”

I froze. It was so softly spoken, but I could hear what it said plain as day. I slowly stood up and turned back towards the bassinets. I took a few careful steps toward the line. As I approached the first two I glanced in them again, they were still there sleeping soundly as if nothing had happened. Nearing the
third I carefully glanced in, this one also appeared to be a couple of months old. I walked right on by it and the others, as I went to the end of the row.

Coming up on the last one I could see this side of the room a little better, because of the little light that was still being let in through the tiny window. It looked just like the rest of the room, nothing else in it except darkness and shadows. Glancing back at the beginning of the row it seemed as if it was ten miles away, yet also appeared to be right there.

I stepped closer to that last bassinet and dared to peek over the edge.

This baby was older, but couldn’t have been older than 6 months I would guess. Also sleeping soundly and swaddled up. This one’s blanket was all black and appeared to be swaddled pretty tightly. I could barely see it’s little face. Daring to get closer I inched toward it to try to loosen the swaddle a little
bit. It just seemed too tight.

I slowly put my hand into the bassinet and even slower reached for the swaddle, being careful to not touch the bassinet itself and possibly disturb the baby. As soon as I touched the swaddle blanket I felt an iciness rush throughout me, it was so freezing. I gasped and pulled my hand back. Glancing back around
me I could see the tiny window was now frosting over and the little light that was being let in was now slowly disappearing.

As I looked back to the bassinet I gasped again as the baby was standing there in the bassinet staring at me with the same all black abyss-like eyes. The room was almost completely dark now and I could barely make out that the swaddle was crumpled at it’s feet.

It raised it’s arm towards me with it’s little finger pointed directly at me. It opened it’s mouth and in the tiniest of whispers said

“You.”

The Lily Pad

I dropped to my knees and felt a relief wash over me, but my eyes stayed on the lily pad.

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I stood there on the edge of the water, the silence surrounded me as thick as a blanket. All was still, the water didn’t move, no rustles in the trees, just silence. I would have thought it felt peaceful, if it didn’t feel so thick. I understood the phrase, “you could cut the air with a knife” a bit more in that moment.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Something was drawing me into it. It pulled so, that I’d blink and try to be more aware of my surroundings, but couldn’t lift my eyes. I was listening hard for even a small chirp from a bird or that lovely song the crickets made at nightfall. I could have sworn it had just been bright as day, but now the sun was setting. My eyes stayed on a single lily pad while I tried to tune in my other senses. I could feel the temperature drop a few degrees as the sun continued to set. What was it about this lily pad? My brain was fuzzy and I couldn’t seem to think straight. How long had I been standing there for? It sure was getting colder and seemed to be getting even quieter. How was that even possible?

Where had I been going? What had brought me here? This is so bizarre, my brain seems so fuzzy right now. I can’t stop staring at it, blinking again I couldn’t lift my arms to rub my eyes, they felt like they were burning, burning so strongly. The sun seemed to have set completely now, but the pond was giving off some type of radiating light, or at least it appeared to be. It was freezing now, I thought I was shivering, how long had it been again? It was floating there, right in the pond, a single lonely lily pad in the small pond. Where was this pond again? I can’t for the life of me remember where I was or what I had been doing, I just knew that this lily pad was there FOR me. What was I to take from this?

I felt a pain in my legs, I realized my entire body was shaking, I dropped to my knees and felt a relief wash over me, but my eyes stayed on the lily pad. I could hear the water lapping at the shore, but hadn’t it just been quiet a second ago? I sense an excitement, having heard some type of noise within the thickness of the silence just a second ago. The lily pad appeared to be getting closer, that was a good thing right? My mind couldn’t seem to form any other functioning thought at this moment, my focus on the other senses gone, all I could see was that the pad was actually just getting bigger. I felt that was a good thing, but I did feel even more of a coldness throughout my body, a deep deep coldness that I could feel within my bones. Another phrase I now understood with more clarity. I chuckled to myself and almost jumped at a noise. Noise! Was that caused by me? The silence felt so powerful that it felt like I was almost being pushed down.

Down. I did feel like I was being pushed down. What a peculiar feeling right now. My neck felt strained as it continued looking at that lily pad. Was it even bigger now? My neck was killing me even more now. The lily pad HAD to be closer.

I am so cold, it’s so quiet and dark….

Where did it go?

The Road Untraveled

Standing in the middle of the dirt roadway, frozen solid. The air had gotten considerably colder…

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Walking down the dirt path roadway she marveled at how enchanting the road was. Trees bordering all down the road, as far as you could see, with massive tree covers completely enveloping the roadway, creating a type of calmness that made her feel as if there wasn’t another soul in the world. It was colder under the tree cover, but also quieter and dimmer.

As she walked on, she almost giggled to herself as she considered she was more sauntering than walking, she kept getting distracted by the forests lining the roadway. Something would catch her eye and then she’d catch herself standing and staring at seemingly nothing and have to jolt herself out of the trance to continue walking on.

She noticed there wasn’t any animal noises, no birds chirping or rustling of any forest critters, just her and her soft steps along the roadway. She looked up and could see glimpses of sunlight in patches, but most of the covering was pretty well entangled together above the road.

She kept on for a bit, still marveling at how quiet it was and how it seemed to have no end in sight. It really did bring her to a calm, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She kept on, losing track of time when once again she snapped out of her trance and realized she wasn’t walking anymore. She was standing in the middle of the dirt roadway, frozen solid. The air had gotten considerably colder, she even had goosebumps on her bare arms. She looked around, she didn’t see anything, nothing moving, no wind blowing through the tree coverings, nothing at all.

She suddenly felt as if someone was watching her, as if someone was almost on top of her. She slowly turned around, knowing for sure she was going to be looking straight into someone’s eyes.

There was no one there.

However she realized she hadn’t actually walked that far down the forest roadway. Mere feet in fact. Puzzled, she went to turn back around to continue on her way, when she caught a glimpse of a black figure towards the beginning of the forest cover. She stepped towards it, but it was gone in an instant. It must have been a shadow playing with her eyes she told herself.

Shrugging her shoulders she turned and continued on down the forest roadway. She wasn’t going to get distracted again, she would pay attention. It was very clear just how quiet it had become under these giant trees and their expansive branches, leaves, and coverings. She didn’t make it very far when she felt a Strong sense that someone was about to grab her, she instantly whipped around to confront whatever it was. She was getting irritated now. Probably some kids messing with her. Once again there was nothing there. Again she noticed she wasn’t very far from where she had been last time. Hell, had she even made any progress? She’d been walking at least 15 minutes since the last time she stopped, it had to be!

She wondered if she should just go back the way she came from, but had been enjoying the idea of her walk today and going through this roadway. So she turned and kept on her way. She went at a quicker pace, almost jogging, breaking out a sweat. She just needed to get on with it. She refused to turn around, and paid attention to landmarks with certain trees and ground plants. She knew it had to have been her brain playing tricks on her, so she just kept going.

After awhile she tired, slowing down to a stroll again. Even after working up a sweat she was chilly. She paused to catch her breath and pull out her bottle of water. As she was drinking she was telling herself it was silly to be nervous, knowing full well she was going to turn around and check her progress but not wanting to.

Forcing herself she turned around, breathing out a sigh of relief seeing that she was now deep within the forest roadway.

She froze suddenly when she also realized that she couldn’t see anything beyond a few hundred feet. It was as if everything was part of a giant black shadow, as if she was staring into an actual abyss. She took a few steps forward, back towards the way she had come, the blackness getting closer…5455124131_4050ace8fe_bAs she kept inching forward she realized that the blackness, the shadow was actually moving, writhing.

She inched closer until she was about 5 feet away from the edge. She was staring into a wall of black nothingness, the entire forest she was facing seemed to have disappeared, becoming one with this blackness.

It was eerily quiet, yet she could have sworn she heard a non stop whispering coming from the blackness. As she was focusing on the sounds she realized that the blackness was not only moving within itself, but moving towards her.

She stepped back, another step back, hesitant to turn her back on the wall but knowing she needed to move, and move now. Turning she was relieved to see the normal forest in front of her. It no longer had a calming effect on her however, she could feel the tension under the canopy of trees and started running.

She ran as fast as she could. She ran until she couldn’t feel her feet and kept on running. Finally when she couldn’t go any farther she collapsed to her knees on the ground, trying to catch her breath. She felt better, even though she still couldn’t catch her breath. She didn’t know what the hell that was but she felt better knowing it was farther away.

As she caught her breath she got to her feet. Man she needed to hit the gym more she thought to herself. She turned around, and stood in disbelief. The black wall was almost fully surrounding her now, mere inches away from her, she instantly started backing up, but still couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She heard the whispering again, but it was more fervent, anguished, almost tormented.

She didn’t dare turn her back on it now, she knew that whatever it was, that IT wanted her.

She kept backing up, fascinated with how the blackness was writhing, turning into itself right in front of her eyes. She realized how cold it was, freezing almost, she had to get out of there. Knowing she needed to move she slowly turned, ready to run for it,
but there was only blackness.

© 2017 Mj Gale

 

The Platform Pt.4

I stayed there, un-moving for what seemed like an eternity, I almost felt a bit of peace come over me before I realized…

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There had to be a way out. I got myself standing and half stumbled to where I thought the edge was. The floor was glowing bright enough that I could see where it stopped. I grab a piece of the pile, a hand I think, and throw it toward the dark part of the ground and listen. There is no noise. It was obviously a drop off. I start moving along the edge and it becomes apparent that we were on a giant rectangular platform. I look up for anything that might help me, but it’s too dark to see anything at all. Then I hear the whoosh again just in time for me to dive to the floor.

I stayed until the second whoosh came back through, hoping my new adversary was still on the pile. I listen as hard as I can but I don’t hear anything. I stay still for a few more minutes but the floor is just too hot. I crawl back over to my created pile and very carefully and as quietly as I can, begin to climb up it. When I am almost to the top I struggle to try to see if he was up there or if anything was moving, either it was too dark or he wasn’t there. I climbed the rest of the way to the top, lay backwards face up, and keep as still as possible. I thought I’d heard a noise to my left but I didn’t budge, I needed time to think, and it was still so hot and I was SO thirsty. I stayed there, un-moving for what seemed like an eternity, I almost feel a bit of peace come over me before I realiz that is probably a bad thing.

I need to stay alert, I need a game plan. My Brain is so foggy, I can’t think of anything except an ice cold drink. Right then I feel the pile move, and I know he must be climbing up it. I continue my attempt to be as quiet as before. He obviously wasn’t wanting to try to work together to find a way out, but I wasn’t sure I could do what he did to me. I hold as still as I can while I feel the pile move ever so slightly. It was so hot, I was so thirsty, my Brain was so disoriented, what if I was just imagining it moving..? Finally I sense that he is near, he was obviously trying to move slow and quiet, I can tell he is near my feet, I pull my knees into my chest, struggling to see any type of shape in front of me, but it was still just darkness.

I sense it before I feel him, he was on his knees groping around the top of the pile. I close my eyes, hesitating briefly, before shooting my legs out and hitting him square in the chest. He shot backwards yelling out and grabbing for something as he flew down onto the floor. He instantly starts screaming as he hits the ground; there is an awful, grinding noise accompanying his screams. The red light is now back and almost on-top of me above the pile, a dark, dark red that was finally illuminating the room. I look and am able to see him down there, the floor was glowing bright orange, and there were hundreds of spikes sticking out of it now, and the spikes were turning. He was punctured and being ground up. As his screams finally subside I realize I am covered up to my knees on-top of the pile. Then he stops completely, and it is eerily quiet again.

There is a loud noise on the other end of the platform, I see two large doors open from what seemed to be nowhere, light fills the area. I squint but all I can see is the gore left behind. The floor is no longer glowing and the spikes are gone, all that remains is an array of body parts and blood covering everything. I climb down and hesitantly head to the open door. When I reach it I can see a bright bright white room, with a single item. I step into the white room, and stare at the small black table in the middle of the room, on it there was just one thing.
A bottle of water.

© 2017 Mj Gale

Pt.1     Pt.2     Pt.3

The Platform Pt.3

The few spots of ground visible between the body parts, now appeared to be glowing a faint orange.

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I push the head off me and sit up as I begin feeling around me, I touch another head my fingers squishing into it’s eye. I yank my hand back and fall back onto a torso. I was fully surrounded in body parts and everything was wet and sticky from all the blood. It was so quiet and so hot I felt like I was in an oven, which now reeked of the coppery smell of blood. I tried to find the flicker of light but even that was gone. The few spots of ground visible between the body parts, now appeared to be glowing a faint orange. I reach down to touch the ground next to the torso and pull my hand back as my fingers instantly blister from the heat. The ground was on fire from below.

I had to move. It was sweltering everywhere, I was so thirsty and completely disoriented. I climbing on top of the torso, and I begin to move pieces of the people that had previously been there with me on that platform into a pile that I could climb onto. There was so much blood that I kept slipping back down but I just keep trying. I pile more and more pieces until the pile is almost as tall as I am. It is enough so that the heat from the ground is not as hot as it had felt before.

I climb onto the top again screaming out as I feel a hand grab my arm from below. “Help me” was all I heard from the other side of that arm, as it pulls me down. He was stronger than me and I lost my balance and tumbled down my pile hitting the hot ground. He fell on top of me pushing me even harder into the burning ground. It was so hot I screamed and tried to push him off of me. “I’m so sorry I just don’t know what we are supposed to do!” He scrambled off of me and pulled me up in one smooth movement. It was still dark, but the glowing floor was bright enough that I could make out the outline of him, and he was huge.

I started to climb back up my hill and he followed, when we got to the top I tried to see if we could see anymore of the room. It was too dark though. Then we heard a deep voice, it sounded like it came from within the entire room yet from outside the room. It was so loud it shook us and made pieces from the pile fall. All it said was: “THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE” I barely had time to register what the voice had said before I feel him shove me off the pile onto the glowing floor. I hit hard, hard enough for the breath to be knocked out of me. I roll away just as I hear him slam to the ground where I was. I struggle to get up, everything is hurting and I am still sticky with blood and trying to catch my Breath. I crawl away while trying to stand up and make it to the other side of the pile.

Continued in Pt. 4 of 4…

© 2017 Mj Gale

The Platform Pt.2

I feel the people around me yet no one is making a noise, all of us anxious for what comes next.

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As we are all pushed forward we step onto another platform, it’s still complete darkness. No one is saying a word. I’m pushed forward even more as we hear the doors of the tram close and feel the gust of wind as it leaves us all standing on the platform in the darkness. I feel the people around me yet no one is making a noise, all of us anxious for what comes next. It feels like an eternity, the quietness, the darkness, the unspoken energy in the room increasing to a level where it feels like you could choke on it. As we continues to wait, we finally see a glimmer of a red light far away.

It flickers almost as if it was toying with us, getting bigger and then flickering away, brighter and then darker and then gone again. When I try to focus on it, the light seems to disappear and then reappear as soon as I avert my eyes. It was then I realized that the room was hot, and getting hotter. I still couldn’t see anything besides the flickering red light in the distance but I can tell the people were starting to take off their coats and clothes. It is so hot I can feel the heat come through my shoes, I’m sweating and I feel my ear start dripping blood again. The light has gotten closer and appears to be constant now even when I stare directly at it, it keeps changing from a red to an orange to a darker red color. I’m almost transfixed by the transformations of it when suddenly I feel myself get pushed to the ground.

The ground is so hot it burns my hands as I began to push myself up. In the commotion someone steps on my hand and I yell out as I feel my finger snap backwards. As soon as I yell out everyone started screaming at once. It happens so quickly that it’s disorienting. I’m trying to get off the burning hot ground while trying to ignore my finger throbbing and everyone is screaming. It is still so dark and I can’t see the flicker anymore. The screams are so loud, I just curl into a fetal position to avoid being crushed again and put my hands over my ears.

I am thankful now, that I didn’t take off my coat even though it was so hot, because now it was protecting me, a little bit at least, from the heat radiating from the floor. I am sweating so much and it is so loud. I am completely disoriented and barely even notice a sudden whooshing sensation, until the deafening silence that followed, and then there is a second whoosh. I stay curled up but try to get a glimpse of something, anything, but it’s still so dark. I hear a thump and then another thump, and then so many thumps and I yell out when something falls on me. I reached to move it off me and scream when I realize it is a head.

Continued in Pt.3 of 4

© 2017 Mj Gale

The Platform – Pt.1

There’s nothing except darkness in the tunnel as we enter it, pure and utter darkness…

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We are standing outside on a platform, all of us jammed together like sardines waiting for the next tram. Everyone is anxious, restless and obviously wants to get on this next one. We feel it in our feet before we see it and everyone simultaneously inches forward. As it rounds the bend we see it come into view, and They are on the roof of it as usual. Everyone hunkers down as the beams start shooting from their guns. The blasts come quick and hot, the person next to me no longer has a face and someone is using his body as a shield. The tram is closer now, coming to a stop in front of us.

The shots are still coming, quick and plentiful. It’s so eerily quiet no one is making any noise. I’m crouching as low as I can, trying not to look at the lady near me who is looking for her arm on the platform underneath everyone’s feet. The doors open and there’s a massive rush of pressure from behind as everyone tries to make it inside. I’m pretty much pushed into the tram as a beam shoots near me. I stumble in and feel blood on me, I put my hand up to my head and feel the bottom part of my ear is missing and bleeding profusely. The doors close and I stare at what’s left on the platform, probably at least 15 bodies laying still, I see the ladies arm but not her, I see a foot lying sideways. I feel the blood dripping down my body from my ear as the tram leaves this platform.

I look around inside and everyone appears dazed, no one really looking at anyone or meeting anyone’s eyes. I look forward towards where the tram is heading and begin to feel nervous again as we get closer to the large mountain ahead. There’s nothing except darkness in the tunnel as we enter it, pure and utter darkness. I glance around again as the last of the light fades and everyone is staring at the floor, blood dripping everywhere, still no noise other than the sound of the tram on the tracks. It feels as if we go on for a really long time in the darkness, long enough for the blood to start to dry on me, when I finally feel the tram start to slow down and then come to a stop. I hear the doors open, there are no lights anywhere, no noise to be heard, just the urgency to move.

Continued in Pt.2 of 4…

© 2017 Mj Gale

The Shrieking Room

Waiting and waiting. I see something flicker at the edge of the fireplace.

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As I am introduced to the husband I take a look around the living room. I ask him to show me the rest of the house, and I take notes as he leads me room to room. He’s rambling on about the various trim and details that they have updated. He leads me to a small door, about half the size of a normal door with a lock on the outside. He opens it and motions for me to go in, alarm bells start going off in my head, but he says the other three bedrooms are this direction. I follow him in, he turns on lights as we go.

We are in a room that is all cedar, nothing sheet-rocked or finished yet. The height is seems to be almost 5 feet total, I’m slouching down as he is. It reminds me of an attic space. I question if this is a bedroom and he looks at me as if I’m crazy. Of course it is. The room is also very narrow, I cannot see where it ends, we continue forward. It seems as if we are going down, in a circular motion. Everything is still bare and empty, no furniture nothing at all. He leads me farther, and it seems by now we are under ground, I’m getting increasingly uncomfortable. I again question him, he gets angry and asks if I even want to see the other rooms or what I’m doing there then. I hesitantly agree and we keep going. I do ask if we are under ground and he says of course.

We finally get to the “bottom”  for the room, or what I’m assuming is the bottom; it’s the end, we can go no farther. On the end wall there is a giant fireplace. It’s hug and extremely ornate, the details are fantastic. It is obviously hand made by someone with exquisite attention to detail. I mention that and he grunts something. I ask what he said and he repeated, I’ll just leave it to you then. He turns around and leaves me. I’m standing there stunned, looking around me and wondering what was happening. I start to walk back when I hear the door at the end lock and then the lights turn off. I scramble for my phone to get the flashlight on and try to figure out what I’m going to do. I’ve dropped my notepad and am starting to panic. I hear a noise from the fireplace and I step closer.

Maybe there’s a way out through there…. As I edge closer I hear the noise get louder. It’s a scratching sound, with a slight screeching noise behind the scratching. I edge closer and closer, the noise is getting louder. I hesitate when my head is right by the opening in the fireplace, I feel a cold musty air coming out of there. The noise is much louder now. My light barely seems to penetrate the darkness from within the fireplace. The scratching is so loud it sounds as if it’s coming closer. Then it stopped. It’s so quiet I can’t hear anything other than my breathing. I’m not moving. Waiting and waiting. I see something flicker at the edge of the fireplace.

What was that….it came out again. And crawled over the edge. It was a giant, humongous spider. bigger than anything I had ever seen or imagined in my life. Easily the size of a football. It’s crawled out and was resting on the mantel of the fireplace, just staring at me, it was so large and so close I could see it’s eyes, just staring. I want to scream but nothing is coming out, I want to run but can’t seem to move. Then I hear more scratching, all of a sudden hundreds more come out of the fireplace, they’re all about the size of a softball.

There are so many of them, just coming out and out of the fireplace, until the entire fireplace is covered with them. The whole wall is covered with them, all just sitting at staring at me, their eyes reflecting in my light, it’s so quiet again. I don’t know what to do. I feel if I move or make a noise something is going to happen, but I’m so terrified I am shaking, my light is shaking which is making their eyes seem even more evil. Then I hear one long continuous shrieking noise…they all seem as though they are one giant being, rocking back and forth to this noise.

I know it is time to move, I’m afraid of making any sudden movements but I start stepping back, step by step. The noise is getting louder and louder, I’m almost far enough away I think, maybe I can turn around and run, but just then the noise gets so loud my ears ring, it’s so loud. They are still there just staring at me, hundreds of eyes reflected in my light… the noise stops, simultaneously just as it stops, they all jump at me. I’m over 10 feet away but they are all on me in that instant. I’m screaming and screaming as I drop my phone and it all goes black…

© 2017 Mj Gale

The Voice Within The Wind

I still couldn’t know for sure what it said but I thought I heard “don’t”.

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It’s dusk. I appear to be in a desert, with one or two trees in the horizon. But it’s windy, I have fabric covering my entire face and body, just my eyes are exposed. I can see a dark shadowy figure in the distance, out by the trees, but when I try to focus on the figure it seems to disappear. It’s very windy and it’s getting darker and darker, instinct tells me I shouldn’t be out here when it becomes fully night.

I try to walk towards the trees but I’m struggling to even stay upright in this wind. I think I can hear something in the wind but I can’t make it out. With each step the distant figure seems closer, it’s not moving but still appears to fade in and out of my sight. I’m finally making progress forward, yet the trees seem to be getting farther, and it’s getting even darker. Somehow the figure appears to be getting closer, it seems almost statue like; Tall, probably well over 7 feet, I think I’m facing its side as it seems extremely narrow.

I’m still struggling with the wind but making better strides. As I’m almost within arm reach of the figure I hear the voice through the wind again. I still couldn’t know for sure what it said but I thought I heard “don’t”.
As my arm is reaching out towards the figure, I feel a vibration through the wind, and I hesitate within an inch of touching it. I can’t see what it’s made out of, but I can feel the icy cold radiating from it before I even touch it. The vibration is getting stronger, and the wind is blowing even harder; it’s almost completely dark now and I’m struggling to stand upright.

I hear the voice again within the wind, crystal clear “DON’T”. I hesitate again, but alas I close my eyes, turn my head and touch the figure. The moment I do the wind stops, the vibration stops, it becomes so pitch black that I can’t see anything, not the trees or even the figure in front of me. It’s eerily quiet. My hand is still touching the figure, the coldness is starting to spread throughout my fingers and up my arm. I try to remove it but I can’t, I try harder, even harder. I scream out In pain as my skin starts to tear from the statuesque figure.

I rip it off all the way, holding my ripped-open, bleeding hand as the wind is suddenly back, instantly I start running towards the trees as fast as I can. I look behind me and see the figure has moved, and is now even bigger than it was. It’s moving towards me fast, and appears to be growing as it comes after me. I hear a different voice now, almost as if its speaking within my head, harsh and ominous, it says “you’re mine now”. I pump my legs as hard as I can but I’m running against the wind, it’s so hard. I look behind me and it’s there. Looming over me. Well over 10 feet tall now, as wide as a four men. I try to turn back around and keep running when I feel it take me over, then everything goes black.

© 2017 Mj Gale

Altered

I heard the stream again but didn’t feel anything, I just keep on running. I turn a few corners, it’s getting darker and darker…

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We are walking up to this large abandoned building. The feeling of excitement is thick throughout our group, we’ve been trying to get into this building for a long time. One guy slips through a broken window, we hear a thump and then a big wide door rolls open. We grab our packs and start exploring. We are all so excited, we can feel it all around. We get through the first floor in no time, not much there of interest. We are about halfway through the second floor when we hear a car outside. Though this wasn’t too unusual; as we weren’t the only ones interested in exploring abandoned places such as this, we did take notice.

I peek out the upper window and see a figure disappear into the doorway we had entered. I get back to the guys and we keep on going deeper into the building. I heard a big thump behind me and turned around, not seeing anything I turned back around. The guys were about 15 feet ahead of me and I was about to call out to them when I hear the thump again. This time I sensed danger, as if it was right behind me. Instinct told me to duck so I did, while simultaneously spinning around. I shout out to the guys to hide, as I stare up into the face of the stranger from earlier.

My gaze rests on an item he is holding; small, about the size of his hand, with a glowing circle on the end, and I can see a trigger. It was aimed over my head and as I kept shouting at the guys one of them turned around to come towards me, he pulled the trigger. A small laser light stream burst out and hit my guy square in the forehead. I screamed and ran over to him, crumpled up on the floor. He wasn’t bleeding and appeared fine, but confused. The laser stream shoots past me again hitting my friend, and he drops to the ground too, writhing around, yet with no blood or anything.

I glance back at the perpetrator as the stream now comes toward me. I turn back around and curled into a tight ball on the ground. I feel it hit me, but I don’t feel any pain. At all. I heard him curse and start towards me. I try to get the attention of my companions, but they both looked at me strangely, as if they had never seen me before… I crawl over to my guy, grab his face, and kiss him, but he quickly shoves me off. He starts speaking, saying something that sounds like complete gibberish. I’m not able to determine a single word, yet he looks as if he knew exactly what he was saying. Something is not right, he’s altered somehow… I looked at my friend who was also hit, and by this time he was standing with a blank look on his face, and mumbling to himself in a completely alien language. Looking back behind me I see that the stranger is closer now, yelling at me to hold still and look at him. I stand up tall, and quickly run the opposite direction of him.

I heard the stream again but didn’t feel anything, I just keep on running. I turn a few corners, it’s getting darker and darker. I don’t have my pack, which conveniently has my light in it, and I’m worried about running into a wall, or falling through a hole. I slow down, as it’s almost completely black. Feeling along the wall with my hands guiding me I move on, while continuously looking behind me, I do not see or hear the stranger pursuing. I know I need to find a way down and out. I pause to try and see if I can hear anything. It is eerily quiet. So I just keep moving forward, with my hands along the wall for what seems like forever.

Finally I feel an opening, it is still so dark, but at the moment, I was actually finding comfort in that. The opening ended up being a stairwell and I again guide myself down. I can see light begin to shine through as I near the bottom. I am back on the first floor, squinting at the light. I think I am on the opposite side of where we entered, it looks vaguely familiar from our pass through earlier. Not hearing or seeing anyone I make myself move as quietly as possible across the first floor, back to the entrance we came into.

As I near it I can see movement out the window. I peek over and through the broken glass, I see the guys! They are with the stranger, out by the car that had arrived. He seems to be directing them to do things, both are unloading items from the trunk, but I can’t quite make out what they are. I cannot figure out why they are doing what he’s directing them to do… why aren’t they putting up a fight…They seem different somehow, oddly they seem more like the stranger… Despite all that, I know I can’t just leave them. I really wish I had my pack, which also has my phone in it… It is what it is, so I back away from the window and walk around to the other side of the entrance, and dart out to hide behind a pillar nearer to the guys.

Now that I’m closer I can see that they’re taking out large tote like plastic containers. They all appear to be filled with the same items; they’re all filled with the same hand held laser things the stranger had! I try whispering to get the attention of the guys, loosing track of the stranger in order to edge closer, I have to help them. I suddenly hear a noise back behind me, towards the entrance. I whirl around, and I find myself staring straight into the laser-stream. Then, everything goes black.

© 2017 Mj Gale