I don’t why I took this job.
For a little bit of background, my name is Kingston. This takes place about a good five years ago, when I was 19. I was struggling with financial problems, and my family members were either dying, distant, or just went no contact. I only have my brother now, but he isn’t apart of this story. I was sitting in my room, looking for jobs, as usual since I was in desperate need of one.
The hum of the computer fan filled the dimly lit room as I scrolled through job listings, desperation clawing at my chest with each passing minute. Unemployment had become a suffocating weight, crushing my dreams and draining my savings. But then, like a beacon of hope in the darkness, I stumbled upon an ad that seemed almost too good to be true. “Immediate Hire: $39 per hour, no experience necessary,” the listing proclaimed in bold letters. My heart skipped a beat as I read the words, hope flickering to life within me like a flame in the darkness. It was the lifeline I had been searching for, a chance to escape the suffocating grip of financial ruin and reclaim control over my life. With trembling hands, I clicked on the listing and filled out the application, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I poured my hopes and dreams into the digital form. The questions were standard fare – name, contact information, employment history – but with each click of the mouse, the weight of my desperation grew heavier, a silent plea echoing in every keystroke.
I hit submit with a sense of trepidation, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on me like a leaden blanket. What if it was all a hoax? What if I had just wasted precious minutes of my dwindling time chasing after a dream that would never materialize? But as the minutes stretched into hours and the sun dipped below the horizon, an email appeared in my inbox, illuminating the darkness with its promise of possibility. “Congratulations!” it read, the words dancing across the screen like a beacon of hope. “You have been selected for an interview. Please report to the following address tomorrow evening for orientation.” Excitement surged through me like electricity, sparking a fire within my soul that had long lay dormant. Tomorrow evening couldn’t come soon enough. For the first time in months, I allowed myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, my luck was finally about to change.
As the sun dipped below the horizon and darkness descended upon the city, I allowed myself to dream of a future filled with possibility. I just didn’t realize the job I had applied for would lead me down a path far darker and more sinister than I could have ever imagined.
As Alex handed me the sheet of paper, my fingers shook slightly with anticipation and dread. I unfolded it, revealing a long list of rules written in stark black ink. My eyes scanned the page, each rule sending a chill down my spine.
“Rule number one,” I read aloud, my voice trembling slightly. “Survive until 6 AM.” The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of their implication.
“Rule number two: Monitor the cameras for any anomalies,”
“Rule number three: No leaving the basement until the shift ends,”
I glanced up at Alex, my eyes pleading for some reassurance, but his expression remained stoic and unreadable.
“Rule number four: At 2:25 AM, check under the bed for any entities,”
“Rule number five: If you hear scratching at the door, do not open it,” I continued, my voice growing hoarse with each word. The rules seemed to stretch on endlessly, each one more ominous than the last.
“Rule number six: At 4:45 AM, you may go to bed, but be sure to set an alarm for 5:55 AM to ensure you wake up in time,” I read, relief flooding through me at the thought of a few precious moments of sleep before the night’s end.
“Rule number seven: If you hear laughter echoing through the halls, do not investigate,” I continued, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as I imagined the sinister sound ringing in my ears. As I reached the end of reading rule number seven, a sense of unease settled in the pit of my stomach.
“Well, of course I won’t investigate,” I muttered under my breath, a nervous chuckle escaping my lips.
“Rule number eight: Do not let the clocks strike midnight. The consequences: Time will warp and distort, causing your body to age rapidly before your very eyes, leaving you a withered husk of your former self.” The rules kept getting more confusing, how was I supposed to do this?
“Rule number nine: If you see a figure standing in the shadows, do not make eye contact,”
“Rule number ten: If you feel a sudden drop in temperature, hide immediately and stay quiet.”
“Rule number eleven: If you hear your name whispered in the darkness, do not respond,”
“Rule number twelve: If you encounter a mirror, do not look into it.”
“Rule number thirteen: If you see a door that wasn’t there before, do not open it,” I continued,
“Rule number fourteen: If you hear footsteps echoing through the halls, do not investigate,”
“Rule number fifteen: If you feel a sudden sense of dread, trust your instincts and seek safety,”
“Rule number sixteen: If you encounter a staircase leading downward, do not descend,”.
“Rule number seventeen: If you see a shadow move out of the corner of your eye, do not turn to look,”
“Rule number eighteen: If you hear music playing from an unknown source, cover your ears and run,”
“Rule number nineteen: If you encounter a locked window, do not attempt to escape,”
“Rule number twenty: If you hear a voice beckoning you to follow, do not heed its call,”
“Rule number twenty-one: If you feel a sudden sense of being watched, do not turn around,”
“Rule number twenty-two: If you encounter a door marked ‘Exit,’ do not believe it,” I read, my heart sinking as the realization dawned that there was no escape from this nightmarish labyrinth.
“Rule number twenty-three: If you see a clock ticking backwards, close your eyes and count to ten,”
“Rule number twenty-four: If you hear the sound of children laughing, do not be fooled – they are not children,”
As I reached the second to last rule, my hands grasped on the paper.
“Rule number twenty-five: If you see yourself reflected in a mirror, do not trust what you see – for in this place, nothing is as it seems.” Then, the last rule. I don’t even know anymore.
As I took a deep breath to steady my nerves, a new sense of dread washed over me. My eyes scanned the list of rules once more, searching for any additional guidance in the face of the of Alex. “Rule number twenty-six: The rules will change every night. Stay vigilant and adapt to survive.”
My heart skipped a beat as I read the ominous words, a chill creeping down my spine. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks – not only was I trapped in this nightmarish scenario, but the very rules meant to guide me were in constant flux.
As Alex left the basement, his footsteps echoing faintly in the distance, I was left alone in the dimly lit room. The weight of the rules pressed down on me like a leaden cloak, their ominous warnings echoing in my mind.
As the night wore on, the tension in the air became palpable, thick with the promise of unseen horrors lurking in the darkness. I glanced nervously at the monitors, my heart pounding in my chest as I searched for any signs of movement.
Suddenly, the lights overhead began to flicker, casting erratic shadows that danced across the walls of the basement. I froze, my breath catching in my throat as I watched the flickering lights, a sense of unease creeping over me like a suffocating fog.
Then, without warning, the monitors flickered to life, each screen displaying a different scene of horror and despair. I gasped in horror as I saw images of twisted faces leering out from the darkness, their eyes burning with an otherworldly light.
I tried to look away, to tear my eyes from the horrifying images that filled the screens before me, but I found myself unable to move, transfixed by the sheer terror of what I was witnessing.
As the images continued to flicker and distort, a sense of overwhelming dread washed over me, threatening to consume me whole. I knew I had to break free from the mesmerizing hold of the monitors, to find a way to escape the nightmarish visions that surrounded me.
With a desperate effort, I tore my gaze away from the screens, squeezing my eyes shut against the onslaught of horror. I reached blindly for the flashlight, its reassuring weight a lifeline in the darkness as I struggled to regain control of my rapidly unraveling mind.
As I scanned through the list of rules, a creeping sense of dread washed over me. Each directive seemed more ominous than the last, warning of dire consequences for the slightest misstep. But with a job offer this lucrative, I couldn’t afford to back out now.
As the night wore on, the silence of the abandoned hospital weighed heavily on my shoulders. Every creak of the floorboards, every flicker of the lights, sent shivers down my spine. I kept a vigilant eye on the monitors, scanning for any signs of the entity’s presence.
At 2:25 AM, a chill swept through the room, causing my breath to hitch in my throat. I looked at the monitor, my blood turning to ice as I saw a dark figure materialize under the bed in one of the rooms. It moved with unnatural grace, its eyes gleaming with malice as it reached out with elongated fingers.
Terrified, I froze, unsure of what to do. I knew I had to follow the rules, but every fiber of my being screamed at me to run. With trembling hands, I reached for the intercom, my voice barely above a whisper as I called out for help. But there was no response, only the oppressive silence of the empty hospital.
As the entity drew closer, its presence suffocating, I realized with horror that I had broken one of the rules, but which one?
With my heart pounding in my chest, I frantically searched the rule sheet for any guidance on how to handle this situation. But as I scanned the list, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. There was no mention of what to do if an entity appeared under the bed.
Desperation clawed at my mind as I wracked my brain for a solution. Should I try to confront the entity? Or would that only anger it further? I glanced around the room, searching for anything that could help me escape this nightmare.
But before I could formulate a plan, the entity’s eyes locked onto mine, sending a jolt of fear coursing through my veins. It seemed to sense my hesitation, feeding off my terror like a predator toying with its prey.
With a surge of adrenaline, I made a split-second decision and bolted for the door, my heart pounding in my ears as I sprinted down the hallway. But no matter how fast I ran, the entity was always one step behind me, its malevolent presence pressing down on me like a suffocating weight.
As I reached the stairwell, I stumbled and fell, the impact knocking the wind out of me. Gasping for breath, I struggled to my feet and continued my desperate flight, knowing that my only chance of survival lay in reaching the safety of the outside world.
But just as I reached the exit, a bone-chilling laugh echoed through the halls, freezing me in my tracks. I turned to see the entity looming behind me, its twisted form silhouetted against the dim light of the moon.
With a final burst of adrenaline, I flung open the door and stumbled out into the night, the cold air hitting me like a slap in the face. But even as I fled into the darkness, I knew that the entity would always be there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike again. And as I ran, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had only just begun to uncover the true horrors of this abandoned hospital.
My breath came in ragged gasps as I stumbled through the deserted streets, the echoes of the entity’s laughter ringing in my ears like a relentless taunt. I dared not look back, fearing that its twisted form would materialize behind me at any moment.
Every shadow seemed to conceal a lurking threat, every flicker of movement sending a jolt of panic coursing through my veins. I knew I had to find safety, to escape the clutches of the entity that had haunted my every step since I set foot in that accursed hospital.
But as I rounded a corner, my heart sank at the sight of another dark figure looming in the distance. It stood motionless, its silhouette blending seamlessly with the shadows, as if it were waiting for me to approach.
Fear surged through me like a tidal wave, threatening to overwhelm my senses and drag me down into the abyss of despair. But I refused to surrender to the darkness, to let the entity claim me as its prey.
Summoning every ounce of courage I possessed, I forced myself to continue forward, each step a battle against the paralyzing grip of terror. The figure remained still, its presence a looming specter that filled me with a sense of impending doom.
As I drew closer, the figure began to take shape, its features twisted and contorted into a grotesque mockery of humanity. Its eyes gleamed with malice, sending a shiver of revulsion down my spine.
With a surge of adrenaline, I veered off course and ducked into a nearby alleyway, hoping to lose my pursuer in the labyrinth of narrow streets. But no matter how hard I tried to shake it, the entity remained hot on my heels, its presence a constant reminder of the horrors that lurked in the darkness.
Desperation clawed at my mind as I raced through the maze of alleys, each twist and turn bringing me closer to the edge of sanity. But still, I refused to give up hope, to let the entity snuff out the flicker of light that burned within me.
And as I disappeared into the shadows, a single thought echoed in my mind: I may have escaped the hospital, but the entity would always be waiting, lurking in the darkness, ready to claim its next victim. And until I found a way to break free from its grasp, I would never know true peace again.