I just woke up this morning and had a memory flood back to me. It almost feels like a dream but was so real:
As the final bell rang, releasing us from the confines of our prison like classrooms, my friends all ran off to hang out or do their useless homework. My path, however, veered away from the cold, lonely sidewalk leading home. An otherworldly curiosity tugged at the edges of my consciousness, pulling me towards the outskirts of town where the forest lay, ominous and imposing.
It probably wasn’t the wisest decision to skip the school bus and venture into the woods, but an invisible force seemed to take control of me and guide my steps. The forest beckoned with an horrific yet welcoming call, promising secrets and excitement beyond the confines of this reality. I wandered deeper into the wilderness, leaving behind the laughter of my peers and the safety of familiarity.
The sunlight filtered through the dense canopy above, creating a mesmerizing pattern of shadows on the forest floor. The air grew cooler, and an eerie silence replaced the distant hum of the town. A soft whisper, barely audible, reached my ears, calling my name as if carried by a breeze straight from hell. Unbeknownst to me, the calm afternoon had morphed into an extraordinary journey into the abyss.
The trees towered overhead like ancient sentinels, the once familiar path became a labyrinth of intertwining roots and overgrown foliage. The whispering grew more insistent, as if the very essence of the woods yearned to share its mysteries with me.
As I ventured deeper, the line between reality and fantasy blurred. Shadows seemed to move with a life of their own, and the air vibrated with an unearthly energy. I pressed on, unable to resist the pull of the unseen force that guided me. The forest, once a backdrop to my life, had become a living entity. It beckoned me, promising adventure and hidden wonders. Against my better judgment, I followed the voice until I stumbled upon an ancient cabin. It looked abandoned, with ivy-covered walls and a rusty, creaking door. As I cautiously entered, the door slammed shut behind me, trapping me in a world beyond my understanding.
The inside of the cabin was nothing like I expected. It was larger than any house in town, with winding corridors and endless rooms. The air felt thick and suffocating. I wandered through the maze of hallways, marveling at the strange symbols etched into the walls.
As the day dragged on, I couldn’t find my way back. The cabin seemed to play tricks on me, reshaping itself whenever I thought I’d found an exit. I stumbled upon a room that appeared to defy the laws of physics – it was impossibly vast, yet within the walls of the cabin.
My throat felt dry and scratchy, reminding me that I hadn’t had any water since I entered the woods. Desperation led me to discover the source of a persistent dripping sound. A slimy gray sludge was seeping through the walls, forming small puddles on the floor. I cupped my hands and drank greedily, the taste metallic and unsettling. But hunger silenced any reservations I had.
As days turned into a blur, I lost track of time. The walls seemed to close in, and the whispering grew louder. The symbols on the walls seemed to shift when I blinked, their meaning elusive. The rats became my only companions, I talked to them about how I could get out, and if I ever wanted to get out.
One day, I noticed them scurrying out of the corners of the rooms. Hunger had taken over, and my instincts dulled. I caught one that ate it raw, the smell nauseating yet sweet. It tasted like desperation, but it kept me alive.
I became more disconnected from reality. Shadows danced on the periphery of my vision, and the whispering intensified. It wasn’t just in my head – it was everywhere, echoing through the walls like a chorus of the damned. I had become a prisoner in this labyrinthine of nightmares.
In my desperate attempt to find an exit, I stumbled upon a room that seemed to defy the laws of time. The air felt heavier, and the walls pulsed with a crazed energy. I could sense something watching me, a malevolent presence that hid in the darkness.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. my mind unraveled. I scribbled madly on the walls, the scratches on the wood resembling the erratic patterns of thy other symbols. I found myself licking the dampness from the walls, my thirst insatiable. The water tasted like death, but it sustained me in this ever-changing purgatory.
I wandered aimlessly, chasing glimpses of reality that slipped through my fingers like sand. The shadows whispered secrets, promising knowledge beyond comprehension. I could feel the walls closing in, the cabin alive with an intelligence that mocked my feeble attempts to escape.
I had lost all sense of self, consumed by the darkness that clung to the cabin’s walls. The symbols danced before my eyes, their meaning elusive yet tantalizing.
I devoured the rats with a primal hunger, the taste of their flesh no longer repulsive. I had become one with the twisted reality of the cabin. Time was an illusion, and I was a mere puppet in the hands of an unseen force.
My writing became incoherent, the words bleeding into each other like the distorted reality around me. I scratched feverishly, the rock biting into my trembling hands. The last entry, a testament to my descent into madness, read:
“I am lost. The whispers consume me. The walls breathe. Shadows dance. Rats are my sustenance. The symbols mock me. Time is an abyss. The cabin is alive. I am no more.”
As I etched those final words into the plank of wood, the whispering reached a crescendo. The cabin seemed to implode, collapsing in on itself. Darkness enveloped me, and the world dissolved into a void of eternal silence.