The story you are about to read was not lived by me, nor will you learn the names of the people who did.
For their safety they shall remain anonymous and for your safety, don’t go looking for answers. However if you have any information, be it dreams, evidence or personal experiences regarding the nature of this story.
Please share it, the world needs to know.
A Couple, a boy and a girl, wake from a bad dream, and decide to go for a late night walk. 3am is not the most ideal time to go for a stroll, but nightmares could not chase them into the waking world.
They talk of plans for the day as they coast the empty roads, commenting on the homes with darkened windows. Churches with silent bells and old willows illuminated in the orange street lights brought them comfort as they wandered the night.
As time went on they found a path with tall concrete walls and lush green hedges, a bizarre path to take but what harm could come to a little curiosity. As they walk the newly discovered path, walls make way to humble spaces, they begin to see chairs, hanging lights and areas for guests to mingle. Music can be heard and they stumble upon a wedding in session. The groom and bride both wear violet garments as they stare into each other’s eyes. Their wedding party is only 4 in total along with a priest.
“Kinda late to be getting married.” The boy Whispers. The girl, a romantic, playfully swats the boy’s arm “I think it’s cute.” She says with a smile.
The couple do their best to not be seen, heading into a building attached to the outside courtyard with large open doors. They see a child on their own playing near a fountain, a hair salon and spa seems to manifest as they navigate their way through the strange abode, suddenly they are spotted by a worker wearing violet.
They ask “would you like a free 10 minute pamper?” the couple is reluctant and pass on the offer asking if there’s another exit as to avoid disturbing the wedding. The worker insists and soon without warning or agreement their hands are washed, nails clipped and hair brushed. The girl is given a purple coat, the man a purple robe. The worker gestures to a door which they take and thank the employee who bears a perfect smile.
The door leads them to a lobby with glass walls, a large staircase leading down rests in the center of the room, multiple glass encased spaces serve different purposes with hundreds of people moving through the building.
“Isn’t it 3 in the morning? Why are so many people awake here?” Asks the girl holding her partners hand firmly. “Maybe this is some kind of night recreation centre, you know, for the late night folks.” The boy said with little to no confidence.
There’s a room for an exercise class, a cafeteria, a conference room, a painting class and a range of roughly 20 - 30 other rooms all filled to capacity with eager participants.
Everyone is wearing a touch of violet or purple on their gray outfits, the couple seem uneasy as they shuffle through the crowd doing their best to avoid bumping shoulders or impeding the natural flow of the marching crowd. Soon the door they had entered through is lost amongst the purple and gray walls and the couple can no longer navigate the strange glass maze.
They try to blend with the violet clad masses, and search for a way out, there are signs everywhere but only some images make sense. Some signs depict circles with big X’s, a child at a desk, one appears to be a person with a mask, another a swirl with two doors.
“None of these signs make any sense, how does anyone get around this place?” Whispers the boy.
They eventually follow the flow of the crowd to three massive elevators, the floors indicated with the same strange symbols, but one says “BF”.
“Basement floor? Maybe that’s a carpark we can leave from?” The boy says with a wavering hope.
They enter the elevator but notice once again the walls are glass and a man stands on the other side staring at the individuals who board the elevator. The couple do their best to avoid eye contact and press themselves into the corner, facing away from the strange onlooker.
Three other individuals also get on sporting purple name tags, Rhaj, a slender man with a purple sweater, brown stains creeping up the edges of his sleeves and his dark black hair seems to not want to stay in place as he’s constantly slicking it backward. Adam, a man with a purple handkerchief in their pocket, loose charcoal vest and thick rimmed glasses in front of vibrant blue eyes. Followed by a woman named Mel who seems to be wearing purple disposable gloves, a well pressed gray shirt with her brown hair done up in a bun.
As the elevator begins to move they all turn to the unsettled couple.
“What floor?” Rhaj asks.
“BF, please” the couple replied, doing their best not to stutter their request.
Rhaj smiles and hits the button, the doors seem to seal as a light hiss of air can be heard. With a light jolt the large glass chamber begins to move.
“I like your picture, did you draw that in art class?” Rhaj points to the boy’s arm inquisitively. Caught off guard the boy looks to his arm and sees the faded tattoo of a tree he’d got to represent his new start in the city. “No, it’s a tattoo, it’s inked onto my skin.” The boy explains pulling up his sleeve to allow for a better view. “A tattoo you say? I would love a tattoo, where do you get one?” “A tattoo shop, there’s one close by…” The boy is cut off as Mel speaks up. “Rhaj, the rules state the modification of one’s skin is prohibited, you know that.” Rhaj’s smile fades as he returns to standing in silence. Adam speaks up “Rhaj you should get a tattoo, the rules here are way too strict.” Rhaj smiles again. Mel looks displeased with Adam, and can be seen writing in a notepad they retrieved from their pocket. The couple suddenly notice how slow the elevator is moving. “Why are we going so slow?” Asks the girl. Mel perks up “We are precious cargo, you can’t be too safe and we’re going quite a ways.” “I thought this elevator was going to the bottom floor?” The girl’s question sadly went unanswered as the other riders began to give one another silent looks.
As the elevator continues to descend the couple can see a school full of children learning at their desks, an assembly line with conveyor belts transporting boxes, a group of purple clad people exercising and breaking into a heavy sweat.
“What is this place?” Asks the girl, as they passed another floor with purple uniformed workers. Mel chimes in “Purple paradise, the center for wellness and life.” “So is this place an office? Or some kind of spa?” Adam answers with a matter of fact tone. “Actually it’s closer to a hotel that meets all your needs, people live, eat, sleep, work and coexist here everyday.” “Wait, you all live here? But doesn’t it cost money.” Asks the boy still holding his partners hand. Rhaj answers with delight “Not a penny! But we have to follow strict rules.” Mel recites them with pride. Be kind to one another Your body is a temple Your mind should be unclouded by outside temptation The paradise provides The staff are to be respected and orders must be followed
Before she can continue, suddenly the elevator stops, Mel looks at the opening doors at a hall lined with purple wooden entances. “This is me.” She says exiting the lift. “Be sure to tell them the rest of the rules Adam and follow those rules if you know what’s good for you newcomers.” The doors close behind her as she is seen removing her disposable gloves.
Rhaj and Adam both look at the couple. Adam leans closer and begins to whisper, “You shouldn’t listen to her, she’s just like the rest, and if I were you I’d stay on this elevator and ride it back to the school floor. There’s an inner set of staircases that can get you to the other floors.”
The couple looked concerned. “Hey we just stumbled into this place, we don’t live here.”
Rhaj joins the whispering “There’s a few like you, people who end up here by accident, but Adam and I were born here, most of us were. People who just stumble in either stay for good or they disappear.”
The girl with a tone of worry, repeats. “disappear?”
Suddenly the elevator stops again, Adam turns to see its his floor, the words Psych eval can be seen above a white door in a purple room. He turns without another word and heads for the exit, not before he mouths the word “staircase” as the doors close.
Rhaj is the last remaining passenger, “My floor is coming up soon, you should listen to Adam, he’s been trying to get people to leave purple paradise for a while now.”
The couple both ask in unison, “why can’t people leave on their own?”
“Because we’re precious cargo” Rhaj answers with no emotion in his tone.
The elevator opens once again and Rhaj steps out, this time the floor is a factory of sorts and the smell of meat is strong.
“I liked your tattoo.” He says as the doors close once again.
The couple being the only ones left begin to panic, “what the hell is this place?” Asks the girl, the boy seems to be thinking over their options.
When the doors open once again, the elevator indicates BF. The smell of stale wet air wafts into the elevator, poking their heads out but quickly retracting them as they see nothing but darkness on this floor.
“That’s no car park.” Mumbles the boy.
They press the button for the school floor and begin to rise in their glass elevator. Best follow what little help they’ve been given. The two hold hands as a feeling of unease washes over them, they reach the school level and disembark.
They see children at desks, and pass roughly 20 classrooms packed with kids. Every wall is made of glass aside from the walls that seem to encase the space in its entirety. Teachers point to digital screens, odd symbols race across while children answer with eager response.
The couples pace slowly quickens as they begin to frantically look for an exit. They can feel eyes on them as the glass walls expose their investigating, children begin to turn and point while teachers reach for walkie-talkies at their hips. Their panic stricken search is interrupted when suddenly they are confronted by a man in purple attire, buzzed hair and a wide frame. The purple uniform he wears is closer to that of mechanical overalls, with well pressed fabric and a small pin on his chest depicting a bizarre symbol. He reveals a devilish grin as he displays the name Howard written on his id tag.
“You seem lost little lambs.” He says with another unnatural smile as he grabs the arm of the boy.
“Whoa dude get off me.” The boy fires back with a rebellious tug.
More staff are beginning to surround the couple, all dressed in purple attire. The girl grabs a nearby backpack full of books and slams the man’s head, sending him to the floor. The couple begin to run, the boy thanks his partner, they both agree this place is not safe.
They find a staircase with similar strange symbols written in purple and begin to descend as they can hear footsteps from above. They enter a random floor and find themselves on a hospital level, they grab hospital scrubs and throw them on trying to blend in. Discarding the purple coat and robe. The couple walk with purpose through the bizarre glass walled hospital wing, avoiding as many eyes as they can.
Staff can be seen running around, some with guns on their hips and batons at the ready. “Are they looking for us?” The boy asks but suddenly he’s tugged at the arm as the girl points into one of the glass operating rooms. “What are they doing…?”
A team of purple lab coat wearing doctors are slowly removing an organ from a patient on the operating table. The organ is placed in a box and taken away by a nurse, doctors continue to work on the patient as the couple watch in horror. One after another, organ after organ is removed and taken away. Heart, liver, lungs, placed neatly into their own purple cases followed by the rest of the human anatomy.
The couple doesn’t stay to watch and begin looking for an exit, they pass countless rooms, each depict a similar operation,
“They’re harvesting the organs.” The boy says, “this has to be some kind of black market for human parts.”
The girl in a panic pulls out her phone, “We have to call the police.”
“No service.” Says the boy. “I checked earlier, we’re on our own.”
Walking with other nurses the couple is able to navigate the strange glass walled hospital and locate another set of stairs.
Following it further down, avoiding the staff in purple. The next floor is filled with grass and the couple can see the sky, they breathe in a sigh of relief as the only thing separating them from the outside is a simple fence less than a 50ft from the two. They must have been running around for the past 3 hours with the sun up now, they look around to see the building behind them is tall and reaches high into the sky. Its surface is similar to that of plastic and its structure seems unlike anything the two have ever seen. Windows populate the surface and they spot the silhouettes of people watching from multiple floors, unmoving and still.
Other residents seem to be enjoying the warm rays, but one suddenly catches their attention. Adam is on the edge of the field next to the fence preaching to the others.
“Look, there’s so much more beyond paradise, there’s an entire world beyond the walls, all you have to do is get over your fear! Forget the rules and see what’s really out there!”
Adam seems far more irate than he was previously in the elevator, staff have gathered around him, one bares a needle.
“Now Adam, you know the rules, number 10, say it with me.”
“Once you enter paradise, you cannot leave.” The couple look shocked as they try to blend in with a small crowd gathered near a door to the building housing the other residents.
“What bullshit is this, the girl whispers under their breath.” The boy suddenly gestures to the blue sky above, “We’re still inside.” A massive screen flickers for a moment depicting a bright cloudy day.
Suddenly their attention is pulled back to Adam who seems to be yelling now. “Fuck your rules, this place isn’t paradise its a prison, I want to see the world, I want to leave!”
“Then leave” the staff member says. Adam looks confused and turns to a small section of fence that has been removed. A symbol with a large X carved through a circle can be seen adjacent to the small opening. With hesitation he begins to walk towards the break in the fence, the moment his foot crosses the threshold he stops to bask in his triumph. “I did it.” He says with a soft tone.
A loud bang erupts from the building behind him and Adam drops to the floor, his head splayed open like a ripe tomato. The couple both cling to each other for support, another resident sobs quietly. Another mutters under their breath “Should have followed the rules.”
The couple seeing this, begin to slowly back away towards the staircase entrance once again doing their best to sneak away unnoticed. The staff member addresses the purple paradise residents with a smile and taps her clipboard.
“Remember the rules my little lambs, or you’ll end up like poor Adam.”
The last they see of Adam is his body being zipped up in a bag and thrown unceremoniously into a chute nearby.
With no other options but down, the duo head to a lower floor, this time, they are met with a mass of purple storage containers, dry ice clouds seem to descend off their edges and a chill can be felt. They walk for what seems like hours, passing countless boxes marked with odd symbols and numbers. The boy rubs the shoulders of his partner trying to warm her but his curiosity gets the better of him as he investigates the storage containers himself. Frost has built up near its handles and strange zigzag symbols are painted on the door.
Unlatching the cold metal handles he swings the door open and peers into a well lit room. Inside he finds people wearing purple hospital gowns, they shiver from the cold and stare at the boy. As if frozen in fear the boy cannot speak a word, fearing he had been caught he’s only able to wave expecting a response. The pale humans stare with blank expressions, refuse to move and simply peer at him, with a horrible gut feeling the boy closes the frigid doors once again. The boy turns to his partner and shivers with the realization that these containers, which number in the thousands, are filled with the chilled bodies of people waiting to die.
The two make for the nearest staircase, hiding near a stairwell momentarily as a group of guards continue to search for them. After a moment of batted silence the two open the next pair of doors they can find. The unfortunate couple find themselves in a factory, large machines hiss and whirl with power as conveyor belts carry purple sealed boxes and crates into dark tunnels. They sneak along the large polished chrome walls and spot a worker chopping meat, finding a crate to hide behind nearby the girl suddenly turns away in disgust. The boy peers at the workstation of the purple employee and notices what they are butchering. Hands are gathered in a bin, legs are placed neatly in a plastic box. The torsos are hung on swinging meat hooks, their guts and innards removed before the meat can be processed. “But where are the heads..?” The girl asks the question but the boy has no answer, nore does he want one.
The couple do their best to avoid making sounds of disgust as their stomachs turn from the sight. They quickly follow the conveyor belts to find a door that will lead them away from this gruesome slaughter house.
As they enter the new location they find themselves in a viewing room, a seamless glass wall separates them from a pure black space, a staff member seems to peer in their direction as they lead a group of children into the empty space but does nothing to acknowledge them. “I don’t think they can see us.” Says the girl. “A one way mirror maybe?” Whispers the boy.
With the children lined up, and placed on their appropriate spots, people wearing colors other than purple are walked into the room. They pace back and forth investigating the kids in purple with blank expressions.
One gentleman with salt and pepper hair, in a black suit leans over to one of the smaller children and says, “she looks healthy, I think she’ll have a fine heart to replace my daughters.” He discreetly hands a staff member a purple envelope with a gold seal.
Another woman in a red dress, blonde and toting an expensive bag, lifts a small boy no older than 5 and says “I’m going to be your mommy.” She showers the boy in kisses leaving red lipstick on his cheeks.
A man in a purple vest approaches the woman, a piece of paper rests on a clipboard. The woman smiles and removes a small pin from her bag, pricking her finger; she signs the lower half of the page with her bloody index and begins to cradle the emotionless child.
“Organ harvest, then murders and now human trafficking!?” The girl says, trembling with fear and disgust. “This place can’t be real.” The boy says, gripping his partner’s hand.
With enough horrors to last a lifetime the couple follow the glass partition to another staircase, however when following its steps downward they arrive at the bottom.
“BF” can be seen above the door frame. “I’m not sure we should go in.” Says the boy, the girl in response pulls out her phone and lights the way with her built-in flash light. “We have to, only hell awaits us if we turn back.”
With a deep breath the two lock hands and head into the darkness.
Navigating the massive room, the couple can hear their footsteps echo back to them. With a whisper the girl asks “how big do you think this room is?” “At least 100 yards, our light can’t reach the walls; the echo travels far and I swear I hear machines somewhere further in.”
With caution, the two continue further into the darkness when suddenly a large pile of cardboard boxes come into view. Each with strange purple symbols, some seem to depict vegetables or other food items. While others appear to show strange geometry, impossible shapes and odd swirls.
“What could be in these?” The girl asked, scanning more and more boxes with her light. The now empty room seemed to clutter with hundreds if not thousands of containers all covered in strange symbols.
The boy, once again allowing curiosity to take hold opened a nearby box with an odd purple triangle on the side. Carefully lifting the lid he revealed what looked to be perfectly cut steaks, air sealed and packed neatly.
“I hope that’s cow.” The boy said with images of the human slaughter still fresh in his mind.
The girl suddenly grabs the boy by the arm tugging him into a crouch, scanning the darkness the boy spots the reason for the sudden action of his partner.
A large forklift painted in purple can be seen moving boxes on pallets roughly 30 ft from the two, they watch as the boxes are hoisted into the air and carried to a massive lift, illuminated with dim glowing bulbs.
Unmanned and with plenty of space to hide, the two agree in silence to make for the lift and get out of this dark warehouse. With haste they slink from box pile to box pile avoiding the workers and the newly arrived staff bearing flashlights and un-holstered pistols.
Finding a corner on the lift behind a collection of purple crates the two huddle together trying to appear as small as possible. Flashlights scan over their heads but they breathe with ease as moments later the lift begins to rise.
“Do you think we’ll get out?” The girl asks “I’ll kill anyone who tries to stop us.” The boy replies with conviction.
After a brief ride, far shorter than the initial elevator trip, the couple find themselves in the back half of a grocery store. The ceiling seems to stretch high into the air, rows of freezers line the walls and a single worker walks from crate to crate checking a list on a clipboard. A cleaver swings from their hip as they saunter up to the lift full of new products.
Trying to avoid being spotted the two push against the boxes but stumble and let a large tower of cardboard fall behind them. With a gasp the two ready themselves for a scuffle but are relieved to see Rhaj had discovered them.
“Hey, you’re the newcomers I met in the elevator, what are you doing among this fresh produce?” With a smile he helps up the shaken couple.
The boy shakes Rhaj’s shoulders “Rhaj, you need to help us, the staff are looking for us, we saw them execute Adam and we uncovered some truly messed up shit on the other floors. They’re trying to kill us, they’re going to kill us.” With desperation shaking his voice the boy pleaded with a stranger he’d only met moments ago, but to the couple, it felt like days.
Rhaj, with a reluctant voice, explains. “I’m sorry, but rule 27 states I must perform my duties when I’m ordered to work, and rule 39 states one cannot help a newcomer who seeks to leave paradise.” Tapping his clipboard emphasizing the rules he begins to reach for a walkie talkie on his sweater.
Before Rhaj could radio their location the boy grabbed his arm and the pen from his other hand, with some quick lines and fast penmanship the boy scribbled the picture of a flower on Rhaj’s arm.
“Look.” The boy revealed his arm next to Rhaj’s. “Now you got a tattoo just like me, come with us, and I’ll make sure you get a real one, I swear it.”
Rhaj with a cracked smile admired the flower and with eyes lit with determination nodded to the couple. “OK, I’ll show you out. Follow me.”
“Thank you Rhaj, we’ll show you everything the outside has to offer.” The girl said with hope in her voice.
Rhaj led the way, the couple following close behind. Pushing open a set of swinging doors the trio found themselves in the aisles of an impossible grocery store, shelves filled with product twisted and turned like a dystopian labyrinth, displays of purple produce shimmered on bright screens and the freezers looked to have meats of all variety piled to its ceiling.
Navigating the bizarre layout of the store, Rhaj seemed to know these ailes well and soon the escapees were running, taking lefts and rights at random intersections avoiding any purple wearing staff patrolling the aisle.
The exit was in sight as Rhaj turned to the couple “Only a few more turns.” When he was suddenly interrupted as 4 purple staff members jumped the fleeing group.
The boy hit the ground blocking a barrage of baton strikes, the girl was pressed against a shelf of purple cans, she clawed at her attackers face and arms in a desperate attempt to not be choked. All while Rhaj stood watching the other two staff draw their pistols.
Through multiple strikes the boy cried out. “Rhaj, help!” His cries were answered as a splatter of blood suddenly coated the boy’s face. A large chrome cleaver was now wedged into the assaulting staff members neck and quickly retracted. Within a breath Rhaj raised the cleaver once again and struck the staff member holding the girl against the shelving.
In the scuffle the boy removed the Pistol from his attacker’s holster and fired two shots into the other staff, who had yet to raise their weapons fully. The gun fire rang out through the impossible grocery store and shouts could be heard from the other ailes.
“Get up! Come on!” The Screams of his partner shook the boy from his shock and he joined his liberator in a sprint, holding the arm carrying the gun.
“There’s the exit!” Rhaj shouted as he pointed to a wall of automatic doors, only a few feet away. Escape was within their reach, but the staff had caught up. 6 more purple uniform men appeared from the aisles, batons at the ready.
Rhaj in a moment of realization spun on his heels and faced the approaching staff members. “Go!” He yelled to the couple who had stopped just moments before their escape.
“Rhaj! Forget them! What about our deal!?” The boy pleaded with gritted teeth trying to overcome the pain in his limbs.
With a raised arm, cleaver in hand, Rhaj revealed the crudely drawn tattoo and yelled. “Rule number 1 be kind to one another!” And with a roar that could shake a man to his core Rhaj flung himself into the group of purple uniform men, swinging his cleaver and taking a barrage of baton strikes upon his body.
Seeing the sacrifice of Rhaj the couple would not let his conviction go to waste, and so, using what little energy they had left they ran into the cold chilled night time air. The couple found themselves in an empty parking lot, a sign behind them reading “Purple Paradise” in bright violet neon illuminated the gravel parkade with an ominous purple hue.
“I got service, I’m calling the cops.” The girl said between bated breaths. But before she could make the call, red and blue lights began to light up the street ahead.
“Looks like they’re already here.” Said the boy sliding the gun into his back pocket.
Within seconds a squad car rolled into the parking lot of the grocery store, a single officer stepped out and what the couple hoped would be words of assurance were suddenly met with yells and demands.
“On the ground! Now!” The officer pointed to the gravel lot, a hand on their holster and a stern look on their face.
The couple raised their hands and began to kneel, the rocks dug into their knees as they followed the commands of the officer.
“You’re both under arrest for destruction of public property, trespassing and assault. Let’s hope that’s all you’ve done or you’re going away for a long time, you two trouble makers better cooperate.”
The girl looked at her partner, confusion painted on her face.
With pain running through his raised arms the boy looked over to the officer who was slowly approaching with handcuffs for each of them. He scanned the officer, noting everything on their person. His blood ran cold when he noticed upon his chest a small purple pin in the shape of a weird symbol, attached to his lapel.
“No way.” The boy mouthed and before the officer could make their way around to handcuff his partner he pulled the gun from behind his back and fired the remaining shots into the officers chest.
Grabbing his partner by the hand he let the officer bleed out in that impossible grocery store parking lot.
Jumping into the driver’s seat of the squad car the two drove off into the night leaving the purple paradise behind them.
With no one to trust and with no way of proving what transpired that night, the two lovers ditched the cop car in a nearby lake along with the empty pistol, taking the dash cam with them for good measure. They retreated to their small condo on the other side of town, somehow they had traveled more than a mile away from their home during their late night walk.
They tried to speak of what happened, what they saw, the sights they witnessed, the acts of violence they committed but words could not heal the wounds that night had inflicted.
Searches and research bore no answers, the pathway with concrete walls and tall hedges had vanished. The impossible grocery store was an empty construction site and the abandoned body was never discovered. No news, no leads, no trace of the purple paradise.
The only way the lovers could be sure the night had happened were the purple scrubs covered in dirt and sweat still in their possession, the dash cam from the squad car now broken and dismantled, and the blood under their fingernails.
Once in a while they would wake at 3am, look to each other, both knowing their nightmares shared a similar purple hue and resolve themselves to return to bed. For they knew, rule number 3, your mind should be unclouded by outside temptation.