I’ve lived at this complex for a few months now. The people and things that live here are far from normal to say the least. Things that nightmare’s are even afraid of. I can’t leave, because it wont let me. The complex provides everything I need to survive if you know where to go. The only safe place is my room, #224 and it’s finally provided me with a computer to reach the outside world. It knows it can trust me now and I’m no longer trying to leave. This place is my home now. I’ve accepted that.
The thing that runs this place takes the form of a male bellhop in a straw boat hat and names itself, Winthorp, but I’ve seen what it really is and what it can do. It is God here and as long as we’re in its realm there’s nothing anything can do here about it. It mostly stays in the lobby’s concierge desk if you ever wish to speak to it directly, but we all know its placement and appearance is just a formality to make us feel at least a little comfortable in our home. It and the complex are connected and yet separate. A god in a living universe together in symbiosis. They’re both mostly harmless as long as you abide by the rules.
You’d think these rules would stop anything from hurting you, but all those rules did was make the things that live here more creative in what they can do to you. There are things worse than death and pain. I’ve seen some that have fallen victim to the other tenant’s creativity. Like me there are some humans that live here and other mortal beings from either different worlds, realities, times and everything beyond & between. Some have abilities of their own and some are nothing more than mortals with flesh and blood like myself. I’ve learned some things while living here and how to survive. The most recent was the victim of Him and Her.
Him and Her are dangerous to say the least, but minor compared to the other things I’ve seen. Him and Her are shadow people, but not the kind that you know of. The two don’t peek around corners or disappear when you see them. They make sure you can see them. The fear you permeate just makes the game more fun to them. Imagine a great white shark in an open ocean that’s bored and all there is, is you and him. You can’t escape them. There’s shadows everywhere and the shadows are their room.
The first you will see is Him. I’ve seen Him, but for now he has no interest in me. Just seeing Him won’t make you a target. That just means you have his curiosity, but not his interest, yet. He is a tall shadow man. They can change their size and shape, but most often he’s about 7 feet tall. Looks as if he’s wearing a fedora hat and long coat. He has no features and is as black as the darkest void. If you try to stare at him you’ll only make yourself a target. The only reason why I know his appearance is because I rode the elevator with Him a few times and only once alone. Only glance, but never stare.
Luckily I know better than to stare at anything in this place and I thought I was his new target until we seemingly reached his floor first and he was gone. They only appear and disappear. Even they can’t seem to travel boundless in this place and luckily the complex is always illuminated pretty well. There’s rumors that they’re the reason why rule 5. was created since the shadows are their domain. Can’t have them messing with its lights as they please I guess. If you see him too much that means you’ve caught his attention, but he’s not what you should be worried about. If he’s following you that means run and hide. Him is warning you. Her is coming.
One day however, on my way back to my room. I got about half way to my door before looking down the long hallway and seeing Him staring. I averted my gaze to respectably let him continue, but when I looked back he was still there. At this time I’ve only heard tales of what this means. I gave Him one more chance and averted my gaze to check again. He was still there. Taking no chances I began running in His direction towards my room. Your room is safe and I heard he’s not the one I should be afraid of. I ran as fast as I possibly could and heard footsteps quickly gaining on me from behind. Looking back will only slow me down. I pushed as hard as I could towards my room. Running and hearing those steps gaining on me easily.
Suddenly I was violently pushed to the right side of the hall with the force of a hulking beast. I guarded my face to try and stop what should be impossible to happen to me only to hear the running continue down the hall where I was running towards. I looked and saw that I wasn’t being chased. I was in the way of another apex predator that was now just as far down in the food chain as me. A wendigo.
Due to the rules of the complex some things in this place are made entirely handicapped to hunt. One of these things was a Wendigo that I’ve seen from time to time. We passed each other in the hall and I’ve seen other Wendigos too living here. They are no push over. Standing tall they can match the height of Him. They’re skin to bone skinny. The palest of white skin. Their lips and eye libs have rotted off from hunting and feeding leaving only dangling rotten raw flesh. Their eyes are always open and vigilant, but clouded like a blind man. They have almost no gums left to show the full display of what was once human looking teeth.
Long but few inky black hair remained on this one. Its hands and feet are at least twice as long as a humans. Their nails on their hands and feet match the status of their teeth. Black with rot, but long and sharp to hunt their prey. Black veins that once pumped blood in their human lives and now just holding coagulated remains. In the right circumstance even a weak one can wipe out a small well armed village. Even though they’re not allowed to harm me I always gave them a respectable distance and this one was running for its life. I looked toward where it was running from and regretfully wished I hadn’t. That’s when I saw Her.
Her is similar to Him in base appearance. A shadow woman. Tall and thin. She towers over Him and looks as if she’s wearing a gown. Her hair flows away from her head and moves like the wind gently blowing it all around. They dance so slowly and methodically like they’re hypnotizing you, but what makes her all the more terrifying is unlike Him, Her has a face. Like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland she only has a mouth and eyes. Her features float in the void that would be her face.
Teeth that look like they each belong to a different thing. Varying is sizes, shapes and colors. Some babies, some are adults, fangs, healthy and new and some rotten and old from age. They form into a long wide smile. She wears more than the average person and the edges continue almost infinitely into the darkness and rotate like two carousels turning in opposite directions like she’s displaying her treasures. Her eyes have no lids and are yellow and bloodshot. The only thing darker than Her and Him is the pupils that sit in the center of eyes. She is a nightmare’s nightmare and now I’ve had the misfortune of being one of the few to see Her.
I heard what sounded like a screech mixed with a roar and turned back to the right where the wendigo was running to. Somehow she was already there even though I was just looking at Her to my left. She was in front of the wendigo and had Her fingers digging into its back and pulling it towards Her. The wendigo tried with all of its might to pull back, but even with the strength of being able to rip apart a tank with its bare hands it was still no match for Her. It screamed and roared in a feeble attempt to fight back, but the only resistance it was putting was Her letting it know how weak it was in comparison.
I watched in terror as she had enough of Her game and pulled in her meal. Her eyes locked on her prize and even being made of shadow she still dug her long black fingers deeper into the wendigo’s back. Her long arms slowly reeled in her catch and all the once feared monster could do is scream. It tried with all of its might and will to run away. I watched Her ever so slowly pull in the terrified creature. I felt sorry for it.
She took its left leg and pressed it into Her chest and the wendigo’s food was immediately consumed into the void. She slowly pulled the creature into her body and the monster screamed louder. I heard wendigos can’t feel pain, but whatever she was doing was far past whatever pain was. She pulled more and more of the creature into herself and rolled her eyes up with her head slightly tilted back as if she was thoroughly enjoying her meal. The poor thing reached out to me and even with barely any features left I can see it begging and pleading for my help in its face.
I couldn’t help but whisper, I’m sorry. I watched as Her hand covered the beast’s face and smothered its screaming head into Her body. The wendigo’s right arm that was still reaching out fell limp after its head was consumed. I watched as the last remaining limb of the now defeated beast faded into the darkest black. Her was still looking up, savering her meal. The shadows are Him and Her’s room and all she did was apply rule 4., for Her, Him and all the shadows are their room.
She snapped back downwards and focused on me. I immediately covered my face and shut my eyes as hard as I could. Sitting on the floor in the hallway in the fetal position. I noticed I can still see Her face even with my eyes closed. The shadows are Her room and my eye lids are no exception. I opened my eyes immediately at this realization, but looking around in the light. They were all gone. The wendigo, Him and thankfully Her.
I took a second to gather myself and proceeded back to my room. I’m going to stay inside for a few days after this incident. My room is safe. However, I’ve seen what else lives in this complex. Him and Her are nothing compared to some of the other horrors that live here and even if they were top of the food chain. They are but ants to Winthorp and The Pandemonium Complex.