The story is about when I was 17. After finishing exams, my friends and I decided to celebrate by going to the zoo. The zoo had rides and food stalls. It was 8:30, and the place closed at 10. We were late because our friend Hashem was on a date. “Hey, Omar Diab, what did you do?” (Sayed) “Nothing, we all went, and I came straight here.” (Hashem) “Can we get food in an hour and a half?” “Of course, let’s eat and then walk around. That was the plan—never mind, what should we do now?” “I suggest we stroll and enjoy the place.” (Youssef)
As we were walking, I needed to use the restroom. I excused myself and went. Inside, the lighting was dim, and I thought it was a bit neglected, maybe not well-maintained. That’s normal, right? While washing my hands, I felt like someone was with me, and the atmosphere was tense. It couldn’t be someone, right? “Walk away. You’re not supposed to be here. You’ll regret it.” (Genie, demon, something) When I heard those words, my body froze. No, it must be my imagination. Maybe my subconscious mind was playing tricks because I had watched a horror movie a few days ago, but not more than that. I tried to reassure myself, but I was still a bit scared, pretending not to be. I shrugged it off and continued walking. I wasn’t completely at ease, but as we kept walking, I forgot about what happened.
While we were walking, we got hungry and decided to eat. However, Hashem hadn’t eaten yet, so he went to reserve a table. Keep in mind that Hashem was the only one familiar with the place. He went to a place that none of us knew where it was, but no one paid much attention. We were all focused on the menu. When the food was ready, we took it and went to look for Hashem. Hashem seemed to have almost disappeared. We searched everywhere, but he wasn’t there. The food was getting cold, so we decided to eat in a distant place where no one seemed to be. We found an empty table and started eating. Suddenly, the lights went out. We were surprised at first, but when we realized that the place had closed on us, we were shocked and in a silent state. But then we all burst into laughter and ran in different directions. We were alone… for some time. After ten minutes, the lights came back on, but they were red instead of the usual white. The place had changed 180 degrees. The shops, the chairs, even the animals were no longer in their enclosures. We were all scared and bewildered.
Suddenly, something made us all feel like we were in a dream… there were humanoid figures with two legs and animal heads. I wanted to run; I wished I had never existed or that I hadn’t left my house. They were tall, about three meters. All of them were wearing black robes except for a creature with a goat head wearing a red robe like the one in “The Smurfs.” Its horns were sharp and long, and its hands had six fingers, three on each side. One of them spoke in a language we couldn’t understand, not English, Spanish, or French. Its voice was rough and its fangs were stained with blood. It thrust its hand into the abdomen of the creature it had with it and pulled out its entrails from its back. It was holding the heart of the creature. The blood was pitch black, darker than any black in the world. It then entered its fingers into the creature’s heart and sliced it into 100 pieces. It sounded like thunder. The goat-headed creature felt its blood and every beat of its heart. When I saw this scene, I wanted to vomit everything in my stomach. I couldn’t move. Youssef, in a moment of recklessness, ran quickly towards the gate, but the goat-headed creature raised its four arms towards the sky, forming a star with its hands. It closed its eyes, put its hand in front of Youssef, and suddenly… Youssef was cut into a thousand pieces, and his blood drowned the entire area. I was furious; I wanted to kill this creature, but surely I couldn’t get close to it.
I was shocked, and fear gripped me. I couldn’t comprehend the terrifying moment we witnessed. Youssef’s dismembered body lay in a sea of his own blood, and the creature with the red robe vanished. As the remaining creatures, still carrying their black hearts, noticed us, they turned towards us. My instincts pushed me to flee, but fear made me rooted to the ground. The creatures, now closer, emitted an eerie energy. The horned creature spoke in a language that emerged from deep within its throat, unintelligible to us. It pointed towards the black hearts, and I felt an evil energy flowing from them. Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath our feet. The natural scenes of the zoo twisted into a surreal and nightmarish world. The familiar atmosphere warped, as if reality itself was disintegrating. Panic drove us to run aimlessly, attempting to escape this nightmare. As we ran through the distorted zoo, the creatures pursued us quietly and uncomfortably. Their elongated shadows danced on the surreal scene, creating a mysterious backdrop for our desperate escape. The air thickened with an eerie tension, making breathing difficult. We stumbled upon an abandoned structure, hoping to find shelter. Inside, the air was heavy, and the walls seemed to pulsate with unnatural energy. Despair filled the room as we realized there was no way out. In the dim light, we noticed strange symbols engraved on the walls – symbols that seemed to resonate with the presence of the creatures. These symbols began to glow, casting a threatening light. In that surreal moment, we felt an invisible force surrounding us, and the air became charged with a cosmic energy. It was unclear whether this force would protect us or lead us to a dark fate. The story flipped into the unknown. If you’re listening to me now, beware of going to the zoo at night.