Everyday after work, I casually ride my bike home. Everytime I always pass by this patch of woods, I always see what appears to be an abandoned farm building. I wonder to myself, “Is it a barn or a house”
Every. Single. Day.
I can never work up the courage to explore because everytime stop and consider, I feel a set of eyes pierce my soul but I can never find the origin of who or what is looking at me. I also found it really peculiar because there were no residents or people nearby, besides the occasional vehicle that passes me.
The next day, I get a notification on my mobile phone
“SEVERE T-STORM” “FIND SHELTER”
I can barely make out the words as it started to violently pour. I had to make a decision, either ride through the storm for 10 miles, high winds, low visibility and a chance of dying or find the nearest shelter in the vicinity.
Well, turns out I was near that patch of wood at the time. The screams of thunder sound very close.
So I thought the best thing in mind was to head towards the mysterious structure and hunker down until the storm passes.
As I walk closer to the decrepit structure, I can recognize that it has 2 floors due to the window placement. I pushed several branches out of the way as I ease my bike in through the open front door.
As I walk through the front door I can notice that everything was blanketed in a thick layer of dust.
I traverse into the kitchen, tarnished silverware greeted me on the table where lonely, untouched plates sat.
As I walked back into the living room a monstrous boom shook the whole room, knocking forgotten knick knacks off of the shelf. The shaking threw me off balance and I hit my head on the bottom stair.
As I was recovering I can hear the thunder and rain fade away, being replaced by an eerie silence.
I slowly step outside and everything was conquered by a thick, dense, white fog.
The black, burnt trees claw out of the Earth as if they were escaping the depths of hell.
The ground consisted of this basic, black soil with an occasional patch of snow.
The only thing that looked vaguely organic were the brown leaves that clung to the dead, satanic looking trees.
As I took several steps outside I can feel as if I was being watched.
Not by one person like before.
As if I was being watched by several people.
I can feel the fear almost take over my body as I slowly stepped into the house
I closed the door and lock it as I hear the blood rush into my head.
I sit down in the kitchen, trembling, trying to calm down.
“What is that out there” “It’s definitely not human” I thought to myself
After I manage to calm down, I thought it would be a good idea to search the once inhabited home, find anything useful. I check the pantry
There were a few cans of tomato soup. A Moldy loaf of bread. Several un-opened bottles of water.
“Awesome”, I thought to myself
I walk upstairs and opened the door to one of the rooms.
It’s was a small bedroom, but it had all the nessesities a single person would have.
I spot a crooked old dresser in one corner of the room.
There was nothing on top of it, like somebody packed everything up.
When I get finished opening the decrepit dresser drawers, I spot the bathroom door open slightly, as if the draft in the air was beckoning me to investigate.
I open the bathroom door completely and on the dirt encrusted mirror, there was a note.
The note was secured on the mirror with a piece of tape and on the front of it was a name.
“Jack”
I yanked the old note off of the mirror and turned it around.
“Brother, I am sorry but I have to evacuate our mother due to how unsafe it is around here. As I told you, during the day, do not search for the eyes, at…………….”
The bottom part appeared to be torn off.
On the edge of the sink, there was a key. I pocketed the key and searched the other bedroom.
It appeared to be the master bedroom due to the large size.
I searched the empty, soulless room and came up with nothing.
As I walked back downstairs I start to notice the scratches on the floor next to the living room bookshelf, as if it was moved periodically.
I struggled as I push the bookshelf in order to reveal what’s inside.
There was a safe.
I pushed the key into the safe lock and turned.
CLICK
“Wow it actually worked”, I thought jovially
In the safe was a already loaded revolver and a box of ammo. Next to the ammo was another note.
“Jack, I already took the other gun. But I did not want to leave you defenseless so I left the revolver. Use it sparingly because there is not a lot of ammo left”
I pushed the note aside and holstered the revolver.
I opened the ammo box and there were only 6 bullets left.
“I hope this is enough”, I said to myself.
I pocketed the ammo and decided to go outside to grab some wood for the fireplace because it was getting chilly.
I walk out the back door and down the path.
Luckily all the wood was dry.
As I walked back to the house saw something move in the corner of my eye. Accompanying the movement were the sounds of heavy footsteps.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP…….
The footsteps get farther and stop completely, as if it finally noticed me.
I can feel it’s cold, piercing stare strike me to the very core, making the fear boil inside of me.
I ran as fast as I can to the house. I can hear my heart beating furiously.
I closed the door and as I was locking it I can hear the heavy footsteps getting closer and closer.
THUMP THUMP
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP
The ground shook as it was sprinting and all of the sudden it stopped, as if it cannot go past the door.
Breathing heavily, I back away from the door and plop down on the floor, heaving.
Several hours later I am sitting down by the warm fireplace, slurping one some of the forgotten tomato soup.
I sit there reminiscing on the events that happened while I collecting wood.
The piercing gaze. The heavy footsteps. The changed environment. Everything is so different.
I wonder to myself,”Why am I in this place? How am I in this place”
As I sat there thinking I hear several loud bangs and the sound of wood crunching.
I search for the source of the noise and turns out it was the DOOR.
I throw the rest of the soup on the fire to extinguish it and frantically run up the stairs.
As I was running up the steps I hear the door moan and topple over in defeat and the footsteps get closer and closer.
STOMP, STOMP, STOMP, STOMP
They get closer and closer as I push the derilect dresser against the bedroom door.
BANG (SHAKE)
BANG (SHAKE)
As the door is getting beaten down everything in the room slightly shakes.
Heart beating feverishly, I anxiously pull the revolver from the holster, cocked back the hammer, and pointed it towards the top of the door.
The top of the door broke off and flew across the dresser.
BANG BANG BANG BANG
Followed by those 4 gunshots was an eerie silence. After what seemed to be an eternity an otherworldly, demonic like growl broke the silence.
Whatever that thing was, starting to viciously claw through the now gaping doorway.
BANG BANG
CLICK
Before I can even think of reloading I can feel a heavy tug on my left leg, followed by a heavily gnawing pain. I screamed as the sharp pains spread up my leg. I managed to glance at what was eating my leg and it’s pupils where white and where the whites should be is a midnight black.
The teeth from it’s canine like maw are a stagnant yellow and are about as long as my thumb.
I writhed and kicked its face for a desperate but futile way to escape.
“Something sharp.” I thought murkily
I shakily flipped my pocket knife and painfully stabbed at the creature’s face
It demonicly cried as I jammed the blade into the creature’s face.
After what seemed to be the 100th jab it slowly stopped chewing and it slumped on my mangled leg.
I drop my knife as I can feel my conciousness wither away.
Next thing I knew, in a blue hospital gown, in a bright room.
“I think I am in the hospital”, I dazily thought to myself.
The door creaks as the doctor walks in.
“Joe, you are very lucky that you have been found”
“What”
“You have been missing for 3 days so the police department put together a search party for you. They found you in the abandoned house with your leg a messed up. You fractured your bone in 2 places and lost a lot of blood. Luckily, you did not need an amputation. You know what animal attacked you?”
“I don’t know it was too dark”, I thought if I tell him the truth, he might think I am crazy.
“Well the house had no signs animal or human inhabitants besides you so what happened is also a mystery. Authorities are struggling to piece together what happened. It’s as if you were not there for a period of time. Oh, and you have a letter”
“A letter?”, I thought
The doctor hands me the mysterious white envelope with no address.
I gently tear open the envelope as the doctor leaves the room. Written in nice handwriting, it reads.
“Joe,
What happened at that house was real. We are studying the affects of the Time, or the place that you were transported to. We hereby invite you to join us, you will be treated with nice pay, paid leave, and incurance. Please consider. We will find you.
Sincerely, [REDACTED]”