"Fear attracts the darkness. When you have no fear, the darkness fears YOU." — Suzy Kassem
_______
As soon as I opened my eyes, the darkness greeted me.
The last time I remember, I was eating with my family to celebrate the New Year's Eve. We were having fun playing with cards. And then, things started to get blurry.
"I, for sure, did not drink alcohol."
I tried to sense the surroundings, but all I felt was a cold, dusty hard floor. "Did I accidentally sleep…on the street?" I attempted a laugh, but it fell flat.
"He would not like this."
While dazing, the jittery hands on the powdery ground triggered a fuzzy memory.
"O-oh, I was…"
'Ru---!! Do not ca-- forrr'
"I was with…"
'You have to--- le--'
I knew I was with someone. "… He was…" I knew I had been with someone, but the details kept slipping through my grasp.
"Ahh!" The flashbacks stopped.
In the deafening silence, shallow breaths sounded unnervingly loud. I slowly realized that it was too quiet. There was no sound of the cars, the loud chattering of passersby, nor the rustling of the night wind. It was as though I am alone. Literally.
"I-is anyone here...?" I was caught off guard by my voice. It echoed far longer than I expected. Again, I cowardly whispered, "Is someone out there?"
I was left with no choice. My trembling hands stretched into the dark and waived blindly.
'1 inch'
'5 inches'
'12 inches'
Yet no matter how far I outstretched my hands, I only sensed the chilly air of nothing. Where am I? A warmth gushed from my eyes in dread.
Did I stray into the—"No! I shouldn't scare myself even more."
...
A strong painful wind swept around me, adding coldness to my already shaking hands. "Th-there must be a hole, or something, somewhere. There must be!"
With enough courage, I blindly walked forward. One step at a time. Slowly and cautiously.
The area just seemed boundless. I've lost track of the time, but my throbbing feet gave me a clue. I thought of resting for a moment, then try my luck again. I have to—"W-what is this!?"
My hand felt a revolting texture. A freezing temperature jolted me into standing back up. I frantically jumped away from the disgusting matter, but not a single spot was spared. The sticky matter kept sticking on the soles of my shoes.
The panic worsens when the puddle of sticky liquid started devouring my feet, "A quicksand?" Bad luck.
Any movement sank me even further. I was late to realize that the liquid from beneath my feet started moving.
Before I could process the harsh grip on my thigh, I was already on the ground, hollering in pain for my aching feet. My knees and elbows were scrapped from being dragged on the ground. The scream of agony reverberated in the darkness, "No!"
I heavily kicked its limbs and desperately crawled away, but it always managed to instantly seize my feet, savagely dragging me towards its direction. "G-get away from me."
It was a hopeless never-ending torture.
I was disoriented, but I could not give up. In the last burst of adrenaline before I pass out, I desperately held out my hand to grab anything I could latch on.
My nails gradually detaching from my fingers, as long as I could escape. Then, my bare hands touched a sharply inclining ground. Without hesitation, I grabbed on the jagged rocks and plunged myself down the cliff.
When I reached the bottom, I was bleeding all over. But my attention was on the abomination in the dark.
I ripped my shirt and bandaged my wounds. As I was removing the monster's splatter from my legs, I unintentionally breathed its musty scent.
'Rusty…'
"Blood…. Rotten…. A-a dead body—?"
I retched the little food I had in my stomach. Suddenly, an intense emotion invaded my body, as though someone was channelling their soul inside me.
"What— W-Who are you?" I was overwhelmed by the intense emotions pervading my mind. "Why are you doing this to me?"
Dread washed over me, "Someone, please help me!"
A foreboding rumble resonated towards my direction. Knowing it was coming for me, "Is this the end?" I expressionlessly laid on my back and quietly waited for the unseen menace.
Loud gentle steps stopped in front of me. "Who are you?" I breathlessly asked, "Why are you doing this to me?"
"Why am I---"
He shouted, "Wake up."
"What?"
His shaky voice sound sorrowful, "You have to escape."
"What do you mean?" Tears of exhaustion overtook me. "Why do I have to experience this? Where am I?"
"You have to, whatever it takes."
And I gradually drifted into an infinite slumber.
...
I gasped awake, "… A nightmare?"