Chapter : Humans are forgetful creatures.
None of us remembered what they actually looked like. Alas we could only move on
Step Step Step
The sound of our footsteps echoed through the hallway. Brownish-red stripes. Peach-colored wallpaper. Wooden doors. Chandeliers. The same thing repeated over and over and over again. Or at least I thought it did.
I wasn't sure anymore.
A few minutes ago I would've confidently said the chandeliers had five candles. Jeremy said there were six. Now? I couldn't even remember what the room we woke up in looked like.
Step Step
"How many doors have we passed?"
"Twenty-three." Jeremy replied immediately.
"Twenty-seven." Amanda muttered.
"...I stopped counting." Eve answered.
"…"
No one could prove they were right.
Or wrong.
Step Step Step
The hallway stretched endlessly before us.
Glance
Every few seconds I'd glance behind and each time I did, the hallway looked identical. And that made it worse. Because if something changed...
Would I even notice?
"D-d-don't blink too much." Amanda said all of a sudden
"Why?" Eve asked
"I-I-I don't know..."
her grip tightened on Eve's sleeve.
"But every time we blink something changes."
Nobody argued with her. Because she was right.
The problem was that blinking wasn't optional. It was a biological process. Humans. forgetful creatures. we miss details. we forget conversations. And this place? it took advantage of fact.
Blink.
Shiver
Instinctively I looked toward the nearest chandelier. Six candles. I think. Six.
Right?
"Cael?" Jeremy said all of a sudden
"Hm?"
"You've been staring at that thing for almost a minute."
He pointed upward.
"The chandelier."
"…" Was time warped or was it just my perception?
"See anything weird?"
"...No."
Clink.
Everyone froze.
A metallic sound could be heard
Distant. Very Far.
Like something made of metal lightly striking another piece of metal. Nobody moved nor breathed. The sound never came again.
"Did anyone hear that?" Eve whispered.
"Yeah."
"Y-y-yes" Amanda said while nodding at an incredible speed.
"…"
"At least we're not hallucinating." Jeremy said with a sigh
"How?" Eve asked
"If all four of us heard it, it means something actually made that noise."
"W-w-w-what if the 4 of us had already been 'manipulated'? "
"...That's not reassuring."
"It wasn't supposed to be." I said before focusing back
Step Step Step
The hallway continued. Door after door after door. Some were closed. Some slightly opened. Some looked older others looked newer. Or maybe they didn't. Maybe I was imagining it. Maybe we all were.
Step Step Step
—!!!
"Stop." I said as the entire crew stopped right where they were standing, a sudden smell drifted through the hallway.
Faint. Bitter.
Almost impossible to notice.
Coffee.
I stopped walking.
"Am I getting crazy"
"Huh?" Eve tilted her head.
"You smell that?"
The group fell silent.
Amanda sniffed the air.
Sniff Sniff
Jeremy frowned.
Sniff Sniff
Then both of them froze.
"I-i-it smells like Coffee..."
"Black Coffee to be exact."
The two answered simultaneously.
Ba-Dump Ba-Dump Ba-Dump
A hotel from a horror novel. A Roblox horror game. A liminal-space nightmare.
And somehow... There was coffee.
If this was just a Remnant of 'Escape the Mystery Hotel' I could probably bulldoze through it with knowledge, you know like those novels where the main protagonist read a book and knows about all the important things.
Unfortunately it was not. This was a mix.
"That's a good sign right?" Eve said trying to sound enthusiastic,
"It could mean there are others trapped here."
"It could also mean there's something out there pretending to be those 'others'."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Nobody liked Jeremy's answer.
Unfortunately.
It was probably the correct one.
Squelch
—!!!
A wet sound
"E-e-e-e-eek…"
"Amanda… you're gonna rip my clothes…"
Think Cael Think.
A mix of Escape the Mystery Hotel, DOORS and Exit 8.
One's a story on clearing rooms with things that turns the protagonists increasingly less human. Physically and Mentally. The other, a horror game where you open doors. And the last a looping station.
"How long have we been in this hallway?"
"2 minutes counting on" Jeremy answered calmly.
"How many times did the room change?"
"…"
Silence again, nobody was sure with their answer.
"In the novel, after a few hours, the place becomes hostile to you. But here—"
"It could be even earlier is what you're trying to say right?"
"Maybe."
Squelch.
Flinch
"Scheisse."
"G-g-guys." Sheepishly Amanda caught our attention once more
"Was the hallway always this dim-?"
What?
"Hey uh… were the walls always red?" Eve suddenly said
Glance
Were they always this red?
"Jeremy?"
"…I think."
"What? Aren't you good at observing?"
"They were peach. I think."
SQUELCH.
It sounded close this time, really really close.
"We need to open another door. Fast."
"Cael? what's your intuition telling you?"
YOU'RE ASKING ME?!?!?
"So even you're not sure anymore huh."
"We need to open another door. Fast."
FWOSH
"W-w-what was that?"
I looked at the 2 edges of the hallway, they were dark, as they did at the beginn—
FWOSH
"Which door?" Jeremy said again, his voice slightly tenser then it was.
"…"
There were 3 doors in front of us. It was always 3 right?
"So we choose one of the five doors right?"
"Five? I thought there were Six?"
"U-uh… wasn't there seven?"
Jeremy suddenly froze, then he asked another question.
"What color was Ama—"
SQUELCH
At the edge of the darkness creeping ever closer. Not a person, not an animal, long, wet, it looked black, but was it black in color or was it because of the darkness
CRRRRKRRKKRKRKRK
"Scheisse"
Jeremy moved, his hand already at one of the door knob
"Fuck it We BALL."
TWIST
Creakkkkk….
—!!!!!!!!!
The darkness was making a sound we couldn't tell—"MOVE NOW"
Push
Right before I entered the next room, the smell of coffee seemed to get stronger And then—
SLAMMMM
Thud
"Fuck…" I fell, thankfully I landed on something soft, I wonder what—
"You landed on Amanda."
With lighting speed I had already jumped away.
"I-I-I'm sorry"
"A-a-ah no it's fine…" She said as she stood up her face red then suddenly she froze.
"H-hey? were you always this short-?"
Bruh
"What do you mean?"
"I thought you were taller?"
"Also has anyone seen Jeremy?" Eve suddenly said
"WHAT?"
Frantically I looked around, yet I couldn't see the g—
"The fuck you talking about? I'm right here." His voice could he heard, and in one of the previously empty wall. He was there.
"Jeremy. When did you move?"
"??? I was always here."
"Really? I thought you were beside me" Eve replied
"I-I-I-I thought you were behind me."
Jeremy stared for a while
"You guys serious?"
Nod Nod
"Scheisse. This shit's messing with our memory."
"We need something to anchor our memories—A Note book."
"A good idea yes, but I don't think anyone brought a notebook, not after cleaning the algae tank."
"Scheisse…"
"Well I have a few markers, we could probably write on the walls?" as Eve pulled out 3 markers from her pants.
The room itself had no other doors except the one we entered through, a single glance and it looked like a small and cozy hotel lounge?It's walls were… made of wood uncutted and stacked on each other? like those cabins you see in the wilderness.
"It's some sort of traditional looking hotel lounge huh." I muttered, waiting for a response.
"Wait. I don't think it's a good idea." Jeremy suddenly said.
"Assuming this place might change everytime we blink, I doubt the writings would stay, we might even get 'punished' for desecration of public property."
"So now we're stuck on a dilemma."
"We're getting no where.." Hope was slipping by the second.
No think Cael think. What are things humans find difficult to forget?
"Think rationally. What are things humans find difficult to forget?"
"…"
"Fear."
"T-t-trauma…"
Fear and Trauma not something we can simulate or even try to risk. Especially in this situation
"Powerful emotions. Powerful emotions would do the trick." Said Je—What was his name again? No. Fuck. The one with curly hair?
"C— you good?" The one with curly hair asked me
"I think so I am"
"Team leader! you're a g—" With sparkling eyes E—? my blond haired teammate said with a smile.
Crckrck
"G-g-guys. I think we took too long" Said the timid one with green hair.
Squelch
"Right let's go ——."
Huh? Was he calling to me?
"——?" The blonde with blue eyes looked at me.
CrCrck.
"——." The —████████████████████████
██████ ████████ ████.
██████ ██████████████ ████
⌾⏙⎾████████████
████████████Wisdom████████████
████A████L████E████P████H████
████████?
████?
██?
█???
"CAEL SNAP OUT OF IT." A voice as my body was violently shooked,
Air filled my lungs
"HAAAH—HAAAAH"
My vision returned.
Glance
A hallway, peach with brownish red. Like the color of dried blood.
Blink
With those square shaped lamps you see in hospitals.
"You good?" The one with curly hair looked at me again.
The timid with green hair and the blonde with blue eyes also looked at me with a worried expression.
"Are you talking to me?"
—██████
"Are you talking to me?" Said Cael,
"You're Cael" said Evelyn.
"Y-y-you don't remember?"
"it feels, familiar."
"Well at least he's still sane right Jeremy~?"
Jeremy
That was my name. I think, I couldn't tell, my memory was blurry. Was it really my name? I didn't know.
Then Cael stood up, saying something like "We better move fast."
"Why?" I asked, right Cael. Cael. The one with good intuition?
"It's probably still coming."
"W-w-what do you—"
SQUELCH
The one named Amanda flinched, her head turning towards the source of the sound.
Clck.
One end of the Hallway dimmed, something long was starting to creep into here.
"That door." The one named Cael said as he pointed to the only door in this hallway. Right at the other edge.
SQUELCH
Nobody hesitated as we make a run for it. We ran.
THUD THUD THUD THUD
The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly. Or maybe it didn't, I can't tell.
Blink
The walls now looked redder.
Blink
Gone were the lamps replaced by chandeliers
Blink
They were back.
THUD THUD THUD
"KEEP MOVING." I shouted, carrying the one named Cael, the one named Amanda was carrying the one named Evelyn.
CRRCRCKRCKRKKK SQUELCHHHH SCRAPEEEEEEEEEEE
It was definitely chasing us. The sound coming closer, something wet, it wasn't walking, it was dragging itself.
CRRCRKCRKCK SCRAPEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Why we were running in the first place?
Blink
The hallway became narrower.
Blink
Now it was wider.
Blink
The carpet was gone.
Blink
It was back.
"Hah—Hah"
My lungs burned. The person I was carrying felt heavier or lighter.
Who was I carrying again?
"...Hey."
The boy in my arms looked up.
"...Me?"
His name was Cael. I think.
SQUELCH
Closer.
—!!!!
Was it a scream? I couldn't tell, it didn't sound like anything I knew. The muscular one let out a terrified squeak. The blonde girl she was carrying screamed or laughed.
Or both.
I couldn't tell anymore.
Everything felt blurry.
Like trying to remembering a dream.
THUD THUD THUD
Then I saw it.
A door.
At the end of the hallway. It was Large. Double-sided.
"THERE!"
I pointed.
Or maybe the one named Cael did. Someone pointed.
It didn't matter who.
We sprinted. The hallway behind us darkened. The lamps flickered. The walls twisted.
And for a fraction of a second—I thought I saw what looked like hands emerging from the wallpaper.
Hundreds of them.
Reaching.
Trying to pull us back.
Blink
They were gone.
SCRAPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
The door was getting closer.
Closer. Closer. Closer.
"OPEN IT!"
"IT'S LOCKED!"
"WHAT?"
"IT'S NOT OPENING!"
Then—
CLICK
The handle turned.
By itself.
The door slowly creaked open. Warm light spilled from the gap.
"GO!"
We threw ourselves through.
SLAMMMMMM
The door shut behind us. Then—
Silence.
Complete silence.
My breathing slowly stabilized.
Then I looked up.
A white room, a big one at that, one you'd see in a mental asylum. Padded, with scribbles and—People. Many many People. Some wearing the same things as us. Other's with white lab coats, others with what seemed to be security outfits.
Then one of them said something
"———"
Another one pointed to the wall. It was the largest scribble, written in red, it smelt like iron.
WRITE YOUR NAME