GASSSP!!!
Just like I expected, I woke up in an endless darkness.
There and then, the world around me fleeted between a blur and reality itself. Clutching my head tightly, I felt a formless wave of energy hitting against the walls of my mind.
Hitting hard and fast, brutal and unforgiving even.
But, the pain soon receded. The endless darkness spreading forth before my eyes.
I rose to my feet, staggering for a moment, but i soon regained my footing after a few attempt at walking.
My eyes darted to my surroundings.
And it was still the same endless darkness, with shadows dancing across the corner of the walls.
The cobblestones beneath my feet were still as hard as I'd expected them to be. Yet I couldn't shake a lingering dread, a peculiar, and odd feeling that something was wrong.
Deeply wrong.
Can you see that! Already growing into a paranoid teenager.'
I laughed lightly - the laughter hollow and bitter.
The facade I had worn to mask away the fading away of my sanity.
I let out an exasperated sigh, a wry smile tugging at the corner of my lips.
Glancing around me, I could feel a strange force permeating the atmosphere, a chilling cold wind gnawing at my bones.
Determination and resolution ignited within my eyes for a second there.
And with clenched hands and hardened resolve, I took my first step into the endless darkness.
And the moment I did so.
The world around me suddenly blurred. Twisting and wrapping into something else entirely.
Soon, I found myself in the middle of nowhere!
'...Where the hell is this?'
The world around me was a blur of white, with a faint dark shade to it.
Confusion slowly settled within me, fear even.
...This had never appeared.
Never before has it appeared.
At the thought of this, I shivered instinctively. An illusory cold wind settling into my spine. The thought of what this place had got to offer sent frosty chills down my spine.
Suddenly...the air around me shifted.
...An eerie foreboding soon tugged at the walls of my mind. A dark oppressive atmosphere lingering in the air.
Noting the change in the surroundings.
My heart nearly ceased beating for a second there. Dread soon settled within me, and then, I did it.
I dared a glance over my shoulder.
And my heart almost leapt out of my chest! Cold currents coursing through my body.
My fingers trembled lightly as i struggled to make sense of the supernatural creature reflected within the depth of my eyes.
It was as tall as the big bad wolf-, and looked almost similar, except for the fact that it was more grotesque, and perhaps even more abnormal.
It had eerie glowing dark hands jutting out of its ribs, marshes of blood and organs twisting around its face, and masks of faces that screamed in agony and pain.
On its four, it stood like a gargantuan monster crafted from my worst nightmare!
I shivered lightly, trying my best to force down the unease gnawing at me. I dared not remove my gaze away from the supernatural creature. The fear of being sent to the cold, icy warm embrace of death before I could even blink sent a cold, chilling wind down my spine.
Despair and fear slowly crept in.
And then, I soon realized a peculiar fact. One that for some odd reasons didn't really sit well with me.
...The supernatural creature wasn't attacking me.
'What's it waiting for?'
I asked no one but myself and perhaps, the endless void within me.
Fear and confusion slowly settling within me.
I soon heard a grating sound, and before i could even blink, barrage of rocks imbued with sharp row of maws suddenly descended from the sky.
They slammed onto the ground violently, but luckily for me, I had already rolled out of the way as one of the rocks slammed onto my previous position. Its mouth wide open as it failed in its attempt to get a sweet, and nasty bite out of me.
'Bastard!'
My eyes soon widened in shock, horror even.
Fear crept in as I soon realized a terrifying fact:
The air behind me had grown thicker.
The dread had become palpable, and the tension was now thick and cloying.
I didn't need to be told to know the supernatural creature behind me had started chasing after its prey.
Its eyes gleaming with a concentrated beam of murderous intent.
At the sight of the monstrous creature running towards me, I shivered instinctively.
Trying my best to calm myself.
...Yet, nothing worked.
I was scared.
Scared shitless.
'...Who wouldn't be.'
I was surrounded from all sides.
And worse, I couldn't see a way out of this one.
No...there's always a way out.
...They always is.
From the resets- revivals I had gone through. I had learnt a lot of things about this cursed land and if there was anything that stood paramount and unchangeable.
That would be the fact that there's always a way out.
No matter how inescapable the situation might seem to be. There's always that slight tinge of hope beyond the endless darkness.
And…I was right.
My eyes rippled with intense determination as a door appeared in my line of sight.
Far into the distance, I immediately calculated and analyzed everything!
...I only have fifteen seconds to get there, else I will find myself in the jaws of the supernatural creature.
At this thought, I shivered lightly, dread trying to overwhelm me. Yet I was able to shove it down as I bolted forth. With clenched hands and hardened resolve, I sprinted towards the door.
Two barrage of rocks suddenly fell from above me as they attempted to squash me to paste. I immediately slid forth, the stones barely missing me by an inch as I flipped myself back to my feet.
I could now see the stones falling from the sky-The monstrous man eating rocks.
I could see them all with abysmal clarity.
My eyes flashed with determination as I pushed myself forward.
Already having analyzed everything within that single breath. I dashed to my left, then to my right and then I made a fast sprint into the empty space ahead of me.
And just then, two rocks crashed onto my previous position, three smashed against the ground beneath my previous right position
And by the time the last one fell on the spot I previously stood on.
...I had long bolted forth!
I became akin to a blur as I phased effortlessly through the barrage of rocks. My legs were starting to ache me, my veins wriggling effortlessly across my body, yet I kept going.
I couldn't afford to stop.
Not now.
I slammed my legs against the ground as I dashed forth. A sharp cold wind sweeping past my previous spot. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see the supernatural creature with utmost clarity.
My eyes widened in horror for a second there, yet I was quick to regain my bearing. I rolled forward, avoiding rapid strikes thrown out by the creature's monstrous hands.
Just a feet away from the door- the door of salvation.
The supernatural creature suddenly leapt forth, multiple hands struck at me with horrific momentum that sent the air around me shivering.
My eyes narrowed, fear creeping in.
I could feel the cold icy grasp of death inching close.
The endless darkness slowly encroaching upon the walls of my mind.
My eyes were now bloodshot as I forced my body beyond its limit.
I couldn't afford to be stopped now.
I couldn't.
I just had to take one more step.
'...Just one more step!'
Despair and desperation slowly crept in.
My eyes flashed with a desperate glint, bloodshot veins tracing their way across my sclera.
Taking one last step, i shifted my body to the left.
I avoided a few strikes, yet two slammed onto me with horrifying momentum. I felt as though some of my bones had broken from that impact as I was sent smashing into the distance, slamming into the door and then, the door immediately got closed. Locking the supernatural creature in an endless darkness that slowly encroached upon it.
My eyes grew extremely blurry as I seemed to be floating in an endless void.
A cold familiar warmth finding its way towards me.
Yet the feeling went just as it came.
What remained was... pain.
A terrible pain shot through me.
Agony rippling through every fiber of my being.
I couldn't even open my eyes.
...I struggled to open my eyes, to take sense of my surroundings.
My eyes soon flared to light, and based on my surrounding, I was certain that I was now out of the haunted house.
In fact, I was far away from it.
Judging by the map I have, I am close to it:
...Where the reset had previously ended.
I just have to avoid a few supernatural forces and I would be there in no time. I forced a smirk, forcing myself to my feet as I grunted every once in a while.
Staring into the endless darkness, a suffocating coldness slowly wrapped around me as I took in cold, icy intake of the air surrounding me.
I couldn't stop myself from shaking lightly, and I also couldn't stop the dread slowly settling within me.
Yet I knew none of that would help me in anyway.
To survive.
To keep fighting.
I have to bury them within me and seek hope amidst this endless cycle of unending terror.
With clenched hands and hardened resolve, I bolted into the darkness before me.
***
Seconds clocked by.
Shifting into minutes, and minutes into hours.
I had long lost the passage of time as i slammed onto a door, barely avoiding the same shard or splinter of wood that had previously sent me to the cold and warm embrace of death itself.
Staring at the supernatural creature before me.
I threw it a grin as i gasped for breath.
Pain shot through me, a searing hot feeling burning along my lungs. Yet i managed to maintain the forced grin as the supernatural creature slowly turned after staring at me for what f-elt like an...eternity.
Dread had always gnawed at me from the inhuman stare. Yet I knew I couldn't give fear the opportunity to settle within me.
I had defeated it.
It might not be at its own game.
But I had certainly defeated it.
...And that's all that matters.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of my lips as i moved to close the door. The presence of the supernatural creature disturbing me in ways i couldn't really place my hands on.
CREAAAK!!!
Closing the door, i heaved a sigh of relief as i rested heavily on the door. Allowing myself to take in some precious flow of air.
After what seemed like an eternity, I managed to regain my bearing. Forcing down the unease ganwing at me. I slowly approached the ancient, old box that laid before me.
A weird, endless darkness surrounded the box, just like the previous ones. I wondered which code was binding this one as i took deep, yet heavy steps towards it.
This was the moment of truth.
What i had fought so desperately for.
This was it right before my very own eyes.
...Every one of this boxes always told me more.
They warned me, albeit in ways i couldn't understand.
...I knew they would eventually prove their worth. It might not be now, but they eventually will.
Arriving before the box, I soon realized i had to make use of the Polybius Square method- a 5 * 5 grid whereby each letter is represented by its coordinates in the grid. With the letter D being represented by the pair { 3, 4}.
Realizing I couldn't seem to unlock the grid, a frown tugged at the corner of my face. But it soon disappeared just like it appeared.
A light smile soon crept up my face as I realized it was probably a keyword.
And what other keyword would the past me have left behind other than
...My name:
Dean.
CLICCK!!!
The grid got unlocked, immediately followed by a faint sense of relief.
I worked so hard for this damn box.
It had better be worth it.
My hands slowly moved towards the note.
And just then.
The air behind me suddenly thickened with an ominous energy. Darkness growing thicker, as it suddenly encroached upon the entire space.
The door behind me suddenly got flung into the air, and I immediately ducked, the door barely scraping past my hair as it impaled itself onto the wall to my left.
My eyes widened in shock, horror even as I glanced back. The supernatural creature had somehow managed to break into what I deemed a blue zone.
...How the heck is that possible?
Confusion slowly settled within me, my eyes laced with disbelief.
But I knew this wasn't the time for that. All thanks to the multiple resets- I was quick to regain my baring. I snatched the note away, clutching it in my hands before dashing towards the space before me.
A crazed expression tugged at the corner of my lips as i bolted forth.
The supernatural creature seemed to understand my thought. Anger rippled through it as it dashed towards the intruder.
Each step of his sending terrifying undulations across the dark space.
I could feel the horrifying force slamming onto me with horrific momentum.
They were fast, brutal and unforgiving to say the least.
Gritting my teeth, my eyes flashed with determination as I pushed my body beyond my limit.
The supernatural creature was now just a few feet away from me.
And then
...It suddenly leapt into the air.
I felt the strong force, and I already had an inkling on just what the horrifying monstrosity was trying to do.
But...I could care less!
A crazed laughter escaped my lips as I slammed onto the window before me.
It crumbled beneath the weight of my fragile body as i rippled down the air at a terrifying pace.
The supernatural creature glanced downward, seemingly not being able to take that leap or probably more appropriately:
It couldn't leave the house.
A faint weak smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I plummeted from the sky at a breathtaking pace.