Ozmic
Whiskered Writer
DOORS - ROOM 1
You've always hated doors.
There's been a feeling in the back of your mind about them. Something a little off each time you open one.
It's a silly thought, isn't it?
...Isn't it?
You were in the shower as usual, standing in the hot water, long finished with washing, just thinking about the day to come and what it would bring.
You exited like normal, drying and dressing quickly and smirking at the knock and calming voice from outside that told you "You'd better hurry, or you'll be late!"
The first bright smile of the day crosses your face. You ignore the silly thoughts sleeping had brought and wrap your fingers around the metal knob.
Turning it, you feel the rush of cold as it swings open.
Your smile fades. This isn't your bedroom. In fact, your bed is gone. In place of a bedroom is a long hallway that you don't recognize. The carpet is the yellowish white of coffee-stained teeth and the calendar hanging on the wall to your left lists names and dates that you don't recognize in bright, taunting red marker.
Your breath catches in your throat. A shadow twists onto the carpet and a sing-song voice calls out to you.
Panic. This wasn't the same voice that playfully chided you earlier for taking your time in the steamy embrace of your shower.
You run, darting past the form and not even stopping to look at their face. A scream sounds behind you. Glass clatters onto tile and shatters. The sound is almost as loud as the thumping of your heartbeat in your ears.
You burst through the front screen door in a run, tumbling down a set of stone steps and not letting that stop you. Onward and outward.
When you finally stop, blocks away, your breathing is ragged and comes roughly. You kneel and gasp for breath, eyes darting this way and that as you try to find one landmark you recognize and coming up empty.
Tears, hot and heavy, trace wet lines down your face and blur your vision. "Where am I?" you ask yourself, voice sounding husky from all the running.
Slowly, you push yourself foward toward taller buildings. You move into a town you don't know.
You quickly make your way to a line of stores, ignoring the angry sounding horns as you step right through a crosswalk without looking. Someone even shouts something, but you're too set on the buildings in front of you to notice.
A department store. A small feeling of relief washes over you. It may not be one you've seen before, but they're sure to have a phone, right? You can call for help.
When you reach the door handle and pull, however, you find it bolted shut. Looking at the sign, you read the hours. 10:00am - 8:00pm, Monday thru Friday.
Sighing in frustration, you turn away and move to the side of the building. You'll just have to wait.
You pace back and forth for a moment, but something catches your eye. Movement inside. You snap your face to the shiny glass windows and a figure stares back at you in shock.
"Hey can I come in an---" you start, then trail off as the figure mouths those very words.
There's no one inside. You're staring at a reflection. However, the person staring back... ISN'T YOU.
You try to scream, but all the moisture in your mouth is gone. Shaking, you raise your fists and bring them down on the window, again and again.
For the second time that day, the sound of glass silences everything else.
Then come the alarms. Another sound too. You're finally screaming.
The sounds get farther and farther away as you turn and slump onto the pavement.
Everything stretches, pulls back.
And then... there's nothing.
You've always hated doors.
There's been a feeling in the back of your mind about them. Something a little off each time you open one.
It's a silly thought, isn't it?
...Isn't it?
You were in the shower as usual, standing in the hot water, long finished with washing, just thinking about the day to come and what it would bring.
You exited like normal, drying and dressing quickly and smirking at the knock and calming voice from outside that told you "You'd better hurry, or you'll be late!"
The first bright smile of the day crosses your face. You ignore the silly thoughts sleeping had brought and wrap your fingers around the metal knob.
Turning it, you feel the rush of cold as it swings open.
Your smile fades. This isn't your bedroom. In fact, your bed is gone. In place of a bedroom is a long hallway that you don't recognize. The carpet is the yellowish white of coffee-stained teeth and the calendar hanging on the wall to your left lists names and dates that you don't recognize in bright, taunting red marker.
Your breath catches in your throat. A shadow twists onto the carpet and a sing-song voice calls out to you.
Panic. This wasn't the same voice that playfully chided you earlier for taking your time in the steamy embrace of your shower.
You run, darting past the form and not even stopping to look at their face. A scream sounds behind you. Glass clatters onto tile and shatters. The sound is almost as loud as the thumping of your heartbeat in your ears.
You burst through the front screen door in a run, tumbling down a set of stone steps and not letting that stop you. Onward and outward.
When you finally stop, blocks away, your breathing is ragged and comes roughly. You kneel and gasp for breath, eyes darting this way and that as you try to find one landmark you recognize and coming up empty.
Tears, hot and heavy, trace wet lines down your face and blur your vision. "Where am I?" you ask yourself, voice sounding husky from all the running.
Slowly, you push yourself foward toward taller buildings. You move into a town you don't know.
You quickly make your way to a line of stores, ignoring the angry sounding horns as you step right through a crosswalk without looking. Someone even shouts something, but you're too set on the buildings in front of you to notice.
A department store. A small feeling of relief washes over you. It may not be one you've seen before, but they're sure to have a phone, right? You can call for help.
When you reach the door handle and pull, however, you find it bolted shut. Looking at the sign, you read the hours. 10:00am - 8:00pm, Monday thru Friday.
Sighing in frustration, you turn away and move to the side of the building. You'll just have to wait.
You pace back and forth for a moment, but something catches your eye. Movement inside. You snap your face to the shiny glass windows and a figure stares back at you in shock.
"Hey can I come in an---" you start, then trail off as the figure mouths those very words.
There's no one inside. You're staring at a reflection. However, the person staring back... ISN'T YOU.
You try to scream, but all the moisture in your mouth is gone. Shaking, you raise your fists and bring them down on the window, again and again.
For the second time that day, the sound of glass silences everything else.
Then come the alarms. Another sound too. You're finally screaming.
The sounds get farther and farther away as you turn and slump onto the pavement.
Everything stretches, pulls back.
And then... there's nothing.
