The Backroom and Other Short Horror Stories

Who, What, When, Where, Why?

What... what am I? What am I saying? How do I know what I'm saying? What... language is this? Do I remember learning it? Wait, what's "remember"? What's "learning"? I don't know. I can't... remember.

Who am I?

My eyes slowly drifted open. A woman who I've never seen before was carrying strange brown rectangles out of this... room. The walls were white, the floors... green. I think what was called a chair was sitting in front of me, the color red. A square object with a clear stomach was next to the chair. Next to the square were small red rectangles on top of each other. And next to me was a long chair, darker than that red color. Above me was a strange circle thing with shapes attached to it, and lines dangled from it.

How do I know this? How did I "remember" this?

"Grandpa, you're awake," the strange girl walked up to me. She seemed, what was the word, happy. "I got most of your boxes packaged and ready to go. It's just your furniture and you that's left. I promise you you'll love your new home."

Home. So that's what this place is. I think it's a place where I live. Live... what does that mean, again?

"Who are you," I said to the woman, wondering what she was doing in my "home."

The woman blinked at me, then huffed out a big breath. "I'm your granddaughter, Maria. And you're my grandpa, Joe. That means I'm the daughter of your son. Don't worry, you'll see your son soon enough." She came close to me.

What was a granddaughter? A son? I don't have a son... This woman was tricking me with her strange words. I have to get out of here. No, I have to make this woman leave my home.

"Get out," I raised my voice at her. "Get out or I'll... I'll..." What was it? What did they shout at someone they didn't know?

"Grandpa, it's me," said the woman. "I'm your granddaughter, Maria. You have to remember. You have to."

She's speaking those words again. Are those the only words she knows? 

I have to get out of here.

I stood up from what was a chair just like the one in front of me. The woman tried to push me down, but I pushed her out of the way and stumbled out of the room. I forced these things attached to my bottom to move quicker. I walked quicker, quickly into a strange room that was longer. 

I didn't know where I was going, or where I was at. The woman behind me kept shouting, but that only made me want to leave more. I just kept following the weird room that bent weirdly.

However, that came to an end when I followed the room to a bunch of pointy rectangles going down. It was too late before I could remember what they were. 

I fell down the stairs, and was too weak to move another muscle.

-

I awoke again in a weird, bright and misty place. Squares that contained people I recognize, but didn't know, neatly lined up endlessly on both of my sides. I slowly walked to the direction in front of me, and more and more squares popped up.

I think I'm starting to remember... yes, these are my "family." People I know and love. 

As I continued walking, my memories came back to me. I saw times of when I spent my life with Maria and my son. I also saw times of other family members, such as my wife and my own grandparents. I miss them... oh, how I wish I could relive those days.

I was too busy remembering these memories when I stepped on something. Whatever it was made a loud cracking noise. I looked down to see a broken picture frame containing a picture of Maria smiling. Feeling bad, I tried to collect all the glass shards, but they strangely disappeared. I dropped the photo frame, but carefully stuck the picture in my pocket and carried on.

"Dad," a voice called out minutes after I looked at more memories. I turned to see my son all grown up, eagerly waiting for me.

"Charlie," I called out his name back to him. I ran as quickly as I could toward my loving son. Not long after, his wife and Maria popped up next to him. Then my wife, then my own parents, and a few other people I spent most of my life with. They were all eagerly calling out my name.

No matter how quickly I ran toward them, I remained the same distance away. Then, they started to slowly move farther and farther away from me. They no longer called my name eagerly, but confusedly and worriedly. Their faces went from smiles to frowns. Some of them vanished. Only my son's family remained.

I screeched their names and forced myself to go faster, but that didn't change anything. By the time I couldn't go any farther, my son's family was no where to be seen.

Suddenly, the entire place I was in turned dark. The frames containing memories shattered, and disappeared into the unknown. Before I could figure out what was going on, I too, started to fall.

I fell deeper into the dark unknown. I waved my arms and tried to reach for something, but the only thing I felt was the air passing by. I looked all around me, but the only thing I could see was the color black, and nothing more.

I screamed for help. I screamed my loved one's names. But nothing, not even an echo, answered me back. I just kept on falling, falling, falling.

Tears started to escape my eyes. I feared I would be falling for eternity, with nothing else to do or say. Falling into a place unknown to mankind, unknown to animals. Unknown to life.

Eventually, a light shined below me. I was happy at first, but the light grew more daunting and frightening. No, I didn't want to fall into this light. I didn't want to... I don't want to forget anything more. I don't want to forget Maria.

Who's Maria?

I tried to scream for help one last time, but my voice was cut off by the sound of my body slamming against a hard ground.

And my body laid in a casket, surrounded by the people I had once shared a life with.