the garden of eden

Day 3

I look down the stairs, seeing the smallest hint and glint of light at the bottom of the flight of stairs. I can only assume that is the second floor's lighting. I pat my sweats to see if my phone is in my pocket. No luck. I should have carried my phone to the bathroom before all of this happened. I could still be dreaming. I shouldn't think too much of it. I just want to get the hell out of this place. 

I carefully step down the first flight of stairs, being careful enough to avoid any sound. 

One flight done, one more to go. 

I start to make my way down when I hear a door slam. I flinch and instinctively slap my hand on top of my mouth to avoid screaming. I'm on edge as it is. Any loud noise is pushing me even further. I press myself against the wall as I hear something scraping or something being dragged on the carpet floor. I look down the flight of stairs, hearing it get closer. I start to walk back, wanting to hide. 

"Oh."

This has to be a person. I'm not alone after all!

I feel my body jolt up. My gut was screaming, but I heard it! It was a person!

I place my foot on the first stair and I stop as the dragging noise is now in my field of vision. 

Oh god... Oh god!

I contract every muscle in my body to avoid screaming and turning the other way. I force my body to watch the thing walk across the hallway, in front of my very eyes. 

I felt my eyes sting, watering as I stared, not wanting to take my eyes off of it.  

It's dead. It looks dead. The ash-gray color of the thing and its lack of color were repulsive to look at. The fleshlike thing covering its transparent yet solid body warped and spiked. It was so difficult to explain. It was almost like it was dragging itself across the floor, but it had no hands, no legs, but it was using something to move. 

My teeth feel like they're about to shatter in my mouth, my jaw burning as I observe it pass by the stairs and off into the hall. 

Could it not see? Were the stairs too dark and it didn't notice me? Or was I being silent enough to avoid being detected?

Maybe... maybe it was a person after all.

Oh god, what if it's the zombie apocalypse?!

I try not to give myself another panic attack, clenching my chest. There was no way this was a zombie apocalypse. The thing had no mouth. It barely looked human... 

I think back to the creature and its hair, its color, its shape. 

I look down at my hands and realize that I had been shaking severely. 

I clench my hands into fists to try and control myself but it didn't do much. I felt my head pulsing, my surroundings starting to spin. I clench my eyes shut to try and control my body. I had to control myself or I won't make it past this dream alive. I'll wake up dead with broken teeth and migraines. 

I open my eyes and take another step down. Another one, and another. I am finally on the ground. 

I am on the second floor. 

I start to walk down the hall. Nothing but the sweat on my palms and my feet, I hold onto my breaths, trying to be as silent as possible. I did not want to disturb whatever else is residing here. I stand in front of a door and look at it silently. 

No sound. 

I slowly move my hand to the door and slowly turn the cold knob to the left. I made sure that not even the small "click" can be heard.