The Dark Depths: The Cellar

Chapter 11: Dead End

Bounding aimlessly through this new darkness, Thomas found that he could not see the lights from before. He felt his heart in his chest, his breathing grew heavy, he began to sweat, and panic deeply set in. He wandered for hours, maybe days, he'd lost track long before now. He couldn't see anymore, but his hearing had gotten better. He could hear the echoes of water dripping, somewhere far off in the cellar. He followed and soon found himself by the shelf where he'd found his skulls. He examined the shelf with his hands, and to his surprise, the jar containing the hand was still there. He was sure it would've been gone when he returned as there'd only been one of them on the shelf.

As Thomas roamed, he once again came to the bloody labyrinth, only to find it barren. The creature's body had vanished, along with the piping, and the blood. He knelt on all four limbs and began sliding his hands back and forth on the floor, searching for the flashlight he'd lost. He searched for a long time, and his hearing became more acute. His vision never recovered, replaced entirely by his other senses, which now trapped him in the labyrinth. Soon, he began to hear noises coming from the shelves.

"Another future self?" He thought to himself as he charged towards the sound, now so familiar with the cellar's layout that he needn't worry about sight anymore. He arrived at the shelves, no one in earshot, to discover the jar gone. "Of course," he thought, "that was my past self."

He sighed in relief and made his way back to the labyrinth, his new home, to discover it now flooded once more, with an unknown guest in pungent crimson waters. He made his way through the maze until a bright flash of light caught his face, the heat alerting his senses. He screamed, and out came a strangely familiar, blood-curdling screech. He ran, splashing loudly as he bounded through the labyrinth. Then, he stopped to gather his breath.

He started slowly sloshing his arms through the blood, using the sound to make his way around. After a few moments, there was a sudden splash, and he charged for the source only to find a D battery floating in the blood. It was here that he realized who was in his maze.

"I...can't see you....Thomas. Where....are you....Thomas?" He called, attempting to lure this future iteration to its doom. Then, a noise, a faint sloshing noise barely audible, but it was enough. He screamed and charged at the source, rapidly tearing his way through the maze. When he reached Thomas, he stood tall and proud, ready to finally break this cycle. He didn't care that his body was contorted beyond recognition, or that he was now twice as tall as before, he was ready. Then, a sharp pain, along the length of his spine paralyzed him, and then nothing.

---

Thomas stood, eyes wide, as the creature collapsed, the long metal piping he'd seen before was now jutting from the spine of the creature. He quickly dropped his flashlight and ran in the direction he believed to be the cellar door. Soon, he came to an area filled with bookshelves and stacked filing cabinets, all stretching infinitely tall into a dark nothingness that now replaced the ceiling.
    He continued, passing a large broken jar that looked like it belonged on the shelf with his skulls. After some time, he finally reached the cellar door. Strangely, he found it unlocked. He opened the door and was met with a long, twisting hallway, lined with cellar doors. He tried every door as he traveled. Most of them were locked, some led to nothing but a wall, some led to a room with a table and chair, and some led to places indescribable to Thomas. Infinite voids, dangerous wildernesses containing monstrous animals, abandoned shuttles in the dead of space. Finally, he came to the last door. This was it, he'd checked every other door and none led him out. He pushed, and the door opened.

Through the door, he could see light, and his eyes needed time to adjust after being in the dark of the cellar. A faint breeze blew through the door, crisp and cool on Thomas's face. He walked up the steps and saw the shed, the little pink sticky note once again on its door.  It was real, he was relieved. He wasted no time and quickly exited the cellar, running out into the bright sunlight, and straight to the police station.