The Devil You Know : TMC Fic

Chapter Three, Into The Trap

☆A/N : This chapter contains brief mentions of blood and decay, and cursing☆

I opened my eyes, the tall grass around me rustling in the cold wind. As I pulled myself up, sitting among the grass, I found myself in the middle of an open field, unfamiliar, yet somehow, I knew where I was. I pulled myself up, taking in my surroundings, the yellow, dead grass and wild hay laying flat as the northern wind blew against it. Pine trees stood steadfast in the wind, their brownish needles falling to the ground as their branches shook. The sky crackled, causing my eyes to dart up. Gray clouds circled around me as the scent of rain filled the air.

I stood up carefully, keeping my balance as the winds blew against me. As I looked around, I started to notice the true extent of the field. It stretched on for miles, only ending as it touched the valley. I turned around, now facing the direction of the wind. In front of me stood an old, dilapidated cabin, barely holding itself together. Wood rotting, siding falling as the wind knocked it over. The roof of the home sat at an angle, almost ready to collapse.

I looked around a bit more, the wind rolling in my ears as I took in as much as I could. As my eyes were slowly drawn back to the home, I couldn't help but notice how familiar it was, despite never having seen it before...

I took a few careful steps towards the cabin, and before I knew it, I was at the front door.

I reached out, gripping the rusty doorknob gently. I turned it, the doorknob creaking and squealing as the rust rubbed against the metal parts inside. As I pushed the door open, it fell off its hinges, hitting the ground with a loud thud that echoed loudly among the silence of the abandoned place. I jumped in surprise, my eyes quickly darting down to the door, then back to the cabin, waiting to see if anything else would fall. I quickly calmed as the walls stood still, gathering my bearings and entering, something about the house making my chest feel tight.

The cabin was just as ruined on the inside as was the outside. I took a few steps in, the crunch of glass underneath my feet and the howling wind outside being the only things keeping me company.

Broken mirrors laid shattered on the floor, most of which I began to pass. I avoided looking at them, something about them feeling strangely wrong.

My eyes caught a few glimpses of my reflection, causing me to look down. As I stared into the broken shards of the mirror laying around me, I couldn't help but remember how terrifying I actually was.

Underneath the mask, I was so far from human.

I looked up, continuing to make my way through the home. As I walked down a hallway, I couldn't help but notice the walls.

Photos hung on the walls, mostly of families, friends, lovers. As I stared at each of them, the hollow, heavy feeling returned, now feeling much more foreign. It felt like poison, freezing and sinking deeper into my chest.

I turned my focus away from everything, trying not to dwell on it.

I kept moving, the seemingly never-ending hallway continuing to stretch on. As I kept going, I found the walls were becoming much more destroyed, the photos hanging on them soon covered in blood smears, smashed, and burnt.

The doors in the hallway weren't much better, the open ones leading to dark rooms full of What smelled like old human blood, and the carcasses of various wild animals, all at different levels of decay.

As the end of the hallway came into view, it was a sudden change of tone. The door being pristine, untouched, light shining from under it. As I got closer, I started to recognize the door.

O/Y/N's door.

I stood behind it, my large, clawed hand resting on the doorknob. I felt myself hesitate for a moment, not knowing what I'd see, or if I'd want to see it.