Plague- Creepypasta OC

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Riley lets her thoughts wander as she lies alone in her bed. The room is buzzing and most lights are off; she still cannot sleep, however. Staring at her white ceiling, the grey cover up to her chest with her arms exposed, she listens to the sound of her own breathing, her chest slowly going in and out as she reflects on today's memories. She likes doing this when everything seems overwhelming; being alone in the solitary confinements of her own bedroom. Everyone else, those two being Alya and Binx, had gone to sleep ages ago. Binx needed it, after all; the poor girl looked exhausted. Riley, on the other hand, can't sleep. Her thoughts race like cars around her head. She needs answers, and fast. She starts to tap her finger nervously on her hand; she does this when she's stayed still for too long. When she stays still for a long time she doesn't feel comfortable. Slowly emerging from the comfort of her bed, she looks around her room. The walls are grey, like the sheets on her bed, and there are two frames hanging on two separate walls- one is a black and white poster of Hatsune Miku, and the other is a bombard of images, all Polaroid ones. Her desk lies in the opposite corner of her bed, so its diagonally facing it. On the desk is a laptop, open from searching up random things from before with Binx.

She decides enough is enough- she needs answers, and fast. Riley slings herself into her white egg chair and opens her laptop. As the light seeps from its pixelated screen, she squints, then spins her chair around and reaches for a light switch. Light floods the room like water floods a sinking ship, and she squints once more. It's okay though; she'll get used to it soon. 

After her eyes have adjusted to the light, Riley closes her blinds, just to be sure, and enters her password: 1515. 15 was her lucky number, that's what her mother always told her when she was younger. And she has also noticed it too over the years, like one time where she had been to a supermarket, and had found a 10 dollar note on the floor when she was with her father: the date was the 15th of March. Coming out of Memory Lane, a blue welcome screen emerges, and she's in. Random files are scattered across the desktop, the Recycling Bin the only app in sight. The background is a plain light grey colour. Binx always seemed to tease her about how she was like a wannabe Wednesday due to her like of limited colour. Riley, at the time, was confused, then she watched the movie from the 1990s. She had told Binx: "I get the lack of colour, but at least my heart isn't made of stone like hers." Binx had simply smiled.

Directing the cursor onto the Chrome symbol, she waits for it to load. Riley had always wondered why a cursor was called that- it's a weird concept. After Google loads, she hesitates for a moment, her hands hovering over the keys. What does she type? "I just saw a man in yellow then had a fit on the floor?" No, that's too vague. She could open a Tumblr post or head to a Sub Reddit? See if anyone had experienced this as well. But, one thing was also on her mind.

 The thought of the cursor's name annoyed her like an itch- she just had to know. Maybe it will help her think of what to do about the yellow man? And why it's after the two of them. She types swiftly into the search bar: "why are cursors called cursors?" Then, she presses enter violently.

It is also known as a "caret." The word cursor comes from the Latin word "cursorem," which means runner. (TechTarget.)

Runner? That's explainable, as it runs to certain parts of the computer to gather information. Maybe like a journalist, Riley wonders, looking at the words in front of her. Something else pops into her head- what was the first ever word created? Popping it into the search bar, she presses enter, intrigued by the thought of this knowledge- she could tell Binx tomorrow. It turns out that mother, bark and spit are three of the 23 oldest words, and they go back 15,000 years! Another result says the Ethiopian word Aa (meaning hey) was the first.

Riley seems to go down a rabbit hole of searching life's questions she has never been bothered to look up. She finds out a lot of useless information, like how there are 4000 potato types to exist, and why snow falls. As she goes to click on the search bar after viewing a news article, a blue line of text catches her eye.

Feeling like you're being watched by a ghost?

Riley stares at the rhetorical question in confusion. Could this be what she was looking for? Hesitating, she clicks it, and it directs her to a page with black and white spider webs hanging across the banner, like on Halloween. Riley scans through the article briefly; it's from a paranormal investigators company. She could be being watched by a ghost, that's probably why she had that fit earlier with the blood on the floor. Binx had insisted after they had left the diner to get to a hospital, but Riley felt fine afterwards; it seemed to have come then left. Picking up a pen and paper and jotting the number of the company down, she closes off her laptop, as she feels a little tired now. Pulling the sheet back over her, she drifts off to sleep in no time.

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Opening her eyes, she jolts up, scanning unfamiliar surroundings. Buildings of all shapes and sizes tower over her, but each look the same in colour scheme. They each have thin cream coloured walls, stained in what she hopes to be mud. Supporting them, are dark wooden pillars and straw roofing. A Medieval village, maybe? She isn't too sure, she only knows so much about history. Suddenly she realizes- if she's in a Medieval village, doesn't that mean the floor is...

In disgust and panic, she gets up quicker than lightning. Her suspicions are correct- the floor is covered in brown sludge and straw. Riley forces the urge to throw up away from her. Scanning her eyes swiftly in front of her, something seems off about this place. It could be the lack of people in this village, or the strange feeling in her gut that something is extremely wrong. She ignores it for now, and starts to tread carefully across the sludge, trying not to get her shoes covered in animal (and maybe human) shit.

The air is surprisingly warm for a place like this, like a sauna almost. Riley had never been in one before, but she knows the feeling of hot air on her skin. The sun is nowhere to be seen, covered by grey storm clouds drifting above the urban landscape. A noise of sludge being walked on catches her attention, and she whips her head towards the sound in panic. A figure glumly drifts out of one of the buildings. It's mask, though smiley, is covered in dirt and what looks like a bit of blood. They wear a cloak that drops to their feet, and Riley cringes at the thought of animal dung tagging onto the back of her jeans. Slowly but surely, it turns to her.

"Why are you here?" It says sternly. Riley cannot tell whether it's male or female. "Are you not aware of the dangers here?"
"No... I'm not." Riley responds slowly and slightly confused at the figure's actions. "I just woke up here."
"You did?" It speaks once more. "Alright, just be careful- there is a pestilence here, a dangerous one, it can-."
"I've heard of the Black Death before." Riley explains.
"That passed over years ago." It interrupts. "This is something we have to pay the price for. we begged for her help and this is what we get."
"Who's her?" Riley asks, her eyebrow raising slightly. "Who are you?"
"I am simply a humble being in this plain of reality." It heads closer to her. Riley fights the urge to step back. "I warn you, be careful."
"Of what?" Riley raises her voice slightly.
"She knows you're here." It sighs. "Whatever you do, do not touch anything in the church." And in the blink of an eye, its gone.