Silent Death - The Last Of Us

Chapter Six: What's Happening?

I made my way through the trees and shrubbery to my usual spot. An abandoned chair sat underneath a tall tree, it kept the cloth dry. What am I talking about? I don't have a "usual spot"? I don't know where I am? As I sat down the chair felt unusually stiff, like it was wooden. Before I could react the floor of the forest seemingly collapsed underneath me, sending dirt into my face. The fall was seemingly endless, my eyes soon losing their ability to see the earth around me.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sudden flash of pale light. I soon looked down to see myself hurtling towards the ground of a city, I thought I was going to die. Maybe I did for all I know. But I hit the ground, pain wasn't even felt. I opened my eyes almost expecting to see blood splattered on the asphalt, but it was clean. I was okay, Like I just fell a few inches.

    I was panting heavily as I stood up to find myself somewhere strange. It's a city. But one before the outbreak, somewhere free of infected. The city felt unnatural, like a facade. It was a relatively normal layout, a city surrounded by suburban homes. I stood on the road separating the two areas, the buildings in the city were taller than they should be, like a skyscraper drawn by a child, piercing through the earth's atmosphere.

Everything just felt wrong, it was spacious as if it inhabited thousands. But it showed no signs of life, no cars, no sounds of any type, just the sound of wind blowing through the skyline. It was like everyone left in a hurry, or they disappeared.

I thought maybe the surrounding neighborhoods might be more human. It wasn't. It was just as wrong, like an imitation. The houses were built in the same way a basic illustration of a house might be, a triangle roof, a centered single door, with a squared four paneled window. They all looked like that, seemingly cloned.

The weather wasn't even right, it was foggy to the point everything looked as if it was infinite. I took a slow step towards one of the houses, stepping on the grass that was unreasonably well trimmed. I opened the front door in hopes of finding something normal.

It was laid out like a model home, an imitation of what it could look like inhabited. A single double couch, blank walls, a small circular table, like a dollhouse. It even smelled fabricated, a smell of clean linen. My eyes however were drawn to something else, a picture frame. It laid centered on an end table, I picked it up carefully to look closer. It was a photo of a family, a mother, father, son, daughter, and a golden retriever. Like a family made for marketing, the strangest part was the smoothness of their faces. A blank canvas where facial features should be, only a bump where a nose should be.

As I set down the photo I screamed as loud as I could, maybe someone would hear me. I don't know how I got here, though I don't know where or what "here" is. I don't think I'm supposed to be here, I don't think anyone is.

I spent some immeasurable stretch of time investigating each house only to find the same thing each time. As I tried to investigate a fifteenth home I heard something new. A siren. A loud emergency siren, pulsing and ringing throughout the streets. As it did the floor broke out from underneath me once more, it was the same sensation but now I was somewhere even stranger.

The first thing I noticed was the feeling of cold concrete underneath me. Then the sound of buzzing luminescent lights that you'd find in an office. I was surrounded by concrete walls matching the floor. It was like a maze, nothing but random placements of walls and seemingly infinite stretches of hallways with other hallways jutting out randomly. A layout that seems entirely random, not a layout that has any functionality.

The place felt familiar, but I know I've never been here. Smelled old, like something ancient. I swear I could feel something in the walls, something bigger than humans. I don't know what time it is, or if time is even something that functions in this place. As I traversed the strange place I was silent, no point in yelling for nobody.

The further I traveled the weirder the layout became. The walls suddenly had small cracks like they were pushed together. Looking through the gap looked the same as the area I'm in. The longer I spent in this place the more the sounds of the lights bothered me. It was deafening. But a new sound sent a chill down my spine, it was like a shriek of terror. I looked in the direction of the intrusion to see it.

I can't even describe what it was or what it looked like, it was inhuman, it shouldn't be able to move but it did. It screeched at me in this distorted horrifying voice before rushing towards me. I ran as fast as I could, I'd never ran that fast in my life. Passing walls upon walls of nothingness as that thing followed me. Still screaming. I soon found a small enclosure, a rectangular box with a small crack to enter. I slipped in quietly before looking carefully through the gap, it was still there. It was speaking, I don't know what it said besides one thing. I barely made out "PLEASE STOP!"

I can't tell if it's talking or if it's a recording of something it's projecting. I watched as the creature slowly moved past the gap, it was seemingly made of something flesh-like. It was somehow loose and stiff at the same time, like a fleshy mannequin. As soon as I lost sight of it I backed up further into the box. Looking back I noticed a hole in the floor, I couldn't see the bottom. It was pitch black. As I contemplated jumping I found myself face to face with the creature now in this space with me. I could feel it breathing onto me as I fell down the hole.

I looked up to see it staring down at me as I fell further and further. Now I found myself in a hospital. Or at least what I think is a hospital. Before I could even process where I was, the lights turned a deep red color before I heard someone scream at me. They screamed in a loud even more distorted voice "Run." As they did, the hallways suddenly filled with an alarm ringing throughout the building. I looked behind me to see another thing. But this one was bigger. It was long, head almost reaching the ceiling. It looked like a shadow, nothing but a black figure that suddenly ran at me. I noticed the mask. Pale and white. That mask I swear I've seen it.

I took the voice's advice and moved down the hallway, panting heavily. I saw a door at the end of the hall. I pushed through the exhaustion to burst through the doors-

—————————

"Jaden?" Joel shakes me awake. I about scream. I'm inside on the bed, I don't remember even going back inside? I don't remember laying down.
"I'm up." Ellie's standing in the doorway. Ready to leave, seemingly she'd been waiting for me to get up. I wonder what time it is?
"Where's the goal today?" I ask,
"Centralia. We should get there before night."
"Okay." I pull on my coat, walking out the door behind the two.

It's surprisingly warm out, usually my ears and my nose get numb. Everything's cold or wet around here but no, it's not sunny but it's not freezing. Just blank weather. Not much to say anything about. I can feel a cut on my forehead, I keep poking it. I don't know when I sustained it but it's there.

My nightmares are getting worse, something's wrong. So so wrong. This feeling in me is twisting and turning like a sickness that won't leave. Like a warning. Like a bad feeling. I'm scared. Terrified.

I keep looking at Joel like it's the last time. I'm not sure what it is about this moment but I feel so much appreciation. It came out of nowhere, a random thought that's completely taken over my mind. What are the chances I'd find a man to love me in this bullshit? What are the chances he's kind. Handsome. And smart?

I don't know if I could loose him. I don't think I'd be able to move on. Ever.