Cold Odyssey

Chapter Two.

The sky seems to have darkened its shade further somehow, despite the little amount of time that has passed since your arrival. You had presumed it was night, but the conspicuous absence of stars in the black sky makes you question your previous assumption.

Eventually, you come to a stop, and encounter a two way path. Each of the roads look like mirror images. You glare back and forth, inspecting either trail. Not even a single blade of grass differs the pair. A chill runs down your spine.

After examining each road cautiously, you decide to take a left.

You found yourself at the front door of an abandoned church.

Tiles were breaking off, vines grew up and around its pillars, and it seemed as if no one had stepped a foot here in centuries. You took in every detail of its intricate display, a recognizable feeling nestling itself in the pit of your stomach and stirring a sense of unease and apprehension. Although you are bothered by its intimidating appearance, you hurried inside for shelter.

With trepidation, your trembling hand rises to the churches wooden door, pushing it open with a disquieting creak. Footsteps echo down a murky corridor as you gradually pass through the darkness, taking in your surroundings cautiously. The dim light casts eerie shadows. A towering door that reaches to the ceiling lies at the end of this ominous hall.
Interested, you turn the knob and peek inside.

Your eyes widen at the eerie sight. Weathered, wooden benches that bear the scars of time line themselves up in rows all throughout the room. In each seat, a mysterious figure draped in white sits unmoving. They provide no signs of life. It's unclear whether or not these forms are human, or if life flows within them at all.

Just before you were about to leave, one of the figures turns its head slowly, scarily looking straight at you. You took that as your sign to leave, swiftly slamming the door shut and stumbling back with a heavy breath.

Unnerved, you decide to turn back to where you once came.

—

Another gush of chilling wind envelops you as you turn right, almost as if nature itself is warning you.

Despite the unsettling feeling it gave, you press on.
Your teeth chatter as you approach a looming 5 story building, which has no apparent inhabitants. A haunting aura surrounds it, making you question if you really should approach it. The appearance of this mansion fails to uplift your spirits. It's discolored, off-white walls, basic rectangular build, along with the multiple windows shattered gives off a rather basic and depressing feel.

With no other way to go, you approach the property,
entering through its only door. You're first welcomed by another corridor, which looks quite similar to the one in the old church. Making your way further into the building feels like making your way further into the unknown. You've never liked the unknown. The thought of it frightens you.

The eerie silence is occasionally broken with sounds of sinister whispering, causing your anxiety to heighten as you look around for another's presence.

You find nothing.

The anticipation of what lies ahead hangs heavily over you as you nervously twiddle with your thumbs.

The thick tension in the air is palpable. You've already passed by numerous amounts of doors, all of which either had no knobs, or you were reluctant to open.
You neared another one, but it was different. A knife lodged itself firmly in the wood, bloodied and tattered. It's clear that it has been used many times before, but for what purpose? You don't really want to know, considering the dried blood that coats the glistening blade.

Being the obvious choice, your fingers wrap around the handle and yank it out with little effort. You keep it with you, clutching onto it with all your strength. It's your only protection as of now.

—

Every room in that building carried a scent similar to a rotting corpse, along with an undercurrent of blood. The nauseating odor influenced your departure. Again, you found yourself back outside, in the cold. You tread along a gravel path, the road softly crunching underneath your shoes with every step. The silence is deafening. If you listen close enough, you could hear your heart pounding relentlessly in your chest.

In the midst of the quiet, you pause. Behind you, there was the sound of a person's slow, labored panting. The urge to turn back and look is strong, but their threatening presence holds you in place.

The urgent need to escape propels you forward.

Your pace quickens from a walk to jog, and from a jog to run. Run.

You don't know how long you ran. The minutes blend together. Every moment that you're here further disorientates your sense of time. Nothing makes sense. Is this even real?

You push aside those existential thoughts and doubts. You run, and run, and run, until you can no longer.
A long, unsteady bridge presents itself in front of you.
You halt, inspecting it.

It offered a precarious pathway over the dark abyss below, its oldened and worn out cement not promising much safety.

You pause, wondering if it's really safe enough to cross. It looks as if it'd crumble under the slightest of touches.

Hurry. It's getting closer.