The Maze Around The Corner (Joshler)

I care what you think

Tyler wished he could fall asleep as easily as everyone else in his family. He didn't know what time it was. He just knew everything was dark. The rain was falling harshly all around the house and probably around the rest of the town too. He thought about the people who lived here. Could they fall asleep easily? Or did they struggle like him? He wandered through the halls of his mind, thinking about the things he had seen that day.

The town seemed like a nice place so far. He wouldn't mind spending the entire week away from his actual house. He already desired to leave, but he was glad to know that he wouldn't have to face something worse that would torture him for the rest of his existence. But before he allowed that thought to comfort him, he remembered the strange feeling that washed over him when he stared for too long at the attic. Remembering that moment sent shivers through his spine.

It surely wasn't something he hadn't felt before. He remembers the fear and anxiety that ate him up when he had to go to school and face a few people who disliked him a bit too much. People who beat him. And did other things too. But he didn't want to linger on those still fresh memories. What confused him was the fact that he didn't face anything unusual that could have triggered him to feel that way. How could an attic make him feel worse than being bullied? Before he had the time to register what was happening, his body acted on its own, getting up from the bed in which he was laying a few seconds ago, and taking a small chair that sat in the corner of the room.

He was careful to not make any sounds that could alert anyone of his state. It felt strangely forbidden to be awake, but it felt worse to know what he was planning to do at this time of the night. He slipped out of his bed, the soft fabric of his socks touched the wood underneath him with each step and he prayed that the floor wasn't old enough to creak at the touch. And maybe God did listen to him because not a single sound escaped when he finally set the chair below the small opening to the attic. He eyed the chair for a while, as if his eyes could tell if it was enough to support his weight or not. It was a chair made for children after all so it couldn't hurt anyone to check.

Tyler lifted his right foot, patting the chair with it a few time as if it were enough to tell it wouldn't break underneath his body. He quickly lifted himself and stood on top of the chair with both of his feet. He stumbled a little as he tried to stand up straight, lifting both of his arms to the sides in an attempt to find equilibrium. When he finally felt he wouldn't fall, he told himself one thing. 'I don't wanna be here', but it was too late. He stretched his left arm towards the thin cord that fell through the small opening, supposing he should pull it to open it. His fingers grasped at it and he pulled.

The wood made a loud creak as it fell towards Tyler unitl the entrance was fully opened. Clouds of dust and spores invaded the air and he couldn't help but cough loudly as he brought both fists towards his eyes in an attempt to get the dust off of them. When his coughing finally came to a halt, he brought his arms to his sides and he stopped moving. He was scared the sudden noise would have woken someone up, but after a few minutes of waiting in silence, no one seemed to have heard anything, so he raised his head towards the now visible darkness coming from the attic.

He stared at the complete darkness in front of him. The felt anguish growing in his stomach as well as something else that he was unable to name. Suddenly the air around him felt heavy, and an uncomfortable atmosphere settled. What made him more anxious was that he could tell something was off. He frowned as he kept observing the dark room on top of him. But his frown didn't last as his eyes widened with realization. Something was staring back.

Two red dots appeared, contrasting with the pitch black around them. He noticed that they weren't side by side. One of the dots was higher than the other, yet they followed the same movements of the blurry figure to which they apparently belonged to. Tyler's whole body tensed and he felt as if he was being called again, the same feeling that washed over him when he first saw the entrance to the attic. It was hard to breathe and he had to inhale deeply, his lungs having trouble taking the air in. His head was hurting and he believed he would fall anytime now.