On the Edge of the World

Chapter 5: So close.

The strangest thing happened last night. 

I had been at my desk, reading up on a textbook for English. Dad was passed out in his room and the house was extremely quiet. 

No crickets chirping outside my window. No cars driving past. It was like the entire world was under a spell of silence. I always liked it like this. The silence felt like it was quiet message telling me that I was not alone. 

But what happened next, it only seemed like it was mocking me. 

I was reading a passage in my book when a sudden wave of dizziness swept over my mind. My heart picked up and started beating like crazy. I gripped my chest in pain, hyperventilating and struggling to breathe. 

Without realizing, I had stood up, my room spinning all around me. I was gasping for air and struggling to stay conscious. 

Then, one single thought crossed my mind, a thought that made my blood run cold. 

"Was this it?" 

The thought made me shake. As much as I begged and called for death, I didn't want it to end like this, not now. Not after I had finally met someone who didn't seem like a complete asshole.

 The pain in my chest surged, growing and expanding. My room was rapidly fading to black. I hardly felt the floor when I fell.

I opened my eyes, shielding them from bright lights. Where the hell was I? 

I seemed to be standing in the middle of empty hallway, with flickering, pale green lights. The floor was checkered with black and white. The hall was littered with hospital beds and dirty bloody sheets. 

I swallowed nervously. What was happening? 

The back of my neck tingled like I was being watched. I whirled around and saw something duck out of sight. The ozone around me was plunged into icy dread. 

I had no fucking idea what this thing was, but I was certainly not staying here to find out. 

I took off running down the opposite way of the long empty hall. My footsteps were loud and echoed off the paint-peeling walls. Whatever had been watching me, gave chase after me. 

Too terrified and confused to look back, I sprinted faster. But no matter how fast I ran, the heavy pounding footsteps of this thing only picked up to match my speed. 

The hallway had no ending; only continuing to go on forever. More hospital beds lay scattered on the ground, blood marks on the tiled floor. 

I could hear the heavy breathing of the creature behind me. It was closer than ever. 

"HELP!" I screamed. "SOMEONE PLEASE! HELP!" My cries were weak against the hopelessness of this situation. 

I suddenly saw the end. A door at the end of the hallway. It was glowing. It was my escape. It was fleeting impression of hope that ended almost immediately. 

My right foot went right into a puddle of blood, and I slipped and fell backwards, banging my head against the hard floor. Stars sparkled right before me. I groaned and shook my head, trying to regain my senses. 

I sat up and looked up in terror at a beast made of complete nightmares. A shadow beast that could follow mortals and feast on their depression, fears, and numbed feelings. 

I couldn't move and felt hypnotized staring into this beast. It leapt at me, aiming for my throat, and everything disappeared.

I sat up, gasping for air, and looking around wildly. I was on the floor in my room. The chair at my desk had been knocked over. My heart was slowing down but I was still shaking. 

I got up and walked to the doors of my cupboard. There was a mirror on them. Looking at my reflection made me almost want to break down. 

I was wearing an oversized t-shirt but even with that, I could still make out my way too skinny body. My curly black hair was as messy as ever, with brown eyes made of hate and hurt, and fading bruises marking my face. Looking at my reflection made me hate myself more. 

I went back to my desk, opened a draw, and rummaged through it until I found what I was looking for. 

A small metal razor. 

I walked back to my mirror and frowned at myself. Lifting the razor to my face, I told my reflection, "This is what we deserve." 

I pressed the blade into my skin, under my right eye and slid it across. Blood drew, and slowly dripped down my face. I never winced or made any reaction. I had become to numb for pain. 

I forced myself to look away from the mirror and dropped into my bed. My alarm clock told me it was already 3:30am. 

I wanted to sleep, but I knew what would happen. I would have the same recuring dream I had been having for months. 

I'd wake up in an empty hallway, usually a hospital, with something watching me. I would try and run away, find the door at the end of the hall, fail to get and get devoured by this creature. 

But every time I died in the dream, a little piece of me would die. Small bits of my identity, my being, my everything until soon I would become nothing but an empty hollow shell. 

I curled up into a ball and hugged myself. It wasn't much, but it enough comfort for me.

To be continued...

 chose this song cause i thought it kinda fit this chapter. 

want to know what happens next? stick around till next week to find out