Darkness. A portal opens in the sky. Silence settles, then the portal begins to hum, clicking and snaring. It reverbs, echoing through the space. The edges slowly pulse and warp, distorting. The eye of the portal glows white; the edges are colorful, dimly shining. You cannot tell if you're actually seeing those colors, or if they are merely a result of your slightly out-of-focus eyes. You don't know why the portal is here, or where it leads to. Still, you find the portal magnetizing. Without lifting a finger, you slowly drift through the air into the portal. You start to fall.
Falling.
Deeper and deeper into the darkness of the portal you fall.
Falling.
The space engulfs you, pleasantly warming your core. Your heart slowly beats against your chest. Glowing ashes drift through the air around you, getting tossed about the air like little snowflakes.
You move your thin, frail limbs. You feel weak and small. Helpless. You outstretch an arm to touch one of the ashes. It feels cool against your flesh. The little flakes illuminate the space around you slightly, showing the true vastness of the empty, desolate space.
You begin to slowly lower to the ground. You feel cold tiles beneath your feet. Moist condensation begins to form around your toes as your warmth is absorbed into the tile. It appears that you are inside of a dark, run-down hospital room. Your eyes wander around the room, taking in your surroundings.
Your eyes fall on an operation table. Beside it is a small stand with surgery utensils on it. You run your fingers over the cold tools, then you touch the brittle paper towel beneath them. With each breath, a cloud of vapor slowly puffs from your mouth. Goosebumps begin to rise on your arms, the chill freezing you. It's clear that this building has been without power for a while.
You squint slightly to make out the rest of the room, taking a few steps forward on the cool white tiles. You see a counter with a sink in it. Above it are cabinets. The counter has drawers in it, and objects sitting on top of it. You let out a gentle gust of air, blowing some dust off of the surface of the counter. You see old medication bottles on the counter, and pick it up. You attempt to read the label, but the words seem to be written in a completely foreign language. The characters seem so irregular, unlike any language you've ever seen before. You put the pill bottle back down, and look down at the drawers of the counter. You open one of the drawers to see medical files and other assorted utensils.
You hear a small knock come from the corner of the room, which causes you to whirl around on your heels. You see a solid door, and approach it slowly. You put a hand on the handle, which is cold as ice. You turn it, and the door creaks open. Immediately upon opening the door, a blast of pleasant heat warms you.
You step into a hallway with windows on either wall. The hallway is warm and bright. You take your time, slowly walking through the hallway. Outside is a vibrant jungle, bursting with life. The hallway is slightly muggy and damp. The warmth of the sunlight streaming in through the windows tickles your skin. You feel a slight burning sensation on the pads of your feet from the wooden floor beneath you. You can hear running water outside. It sounds like a waterfall. You hear cicadas buzzing and birds singing. The solitude is extremely tranquil to you. You eventually reach the end of the hall, and see another door on the wall. You put a hand on the doorknob, and walk into the next room.
On the other side of the door is what seems to be a hotel room. You can hear bombs going off outside, accompanied by the shaking of the floor beneath you. The blades of helicopters roar above the building, and you shudder at the sound of this sudden chaos. The windows are shut off with nailed-on planks of wood. The walls are covered with an ugly yellow wallpaper, and the beige carpet beneath you is slightly damp, prickling into your bare feet. You hear water dripping from the ceiling onto the carpet with a soft pat-pat-pat-pat sound. The carpet had slightly browned in that spot, the wallpaper discolored and seeming to melt off of the walls. Something about this environment makes your stomach wrench inside of you, all of your organs feeling turmoil.
Your eyes shift to the lamp, which is the only working light in the room. The light buzzes faintly, and shines an ugly shade of cashmere. You walk to the back of the hotel room, and see yet another door. You press your ear up against it, and hear the sound of frantic screaming. A fog leaks from the crack under the door, gently blowing against your feet. You hesitate, and then open the door. Everything goes silent as you peer into a dark, seemingly infinite forest.
You shiver nervously, and breathe in the crisp autumn air. Leaves crumble beneath your feet, and you notice that everything appears to be in grayscale. You gaze into the forest, and see a door standing in the near distance. You take a step. An eerie fog rises out of nowhere. You step again, and a low whistling sound echoes through the forest. You step once more, and hear a shrill howl. The still air suddenly begins to pick up, gusting against you and whipping your face with a stinging pain. It feels as if your weak figure may be lifted off of the ground. You begin to sprint to the next door in giant leaps. You swing the door open. Right as you slip through the door, you feel sharp, cold claws graze against your back.
You slam the door shut, and slink down to the floor, leaning against the door as it thuds a few times. You look around as you hold the door shut. You appear to be inside of a mall. Thick blue vines snake through the mall, creeping up the walls and twisting through the crevices. The vines are oozing a teal liquid, and have giant purple flowers blooming on them. The lights in the mall are all off, and it seems run down and decrepit, taken over by nature. There's a gaping hole on the side of the building, golden light streaming through the mall. You wander around the mall, searching for the next door. You enter a clothing store, and find it tucked behind a rack of shirts. You open the door, and step into the darkness beyond it.
You begin to fall in the void once more.
Falling.
