The Capital

A Night To Remember

The night started innocently enough. I had just graduated, and my friends and I were ready to celebrate. We decided on a whim to hit up a random bar, the kind you stumble upon by accident but somehow feels like the perfect place to make memories. The neon lights flickered invitingly, and the music poured out onto the street, pulling us in.

As we entered, my friend Lila threw her arm around my shoulder, her voice light with excitement. "Aria! Now we have nothing to worry about—no more schoolwork, no more exams!" She grinned at me, and I couldn’t help but grin back.

"Yeah, now we only have to focus on summer break!" I laughed. The words barely left my mouth before we all screamed in happiness, the thrill of newfound freedom bubbling over. 

We made our way to the bar, ordered a round of drinks, and clinked our glasses together. The night was ours, and we intended to make the most of it.

Just as we were settling into our seats, a guy stumbled over to us. I recognized him vaguely; he had gone to the same college. He was clearly drunk, swaying slightly as he grinned at us. "All drinks on me tonight!" he slurred, raising his glass in a half-hearted cheer.

We exchanged amused looks, happy to oblige. It was going to be a good night.

As the evening wore on, we talked about everything and nothing, the conversation flowing as freely as the drinks. One of my friends, Jess, leaned over and asked, "So, Aria, what’s the plan now? What do you want to do after college?"

I shrugged, the future feeling distant and irrelevant in the glow of the present. "I don’t know, maybe just work a bit? I haven’t really thought about it."

Jess laughed and nudged me playfully. "Guuurl, relax! You’ve got plenty of time to think about the future. Tonight is all about having fun!"

And fun we had. We danced until our feet ached, laughed until our sides hurt, and for a few precious hours, we had nothing to fear. It was just us, going all out, savoring the sweet taste of freedom.

But then, everything changed.

I woke up to a pounding headache, the kind that comes from too much alcohol and too little sleep. I groaned and slowly opened my eyes, but the sight that greeted me was far from what I expected. I wasn’t in my bed or even in a familiar room. I was lying on the cold, hard ground, surrounded by broken glass. I winced as I pushed myself up, the shards biting into my skin.

"Shit," I hissed, looking down to see blood trickling from a small cut on my hand. But that was the least of my concerns. As I stood, I realized with a jolt that I was naked. My heart raced as I tried to piece together what had happened, but my memory was a blur. The last thing I remembered was being at the bar with my friends.

I looked around, trying to get my bearings. The room was dimly lit and had the eerie feel of an abandoned lab. Broken equipment and scattered papers littered the floor, and in the corner, I saw a shattered cube. I stared at it, a chill running down my spine. Had I been inside that?

I needed to calm down, to think clearly. I took a few deep breaths and began to walk around the lab, hoping to find something—anything—that could help me understand what was going on. "Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing in the empty space. "Is anyone here?"

No answer.

The silence was unnerving, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t alone. I tried to lighten the mood, joking to myself, "Aria, maybe you shouldn’t have drunk so much last night." But the joke fell flat, doing little to ease my growing fear.

I searched the room for something to wear, finally finding a large shirt in a closet. It was clearly a man’s shirt, and as I pulled it on, an ID card fell out of the pocket. I picked it up, squinting to read the name, but it didn’t mean anything to me. I wondered who the man was and what had happened to him, but I quickly pushed the thought aside. I had bigger concerns.

Hours seemed to pass as I wandered through the endless corridors of the lab, each turn revealing more questions than answers. "Where am I?" I muttered to myself, the sense of unease growing with each step.

Then, I heard it—a faint sound, like someone stepping on broken glass. My heart leapt into my throat as I followed the noise, hoping to find another person, someone who could explain what was going on. I rounded a corner and saw a figure ahead of me, dressed in a lab coat. Relief flooded through me. 

"Hey!" I called out, hurrying towards them. "Can you help me? I—"

But as the figure turned to face me, my words died in my throat. Their face was twisted, inhuman, like something out of a nightmare. Their eyes were empty, devoid of life, and their skin was a sickly gray. My breath caught in my chest as I stumbled back, my body frozen with fear.

The creature tilted its head, as if studying me, before lunging forward with a guttural snarl. I screamed and fell to the ground, scrambling backward as it advanced. My mind raced, panic setting in as I kicked out, my foot connecting with its head. It stumbled, and I seized the opportunity to get up and run.

My heart pounded in my ears as I sprinted through the maze of corridors, the creature hot on my heels. I didn’t dare look back, every instinct screaming at me to find a way out.

Finally, I saw it—a large metallic door, my potential escape. I threw myself against it, but it wouldn’t budge. It must need a button or a switch to open. Frantic, I spotted a control room nearby and rushed inside, my hands shaking as I pressed every button I could find.

The door began to creak open, painfully slow. I could hear the creature’s snarls growing closer, and I knew I didn’t have much time. I ducked under the control room table, trying to steady my breathing.

"Be quiet, be quiet," I whispered to myself, hoping against hope that the creature wouldn’t find me.

The door finally opened fully with a loud, metallic groan. I peeked out, my eyes locking on the creature as it searched for me, its movements erratic and inhuman. I knew I had to move if I wanted to survive.

I slowly rose, careful not to make a sound, and inched towards the door. My hands were clammy, my breath shallow as I reached for the button to close the door again. I pressed it and quickly ducked back down, praying the creature wouldn’t see me.

The door started to close, and I knew I had to make a run for it. Summoning every ounce of courage, I bolted from my hiding spot, making a mad dash for the exit. The creature spotted me and gave chase, its screeching voice echoing in my ears.

"Come on, come on," I urged myself, pushing my legs to move faster. I squeezed through the narrow opening just as the door slammed shut behind me, trapping the creature inside.

I stumbled forward, collapsing onto the ground outside. The sand was warm beneath my hands, a stark contrast to the cold, sterile lab. I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat.

"What the hell?" I whispered to myself, taking in the sight before me.

The world around me was barren, the landscape covered in endless dunes of sand. It looked like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut—I wasn’t just in a nightmare. I was living in one.