There was a reason no one spoke of the city. They all knew of it, of course, as it's hard to miss an entire city. They all knew of what went on in it, though no one ever witnessed the acts directly. But no one ever spoke of it. And when the road forked, one path leading to the city and the other into the wilderness, everyone just lowered their heads and walked a little faster.
On the exterior, one could not see why this city induced so much fear. But the exterior reveals very little of what lies within. If someone were brave or foolish enough to venture into the city, they could not see what induced so much fear there, either. Because, of course, this thing wasn't something that was seen.
Because as this brave or foolish person ventured closer and closer to the heart of the city, the most horrible tingling sensation would overtake them, followed by a searing pain between the shoulderblades. The instinct to flee finally takes over, but something forces them to keep going, keep forging ahead into the heart of the city. They try to scream for help but something makes their vocal chords tighten, never to vibrate for the rest of their short lives. They try to turn away but their spine and hips are locked. They try to stop walking but their feet just keep moving. And they try desperately to do anything, anything but put one doomed foot in front of the other.
After all of this, they finally reach the heart of the city, and they feel as the final pathetic, clinging bits that remain of their consciousness slip from their reach and are lost forever. And as their flesh melts from their bones and sizzles as if drenched in some horrible acid, as they fall to their knees and attempt to cry for mercy, the name echoes through their minds, a name they would never know the meaning of: H'kahelnyr.
And no one speaks of the city, because the city can hear you. It can hear everyone. All of those billions of conversations going on at once, and the city hears them all. If you speak of the city, the city will find a way to take care of you, as well as everyone who heard you. And as the city does this, a single word screams in your mind, every single neuron firing off the same message, over and over and over. H'kahelnyr. H'kahelnyr. H'kahelnyr.
YOU ARE READING
A Fear of the Unseen
HorrorThere was a day in history, though no one knows the exact date, in which an entire city died. No one knows exactly what happened, and all they have is one word: H'kahelnyr. (IN PROGRESS)
