Wander

//Entry 2//

Entry 2

I awake from a fitful sleep to find that nothing has changed. I still can not seem to remember anything but the horrible nightmare figure that plagued my dreams as I slumbered - terrorizing and horrifying.

I was standing in a room quite like this one, empty and bare. The only addition was a small mirror and a comb in my hand. No matter how many times that I tried to tame my wild mane, my labor was fruitless. I could not manage to tidy the mess upon my head.

I saw him first in the mirror. He was a few feet behind me, just staring at me. Or, at least, I assume he was staring at me. I couldn't be entirely sure - the man was blank. No clothes, no features, no eyes, no hair, no mouth - just ... blank. As if wrapped in canvas one could paint pictures of beauty upon. His head was tilted as if he was curious as to what I was doing. I turned around slowly to face him, willing myself to move, but finding that I was rooted in place out of fear.

That's when that ... thing ... screamed. A long tongue slithered out of its mouth, tasting the air and salivating grotesquely. I couldn't think, it was so loud! Worse than nails on a chalkboard, I couldn't do anything but formulate thousands of images of death at its hands. I wanted desperately to run, but I could not.

I dropped my mirror due to the increasing amount sweating of my palms, waiting for death to welcome me, making the glass shatter into a hundred shards of varying sizes. The sound seemed to irritate the monster - in the same way that a gnat irritates a horse, which simply swats the pest away - causing it to lunge at me.

The nightmare ended and I awoke with a scream as I could see myself being torn apart by the faceless creature in the reflection of the broken mirror, blood pooling onto the ground. The only sounds - the viscous snarls of the beast, the snap of bone, and my own screams - were cut off abruptly.

After taking a few minutes to recompose myself, I have made up my mind. I am not going to find out anything by sitting in the same room and waiting for nothing to happen. I must try to find a way out of this prison and escape this nightmare. Hopefully, I will begin to regain my memories as I go about doing this.

At this point, I can only be hopeful.

Before I leave, I have come to the conclusion that my name must be "Wander". It is the only reasonable explanation as to why the word is written on the inside cover of this journal. Who in their right name goes by "Wander"?

Maybe it isn't my name, but until I can tell for certain, "Wander" shall suffice.

~

Wander tucked the ink pen away inside of the journal, closing the cool leather and staring at the worn surface for a moment. He took a deep breath, sliding the book into a very convenient pocket inside his large coat. He should inspect himself in front of a mirror when he could - he must look disheveled and insane to anyone that might chance upon him.

He slowly stood up, taking a moment to stretch his cramped and sore muscles before creeping towards the door. There was something about the room he was in that had grown much less inviting in the time he had spent there. It was almost as if the shadows where trying to make sure that Wander knew he had out that welcomed his stay. If the candle had been burning the whole time - which would make sense, as if someone had stumbled upon him to relight it, they surely would have helped him - the wax hadn't melted in the slightest. It was almost as if the fire wasn't real, but that would be impossible - he could feel the heat from its flickering flames.

He pushed the candles from his mind, placing one hand on the cold wood of the door. It was unnaturally cold, sending a shiver up Wander's spine. He pushed any foreboding thoughts out of his mind as much as he could, slowly opening the door. It creaked slightly, making him cringe. After waiting a moment, he continued to open the door a sliver, only continuing after making sure that the hall outside of his room was void of any unwanted visitors.

Wander slipped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him with a small creak as the wood cried out in protest upon squeaky hinges. He took a moment to listen for anything before sighing in relief.

He didn't know what it was about where he was, but this place scared him tremendously and he could not wait to escape the stone walls of this wretched building. He could not tell what it was, but he knew that something terrible had happened here, something so terrifying that the walls and the floors themselves had been permanently inlaid with fear and suffering.

Wander did not intend to be another victim to whatever it was that made this place so evil.