Fantastical Mistake

Chapter 2 - Find A Way Back

The cold gets to me first. I groaned with discomfort, as my all body seems to be sore. I take a hand to my face without opening my eyes, trying to rub my eyes and remember what day was it. As I slowly open them, all I see is the top of trees, so dense that I almost can't see the blue sky. I immediately squeal, remembering what had happened. I sit up and realize I was laying on the ground on the middle of the woods. Still, something seemed off.

I hurry and get up, rubbing the small bump in my head from when I fell. I look around, but don't recognize the sight. The big tree to my right, much bigger than the others, however, seemed like the tree that had the red door I opened. Nonetheless, as I surround the tree and call for anyone that can hear me, I realize there was no door on this tree.

Starting to panic a bit, I decide to walk back to where the path should be, never stopping to call for help, hoping someone passing by could hear me and give me a sense of direction of where I should head to. No one replies, though. And the woods seemed awfully silenced to me.

Picking up my pace to an almost run, the forest only seemed to close even more on me. The trees seemed to bend as if trying to trap me. The roots risen from the ground appeared to want to trick my feet. The big and thorny bushes obstructed my paths.

Then, the whispers started. They began so low that I almost didn't hear them over my hurried footsteps. As they grew nearer, though, there was no mistake. They were following me.

- Who's there?! – I demanded to know, sounding scared even to my own ears. – This is not funny! What's going on here?

The lack of response and sudden silence irked me more than the whispers. Deciding that, if someone was really following me and didn't respond, they probably had no good intentions, I tried to keep going as fast but also as silently as I could. I only walked a few dozen feet before the whispers began again, and this time louder than before. However, looking around, I couldn't see anyone. My heart racing, I decided to book it and run away as fast as I could. However, I wasn't given such an opportunity.

The scream escaped my lips before I could even comprehend what I was seeing.

What I could only describe as giant black shadows, without a clear silhouette, undulating as if they were made of fire, with big read eyes glowing and fixated in me, blocked my way. They were like creatures taken out of a nightmare.

I tried running the opposite way, but more of them showed up and before I knew it I was surrounded by them, as the whispers terrified me. Feeling my eyes watering and my throat hurting from all the yelling, I crunched down and hid my head under my arms, begging myself to wake up.

For as much as I tried to convince myself this was some crazy dream, the sudden burn and pull on my forearms proved me otherwise. I opened my eyes, screaming with all of my strength, as I felt myself being pulled around. However, with my eyes opened, the trees and bushes of the woods were no more. All I could see was darkness and dozens of blood-like eyes, petrifying me. It was hard to breathe, as if the air was suddenly scarce.

As soon as it started, though, I was released and fell on my side into concrete floor, the burn on my arms disappearing, only to leave a small ache. Pulling myself into a sitting position, I tried to look around. My eyes had to adjust for a moment, before I could behold the vaulted ceiling, the tall and dark walls, with small windows from which small rays of light were allowed in. I was in the middle of this wide room, with a big reinforced wood double-door to my right, and an opened archway to my left, which led to into a long hallway.

In front of me, a few feet away still, were a small set of stairs leading to a single throne-like chair, with a big high window behind it, covered up with a mahogany colored curtain blocking the sun. Due to the lack of light in the room, all I could see was a silhouette settled on top of it.