The Backroom and Other Short Horror Stories

Forgotten

I took my usual stroll in the forest near my house. It was nearing the winter times, so I wore a light jacket. The leaves crunched underneath my feet with every step I took. Being here over an hour, I have not seen another person, which was a first.

However, solitude was the way I liked it.

The wind blew past me, gently blowing my short brown hair. As a male that wanted to fit it, I tried my best to look the same as the popular boys. But, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to fit in. So I'm going to go my own way. Starting with walking in the forest to clear my mind.

I suddenly had to take a leak, so I stepped off of the trail and looked around my surroundings. I was surrounded by nothing but trees and fallen leaves, a small pond in front of me. A few birds chirped here and there, but I didn't hear any footsteps or voices. I did my business and turned to go back onto the trail, when I noticed it.

A cement stairway towering over the pond. It stopped after a good amount of steps.

Never seen that there. Is it a new attraction?

I surveyed the mysterious steps, surprised to see each step covered in leaves. This meant the stairs have been here longer than I thought. Then again, I never went off trail, and I was usually stuck in my own world to notice anything.

Curious, I circled around and halted before I took the first step. The cement was surprisingly smooth, and besides the leaves, it was pretty clean. It felt wrong to try to step on something like this, but curiosity won the fight with caution. I took the first step and continued until I reached the top.

About all I could see was the top of the pond and a little into the distance. Overall, it wasn't much of a sight. However, a strange feeling passed through me. My heartbeats and breathing got offbeat, and I had a feeling I was forgetting something. But those passed as soon as I noticed them. I shook it off and stepped back down. Getting back on the trail, I continued walking through the forest.

Eventually, I came across a woman running the opposite direction. I wasn't much of a talker, but I smiled at her and said, "hello" and asked how she was.

She completely ignored me and continued running.

...Maybe she had headphones in.

I took that as nothing more than a harmless mistake, then continued walking until I reached the parking lot. Searching for my car, my heart dropped when I saw it nowhere in sight. I parked perfectly where I was supposed to, plus I was not gone that long, so there was no way it was towed. Maybe it was stolen?

Right at that moment, I saw a park ranger walk by.

"Excuse me," I said to the ranger, walking up to him. "Have you seen my car? It is a-"

The ranger also ignored me, and continued walking his own way.

I stood, baffled. Something very strange was going on.

Gulping, I exited the park. I walked close to the road, something the park rangers were snobby about. But, the park rangers nor the passengers bothered to glance at me. It was almost as if I didn't exist.

Before I knew it, I was running out of the park and into the city. Surrounded by people, I tried my best to stand out and grab the attention of someone - anyone.

But no one would notice me at all. No one looked in my direction, no one's ears perked up.

Gasping for air, I started screaming at the top of my lungs. Surely everyone would hear a screeching man, right?

Nothing changed.

I fell to my knees, breathing every bit of air I could take. This was it. I no longer existed, and I was fading away. No one will remember me, and everything I've done up until this point will be lost.

Wait, my phone. My phone!

I scrambled through all of my pockets, relieved to pull out my cell phone. Immediately, I unlocked it and went to dial my mom. The phone rang and rang and rang until an out of service message played. I dialed again. The same thing happened. I dialed again. The same thing happened once more.

I checked my phone, my soul leaving when I saw the network and wifi connection were completely lost. I tried to scroll through the apps and contacts on my phone, but not a single one would work. I tried everything, but not a single thing would load.

Looking up, I about passed out when people started passing through me like it was nothing. Desperately trying to grab their attention, I did nothing but fall flat on the floor. My phone, the last source of hope I had, cracked from the force. I turned it back on again, begging for an ounce of network connection. But, to my dismay, my phone battery ran out before I could check.

I screeched again, tears pouring out of my eyes this time. I collapsed on the sidewalk, allowing the tears to escape from my eyes.

Slowly, I started sinking into the ground, too busy with my cries to notice.