“Damn it.”
You throw your phone across the room, and it shatters into little pieces. You stare at it for
a second, thinking that wasn’t the most rational thing. Either way, you just lost your job. It was
supposed to be a prank. You weren’t even involved, you just supplied the materials. Your boss
didn’t see it that way. Your average paying albeit enjoyable job at Executive Auto Service was
over. You had worked there for almost two years. You turn on some trashy TV and ponder what
you are going to do next. You drift off.
The next morning, you make up your mind and decide to go back to try and plead with
your boss. You hop in your car and notice that you are almost out of gas. “Guess I’ll stop at the
Terrible’s on the way.”
As you start pumping, you realize you need to pee, very bad. Someone else in the
bathroom. As you stand outside the door, you watch the sun rise from across the valley. With a
start, you realize you aren’t casting a shadow on the exterior wall of the bathroom. Upon closer
examination, you realize that it is a darker color than the rest of the walls around you. You think
maybe it’s just too dark to see your shadow on. You hear the guy in the bathroom finish up. As
he walks out of the bathroom, you bump into him by accident. You start to say, “My bad-” when
he shoves you, and you trip into the wall. You barely have time to think, what’s up his ass, when
a strange sensation falls over your body. It’s like the molecules of the wall pass through yours,
and you can feel it, but there is no pain, just discomfort. Everything goes black.
You wake up on your back, looking up at a stained yellow ceiling with fluorescent lights.
At first, you think you got knocked out and are in the hospital. You close your eyes and roll over.
Squish. You inhale something moist, and almost retch. Your eyes shoot open. You’re not in a
hospital. You’re laying on a gross-looking moist yellow carpet. The walls around you are asickening shade of mono-yellow. They remind you of a room in your childhood home. You stand
up and survey your surroundings more carefully. There is a hallway to another room. You walk
into it, just to find it exactly the same as the other room. You pass through more rooms, all nearly
identical. Eventually, you come to a four-way junction. As you look different ways, your panic
starts to rise. There is nothing but the horrible yellow interior for as far as you can see. “Hello?”
You call out into the rooms. Nothing. It is like your voice is absorbed by the musty walls.
“What the hell? This isn’t funny.”
Again, your voice is just absorbed by the walls. Despair starts to overwhelm you as you
try to take in the situation. You think that it would be best to think about the situation later, and
figure out what you need to survive now. The only thing you have is your jeans and t-shirt you
are wearing, and your phone and wallet. You take out your phone and text your homie. It won’t
send. Frustrated, you jam your phone into your pocket and start walking. As you round a corner,
you freeze. Someone is standing at the end of the hallway. They are staring directly at you, and
not making a move. “Hey. Hey! Who are you?”
You try to get closer, but they stay rigid. “What the f*ck?”
With a start, you realize where the person's face should be is just smooth. You start
backing up. It waves to you, and starts casually walking towards you. Not knowing what it is or
what is happening, you turn around and set off at a dead sprint. You hear a grunting behind you.
Not daring to look over your shoulder, you make several turns before stopping and looking
around. The… thing doesn’t appear to have made chase. You catch your breath before realizing
you are exhausted. Not sure how much time has passed, you check your phone. It says only three
hours have passed, but it has felt like a day.You continue walking, looking for a covert spot to rest. You can’t get your mind off what
you just encountered, though. What in god’s name was that? It had seemed humanoid enough,
although it behaved strangely and didn’t have a damn face. Come to think of it, you realize it was
acting almost curious and friendly, although you were inclined not to trust something that looks
like something out of a nightmare. Still, in the back of your mind, you wonder if you could have
gotten some information from it.
After more of relatively undisturbed trekking, you spot a hole in the wall, covered by a
ventilation shaft. That should work, you think to yourself as you pry it off. It’s tight but should be
concealed. Now that you know you are not alone in this place, you are a bit more cautious about
making noises. You crawl in and close your eyes. Sleep comes surprisingly easy.
When you wake up, you are hungry, thirsty, and have an awful headache. It is like your
head is pulsing. You peer through the shaft cover and crawl out. Out of habit, you check your
phone. Still no service. Your headache was making you sleepy, almost making it impossible to
think. Not exactly sure where you were going, you set off in a direction, taking turns here and
there. Your headache was getting worse, almost like you weren’t even in control of your own
body. After what felt like days of walking, you took a small break to catch your breath. Unsure
of what to do or how to deal with the incessant pain in your head, you notice an inconsistency in
the wall across from where you were seated. You walk up to it, curious, but also cautious,
considering your recent experiences with walls. Go through it. Your mind says. Skeptical, but
welcoming any relief from the hellish landscape you resided in, you sort of try to run through the
wall, and promptly give yourself a concussion. You try again, this time ready to give up if it
happens again, and free fall through the wall, going limp instead of trying to force your way
through. The sensation you felt at the gas station overtakes you, and you find yourself looking at