1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: How many doors did you open today? How about in 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:12,119 the last week, month, or year, what about in your 3 00:00:12,359 --> 00:00:18,960 entire life? The answer to that is probably many, Yet 4 00:00:19,839 --> 00:00:22,600 if you're reading this right now, probably not enough of them. 5 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:30,960 So consider yourself lucky. They are luckier than me at 6 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:38,320 any rate. My ordeals started about five months ago. It 7 00:00:38,439 --> 00:00:40,560 was a usual day, wake up, go to work, be 8 00:00:40,719 --> 00:00:44,280 bored out of my mind, only it was a night. 9 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:47,520 I worked a night shift at a small pawn shop 10 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:51,679 and the night passed at a glacial pace. That's usually 11 00:00:51,759 --> 00:00:54,320 good news, as i'd browse the Internet of my phone, 12 00:00:54,399 --> 00:00:57,399 but my charger did that thing when you're sleep and 13 00:00:57,439 --> 00:01:01,359 it just fucking disconnects, leaving you with no battery to 14 00:01:01,399 --> 00:01:07,040 speak of, and me being me, I didn't notice until 15 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:12,840 I got into work. Great, so I was alone and 16 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:15,959 bored out of my mind for some ten hours. The 17 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:19,400 night eventually passed. A coworker came in this morning broke, 18 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,359 so I left. On my way to the car, I 19 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:24,519 stopped at a local market and I grabbed a couple 20 00:01:24,519 --> 00:01:27,040 of sandwiches and a water bottle. I was too lazy 21 00:01:27,079 --> 00:01:28,840 to make myself something to eat when I got home, 22 00:01:29,079 --> 00:01:32,280 so I figured i'd just wolfed down the sandwiches and 23 00:01:32,359 --> 00:01:37,560 go to sleep. The commute was only ten minutes long, 24 00:01:38,359 --> 00:01:40,400 and it passed in a blur as I couldn't be 25 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:44,079 bothered to pay attention to anything. My mind had melted 26 00:01:44,239 --> 00:01:46,280 under the boredom to the point that I couldn't wait 27 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:48,799 to get home and plugged my phone in to watch 28 00:01:48,799 --> 00:01:52,359 some YouTube. I pulled up in my driveway and went 29 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,159 for the entrance, fumbling for my keys, but I finally 30 00:01:55,159 --> 00:01:57,959 found them. I opened the door and entered, still not 31 00:01:58,599 --> 00:02:02,680 paying attention to my surround. That i'd been a little 32 00:02:02,879 --> 00:02:07,040 less negligent that I looked inside before going in, my 33 00:02:07,159 --> 00:02:13,479 life would have been so different today, but I didn't. 34 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:19,800 The door clicked shut behind me, and I made my 35 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,000 way to the kitchen through the corridor. I was also 36 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:26,199 searching through my backpack for one of the sandwiches. I 37 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:28,599 finally noticed something was off when I reached the place 38 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:31,919 where the table should have been, but I didn't bump 39 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:35,120 into it. There was supposed to be a chair here 40 00:02:35,159 --> 00:02:37,919 for me to sit down and eat my meal, but 41 00:02:38,159 --> 00:02:41,639 there was nothing. I looked up frantically and noticed the 42 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:44,520 table was gone entirely, along with all the furniture in 43 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:47,960 my kitchen, the drawers, the fridge, even the damn sink. 44 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,000 Not a trace of them remained. I was dumbfounded, to 45 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,520 say the least, someone break in and steal everything while 46 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:59,599 I was gone. But why, how not a closer inspection, 47 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:04,280 though I hadn't been thieves, because even the sink's drain 48 00:03:04,479 --> 00:03:08,360 was gone, replaced by a smooth wall instead. No one 49 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,159 could have done this in the ten hours that I 50 00:03:10,199 --> 00:03:12,639 was at work, and even if they could have, I 51 00:03:12,719 --> 00:03:15,800 couldn't fathom a reason for them too. I looked up. 52 00:03:15,879 --> 00:03:18,400 I saw the light bulb was gone as well. At 53 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,879 that point I started freaking out badly because lights still 54 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:23,560 emanated from where it used to be. I grabbed my 55 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:26,039 backpack and ran to the front door, hastily opening it. 56 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:37,759 The street was gone in its place, only another empty room. 57 00:03:39,759 --> 00:03:41,759 I let out a yelp of surprise mixed with fear 58 00:03:41,759 --> 00:03:43,840 as I froze in the doorway that the hell was 59 00:03:43,879 --> 00:03:46,560 going on. Remembering my phone, I pulled it out and 60 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,000 prayed that it still had some battery. Then I was 61 00:03:50,039 --> 00:04:00,439 out of luck. The thing was dead. I took a 62 00:04:00,479 --> 00:04:02,400 few minutes to calm down and decide what to do. 63 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:06,039 My breath smoothed out after a while, and I felt 64 00:04:06,039 --> 00:04:09,639 confident enough i'd not have a panic attack. So I 65 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:16,720 closed my eyes and I opened the door again, still 66 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:24,199 a room instead of the street. Crap. I explored the 67 00:04:24,199 --> 00:04:26,160 rest of the house, hoping to find something that would 68 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:29,720 have helped me understand, but every room was the same story. 69 00:04:30,519 --> 00:04:33,920 All the furniture was gone, the walls were uncharacteristically smooth 70 00:04:33,959 --> 00:04:37,120 and featureless, and the light bulbs were nowhere to be seen, 71 00:04:37,519 --> 00:04:40,519 even though there was plenty of light to go around. 72 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,199 I had hoped, against all odds that i'd still find 73 00:04:44,199 --> 00:04:47,040 my landline phone in the living room, but I think 74 00:04:47,079 --> 00:04:51,399 you can guess how well that went. I didn't know 75 00:04:51,399 --> 00:04:53,399 how many times I spent curled up on the floor 76 00:04:53,439 --> 00:04:59,120 of the living room just crying. And I don't know 77 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:01,279 how much time I spent opening and closing the front 78 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:04,000 door hoping you would finally reveal the street to me, 79 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:09,199 many hours at any rate, until life finally gave up 80 00:05:09,879 --> 00:05:13,560 and decided to take a leap of faith. I entered 81 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,959 the room my front door led to closed it behind me, 82 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:23,319 and opened the door again. Now my corridor was gone. 83 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,639 It's place taken by a small room with a single 84 00:05:28,759 --> 00:05:33,360 door on the other side. If someone would have been 85 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:35,319 there with me, they could have pointed out the exact 86 00:05:35,319 --> 00:05:38,399 moment my soul shattered by the pope made. But no 87 00:05:38,439 --> 00:05:43,560 one was there. I was all alone and lost in 88 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:49,879 a twilight zone of empty rooms. I sat down, pulled 89 00:05:49,879 --> 00:05:52,120 my backpack in my lap, and took a sip of water. 90 00:05:53,519 --> 00:05:55,839 I didn't feel hungry yet, so I decided not to 91 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:58,399 touch the sandwiches. With only two of them in a 92 00:05:58,439 --> 00:06:02,360 lead water, I had to them last. My mind went 93 00:06:02,399 --> 00:06:07,920 into survival mode. I didn't know how long I'd been 94 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:14,839 here or how to get out. Eventually, I decided to 95 00:06:14,879 --> 00:06:16,959 pick a nap. As I was still tired from the 96 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,839 night shift i'd been through. I decided i'd have a 97 00:06:19,879 --> 00:06:22,000 better chance of figuring things out if I was rested. 98 00:06:23,319 --> 00:06:27,920 Sleep came swiftly, but it was fitful and as bland 99 00:06:27,959 --> 00:06:31,240 as the room I was in. I didn't dream at all, 100 00:06:31,319 --> 00:06:34,160 and I constantly woke up feeling paranoid, like someone or 101 00:06:34,639 --> 00:06:38,680 something was watching me. The fifth time that happened, I 102 00:06:38,759 --> 00:06:41,399 jumped to my feet. The room was dark now I 103 00:06:41,399 --> 00:06:43,759 couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. 104 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,360 After I was done shitting bricks, I thought that I died. 105 00:06:46,399 --> 00:06:49,040 It was now in some sort of hell. I walked 106 00:06:49,079 --> 00:06:51,800 around slowly and still found the walls of the room 107 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,600 in about the places I expected. It clicked in my 108 00:06:55,720 --> 00:07:00,920 head it was nighttime this place, wherever, whatever it was, 109 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:06,480 kept track of the time outside. I huddled myself in 110 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:08,600 one of the corners and waited for light to return. 111 00:07:09,879 --> 00:07:11,800 That took a few hours, but with nothing to draw 112 00:07:11,879 --> 00:07:14,759 my attention and excite my senses, it felt like a 113 00:07:14,759 --> 00:07:22,879 small eternity. There was only me, the darkness, the sounds 114 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,720 of my occasional breath, and the pulse of my heart 115 00:07:26,759 --> 00:07:31,279 pounding in my ears. I thought I'd go crazy, that 116 00:07:31,399 --> 00:07:34,519 I'd start to hallucinate any moment now. But then I 117 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:37,959 noticed a small inkling of light emanating from the ceiling. 118 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:45,680 Dawn was coming. The light slowly grew in intensity, mirroring 119 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:49,319 the pace of a sunrise. But I didn't wait any longer. 120 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:51,959 The moment I could see even the vaguest of shapes, 121 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,040 I got up and on the move. Despite the poor 122 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:58,279 quality of my sleep, I felt rested and refreshed, so 123 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:02,879 I started exploring door after door, room after room. All 124 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,920 I found was more of the same. The walls different colors, 125 00:08:06,959 --> 00:08:09,600 and the shapes of the rooms varied to mirror their 126 00:08:09,639 --> 00:08:14,639 purpose a small closet, a garage, a bathroom, a corridor 127 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,720 once in a while, but other than that they were 128 00:08:17,759 --> 00:08:20,959 all the same. For a split second, I felt like 129 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:23,000 I was in a video game and I'd entered an 130 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,279 area that I wasn't supposed to a building. The devs 131 00:08:26,319 --> 00:08:29,959 didn't flesh out because no one was meant to enter it. 132 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:34,639 Only this was reality. At one point I got an idea. 133 00:08:35,039 --> 00:08:38,840 I kept finding windows which, although they didn't show anything 134 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:41,240 on the other side and were flushed with the walls. 135 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,120 I thought maybe they would lead somewhere, so I threw 136 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:46,879 my water bottle against one of them, hoping to shatter it, 137 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:51,399 but it bounced right off and rolled at my feet. 138 00:08:52,639 --> 00:08:54,799 The next few days were spent going from room to room, 139 00:08:54,879 --> 00:08:57,240 only stopping at night when I couldn't see a damn thing. 140 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:03,399 But I made a few two interesting discoveries, if you 141 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,240 want to call them, that, about how this place in 142 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:09,960 my body worked. Now, closing a door randomized the room 143 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:11,960 on the other side, so you could walk in a 144 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,279 circle without going in the same room twice. As soon 145 00:09:15,279 --> 00:09:17,399 as a door left your direct line of sight. Even 146 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:19,759 if you had left it open, it would close on 147 00:09:19,799 --> 00:09:22,440 its own. This one I figured out after I had 148 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:24,799 the bright idea of not closing any doors behind me, 149 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:28,039 hoping i'd managed to figure out how big the place was. 150 00:09:29,159 --> 00:09:31,799 I didn't need sleep, or at least I didn't need 151 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:35,120 it as often as I normally would, despite a few 152 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:37,960 days having passed at that point. I didn't feel tired, 153 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,240 and I only slept the first night I spent there. 154 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,519 Same went for food and water. I didn't feel hungry 155 00:09:44,639 --> 00:09:47,799 or thirsty, even though I still had both sandwiches and 156 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:50,200 the water bottle were missing only the few SIPs that 157 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:52,799 I took on the first day. That was either a 158 00:09:52,799 --> 00:09:54,960 curse or a blessing, depending on how you chose to 159 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:57,240 look at it. It would give me more time to 160 00:09:57,240 --> 00:09:59,159 find a way out, but it had the potential of 161 00:09:59,159 --> 00:10:03,679 prolonging myself immensely if I didn't. I decided to take 162 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:05,720 it as a blessing for the time being, and kept 163 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:09,240 going room after room, day in and day out. I 164 00:10:09,279 --> 00:10:12,000 think I opened more doors in that time than I 165 00:10:12,039 --> 00:10:15,240 would have in my entire life otherwise. But after roughly 166 00:10:15,279 --> 00:10:18,919 a week, I finally found something that wasn't just another 167 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:30,120 bland wall, though I wished I hadn't. The first thing 168 00:10:30,159 --> 00:10:32,159 that hit me as I entered another room was the 169 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:38,720 gut wrenching smell. It was stagnant and putrid, to the 170 00:10:38,759 --> 00:10:41,679 point it made me wretch and made my eyes water. 171 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:46,000 I slowly looked up and found red trails adorning the floor. 172 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:49,360 They had a radial pattern that led back to a 173 00:10:49,399 --> 00:10:53,159 common source and looked as if they'd flowed at one 174 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:58,080 point or another. Because my eyes followed them slow and uncertain, 175 00:10:58,159 --> 00:11:03,000 my gaze came upon something in the corner. It was 176 00:11:03,039 --> 00:11:06,799 a dry husk, with its back against the wall and 177 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:11,279 its hands beside its body. The trails led to its 178 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:14,799 wrists and I could see bone beneath the mummified skin. 179 00:11:17,919 --> 00:11:20,679 Words were strewn on the wall behind it, in the 180 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:24,200 same red color as the trails on the floor. I 181 00:11:24,279 --> 00:11:26,840 backed up slowly as the realization hit me in like 182 00:11:26,879 --> 00:11:30,440 a truck. This person, whoever he or she might have been, 183 00:11:31,159 --> 00:11:34,720 was like me at some point, someone stuck in here 184 00:11:34,799 --> 00:11:37,480 that couldn't take it anymore and decided to end it all. 185 00:11:38,639 --> 00:11:43,559 That was their only way out, their only release, And 186 00:11:43,639 --> 00:11:46,320 I feared more and more each day that it would 187 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:52,679 eventually be my only option as well. For hours, I 188 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:54,879 fought back the urge to leave the room and shut 189 00:11:54,879 --> 00:11:58,679 the door behind me. The reality of what I was 190 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:01,919 facing sunken deeper and deeper into my soul, bringing with 191 00:12:02,039 --> 00:12:11,240 it despair and a feeling of complete helplessness. Many slaps later, 192 00:12:11,279 --> 00:12:13,360 I managed to snap myself out of it and approach 193 00:12:13,399 --> 00:12:17,320 the corpse to inspect it. I thought that maybe they'd 194 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:20,759 have something useful on them, though what exactly that would 195 00:12:20,799 --> 00:12:24,200 have been. I had no idea. Certainly no food or water, 196 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:27,399 else they'd not have taken their own life, and certainly 197 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:29,720 not a map that let outside, else I'd not have 198 00:12:29,759 --> 00:12:33,559 found them in here like this. I fashioned a mask 199 00:12:33,639 --> 00:12:35,320 to cover my mouth and nose out of my t 200 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:39,639 shirt and walked over to it slowly. The words behind 201 00:12:39,679 --> 00:12:41,440 it came into view as I got closer, and I 202 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:43,279 could read them when I was a few steps away. 203 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:53,360 Beware the dark, don't follow the footsteps. The eyes, oh god, 204 00:12:53,840 --> 00:13:02,200 the eyes make it stop. I'm paraphrasing a bit, but 205 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:05,159 that was the gist of it. Short sentences with an 206 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,720 ominous feeling to them. They certainly did a good job 207 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:11,879 of making me feel like I drowned in dread. I 208 00:13:11,919 --> 00:13:14,399 tried to puzzle them together and draw some meaning from them, 209 00:13:14,399 --> 00:13:18,480 but I couldn't what eyes, what footsteps. I'd been here 210 00:13:18,519 --> 00:13:20,639 for more than a week now, but besides the sounds 211 00:13:20,639 --> 00:13:24,879 I made myself, I didn't hear anything. Still shot my 212 00:13:24,919 --> 00:13:28,879 pants or reading it though. I knelt down next to 213 00:13:28,919 --> 00:13:31,039 the corpse and started pulling on its clothes in search 214 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:35,600 of pockets. I was dressed pretty blandly jeans and a 215 00:13:35,639 --> 00:13:39,559 T shirt, so i'd not find much. One of the 216 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:42,159 front pockets of the jeans revealed a phone with no battery. 217 00:13:42,639 --> 00:13:45,480 Then the back pocket revealed a wallet. There was a 218 00:13:45,519 --> 00:13:47,480 bit of cash in it, a few bills and coins, 219 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:49,799 but I decided not to even count it, let alone 220 00:13:49,879 --> 00:13:53,519 take it. But I found an ID in a driver's license. 221 00:13:54,399 --> 00:13:57,240 I took those. I figured that if I ever got out, 222 00:13:57,320 --> 00:13:58,960 the least I could do is turn these in and 223 00:13:59,039 --> 00:14:02,519 let their relatives know their fate. His name was Brandon, 224 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,960 the average looking twenty five year old guy with dirty 225 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:12,679 blonde hair sparkling blue eyes. He didn't deserve his fate. 226 00:14:14,759 --> 00:14:18,159 I didn't either. I found nothing else on him, so 227 00:14:18,159 --> 00:14:21,039 I decided to move on. Staying put wouldn't do me 228 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:24,320 any good, and After finding Brandon's corpse, I felt a 229 00:14:24,399 --> 00:14:28,919 renewed sense of urgency. The next few days followed the 230 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:32,840 same pattern as before, stopping only at nightfall before I 231 00:14:32,919 --> 00:14:35,120 moved for as long as I could see, but with 232 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,159 Brandon's warning to be aware of the dark, I began 233 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,039 stopping the moment the light started to fade. I was 234 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:43,240 itching to move to keep my mind occupied so I 235 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:48,320 wouldn't collapse in on me, but I was afraid I 236 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:50,360 didn't need to see any monsters on top of all 237 00:14:50,399 --> 00:14:55,519 that I'd been through. As the second week came and passed, 238 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:58,440 I was certain I traveled for dozens of miles now, 239 00:14:58,799 --> 00:15:01,559 and more or less in a straight line too. I'd 240 00:15:01,559 --> 00:15:03,879 grown properly hungry in the meantime, so I ate one 241 00:15:03,879 --> 00:15:06,360 of the sandwiches and held onto the other one until 242 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:08,919 I'd literally be starving. I was also down to half 243 00:15:08,919 --> 00:15:11,320 a bottle of water, but if my body kept up 244 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:13,519 at the same rate, these meager supplies would have lasted 245 00:15:13,559 --> 00:15:21,919 me another month or two. That was unless I'd found her. 246 00:15:23,039 --> 00:15:25,399 As I entered another room, I saw someone huddled in 247 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:30,039 a corner. Thinking it was another corpse, I approached it slowly, 248 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:37,080 my nerves on their ends. It looked shriveled, malnourished, but 249 00:15:38,519 --> 00:15:40,919 I couldn't tell if they'd been dead for long now. 250 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:46,480 Decomposition was probably effected the same way as my hunger 251 00:15:46,519 --> 00:15:49,679 and thirst, which is why my sandwich went stale but 252 00:15:50,559 --> 00:15:55,559 still edible. But then she opened an eye, looked at 253 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,279 me with horror, and started to scream. I covered my 254 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:01,679 ears to sheeld them from the loud screech, and it 255 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:04,039 took everything I had in me to not bolt it 256 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:07,080 out the door. She screamed for a solid thirty seconds 257 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:09,320 before she stopped the gasp for air, but I could 258 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:11,320 see that she was ready to do it again. Stop that, 259 00:16:11,519 --> 00:16:16,879 I yelled, I will hurt you. She opened both eyes 260 00:16:16,879 --> 00:16:23,600 and they were wide with surprise. A look of disbelief 261 00:16:23,639 --> 00:16:27,240 and then of relief washed over her features as she 262 00:16:27,279 --> 00:16:32,960 huddled down tighter. Help me, please, Oh God, if you're 263 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,320 a real human, help me. It. Rushed over to her 264 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,440 and knelt down. She looked bad, but knowing she was 265 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:41,720 still alive in her condition made it so much worse. 266 00:16:42,759 --> 00:16:46,399 Her face was scrawny, her skin pulled taut over her bones. 267 00:16:46,919 --> 00:16:49,960 Her clothes looked a few sizes too big, hanging loosely 268 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,879 on her frame. Her hair was disheveled, dirty, and bunches 269 00:16:53,919 --> 00:16:56,080 of it had fallen off to reveal her bare scalp. 270 00:16:56,879 --> 00:17:00,519 What happened to you, I asked, although I probably knew 271 00:17:00,559 --> 00:17:04,240 the answer. Do you have anything to eat? There? Some water? 272 00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:08,400 She asked. I considered for a moment to lie and 273 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:13,039 tell her no, that I couldn't live with myself if 274 00:17:13,039 --> 00:17:16,319 I did that. However long I still had to live anyway. 275 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:19,519 I opened my backpack and offered her the sandwich. She 276 00:17:19,559 --> 00:17:22,039 wolfed it down in a few seconds and then licked 277 00:17:22,039 --> 00:17:26,079 the plastic wrap clean. Thank you so much, she said, 278 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:29,920 after she was done. I haven't eaten in months. I 279 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,279 gave her the water bottle too, told her to drink 280 00:17:32,279 --> 00:17:36,000 it slowly. I was no expert in malnutrition and starvation, 281 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:38,119 but I knew that if the stomach was empty for 282 00:17:38,119 --> 00:17:39,960 a long time, it's not a good idea the stuff it. 283 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,279 All of a sudden, she of course, didn't listen to me, 284 00:17:42,279 --> 00:17:47,160 and drank the water in a few gulps. I couldn't 285 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,240 really blame her, though I can't even imagine what it 286 00:17:50,279 --> 00:17:55,680 feels like. Did not eat or drink for months. We 287 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,200 stood in silence for a while, because I allowed her 288 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,920 to regain some She eventually opened her mouth and started 289 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:08,920 to talk to this day. To this day, I still 290 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:17,279 regret hearing her words. Have you seen it yet? She asked? 291 00:18:18,519 --> 00:18:22,680 Seen what? I asked, buck? So you didn't travel through 292 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:28,039 the dark? Then she continued, No, No, I haven't. Can't 293 00:18:28,079 --> 00:18:31,920 see shit, So when night comes, I stay put. Good, 294 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:40,519 she said, you didn't answer me, though, see what. I 295 00:18:40,559 --> 00:18:42,319 tried to get more out of her, but my attempts 296 00:18:42,319 --> 00:18:45,519 were met with failure. She didn't invade my questions. She 297 00:18:45,559 --> 00:18:47,519 outright shot them down and told me it was for 298 00:18:47,599 --> 00:18:51,359 my own good. Seeing that, I didn't relent. However, she 299 00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:56,119 eventually told me something, Listen, you really are better off 300 00:18:56,160 --> 00:19:01,799 not knowing, and believe me you it just won't travel 301 00:19:01,839 --> 00:19:07,599 through the dark and you'll be safe. Fine, I said, 302 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:11,599 accepting defeat. The terror in her voice was not hidden 303 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:15,480 at all. It was laid thick on every word she spoke. 304 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:21,119 So I didn't pester her further. Still, her questions and 305 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:25,799 cryptic words felt eerily familiar. Brandon's words written in blood 306 00:19:25,839 --> 00:19:30,880 came to mind. Be where the dark. I stayed by 307 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,759 your side as the day passed and night settled, Even 308 00:19:33,799 --> 00:19:35,559 though I was itching to get on the move again. 309 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:38,240 I had not seen another human or spoken to anyone 310 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,039 in over two weeks, and although I thought that I'd 311 00:19:41,039 --> 00:19:46,720 never miss it, that changed. That was starved for conversation, 312 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:55,640 for interaction, most importantly for information. Her name was Vanessa. 313 00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:58,880 She was twenty five years old and had been living 314 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:02,279 a few towns over for me. One day, three months 315 00:20:02,319 --> 00:20:04,920 before I found her, she went to the bathroom in 316 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:08,200 her own apartment. Preoccupied with her phone. She didn't check 317 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:10,680 on the room she entered. Only when the door was 318 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:12,559 shut behind her and she was cut off from the 319 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:17,039 outside world does she notice something was up. By then, 320 00:20:17,079 --> 00:20:20,599 it was too late. She's been trapped in here ever since. 321 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:25,799 Her story sent chills down my spine, as it was 322 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,920 very similar to mine. In a moment of distraction, she 323 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:32,160 walked through a door she'd opened countless times before, only 324 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:34,920 for it to lead her here. The gears in my 325 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:37,720 head started spinning as I began to theorize the how 326 00:20:37,839 --> 00:20:41,200 and why. I knew these rooms were copies of real ones. 327 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,279 That much was evident from day one, seeing as I 328 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:46,640 entered my own house and thought someone had stolen all 329 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,680 my furniture, and I knew they were randomized upon closing 330 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:56,400 the doors. But where was this place outside of our reality? 331 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,079 Did we enter it because we weren't paying attention? Or 332 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:02,480 was it something like quantum mechanics where the contents of 333 00:21:02,519 --> 00:21:08,519 the rooms weren't decided until they were observed that I 334 00:21:08,519 --> 00:21:11,279 didn't know could have been any one of them, a 335 00:21:11,319 --> 00:21:15,720 combination of them, something else entirely. Anyway, after me and 336 00:21:15,799 --> 00:21:19,839 Vanessa talked some more, she fell asleep. She was obviously weak, 337 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:22,039 so I didn't wake her. I stood by her side 338 00:21:22,039 --> 00:21:25,119 as the light slowly dimmed, hoping she'd get enough strength 339 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:30,559 back the next day to walk. I myself couldn't sleep, 340 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:33,759 In fact, ever since I'd gotten here, I only slept 341 00:21:33,759 --> 00:21:37,000 that one time through the first night. The rest of 342 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:41,759 them I spent awake pondering my predicament, my life thus far. Tonight, 343 00:21:41,839 --> 00:21:43,799 I was glad to have someone next to me, even 344 00:21:43,839 --> 00:21:46,759 though all I could hear was her steady breathing. I 345 00:21:46,799 --> 00:21:50,000 wasn't alone anymore, and that was the only thing that mattered. 346 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,039 About halfway through the night, I got up and paced 347 00:21:54,039 --> 00:21:56,240 around through the room for a bit to stretch my legs. 348 00:21:56,839 --> 00:21:58,839 I'd do this every night to stop my muscles from 349 00:21:58,839 --> 00:22:00,920 going stiff, but I never left the rooms I was in. 350 00:22:01,519 --> 00:22:03,720 At one point I stopped after maybe ten minutes of 351 00:22:03,759 --> 00:22:06,680 walking in circles. I listened for Vanessa so I could 352 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:08,839 return next to her, and didn't take me long to 353 00:22:08,839 --> 00:22:11,279 pick up on her breathing. But before I could take 354 00:22:11,279 --> 00:22:25,559 a single step towards her, I heard footsteps. I stood 355 00:22:25,559 --> 00:22:28,039 as still as I could, listening, hoping my mind was 356 00:22:28,079 --> 00:22:35,640 only playing tricks on me. It wasn't. Although they were 357 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:39,480 faint and sounded like they came from far away, I 358 00:22:39,519 --> 00:22:44,960 could clearly make out every step. They were slow, with 359 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:49,160 a few seconds between them, but they followed a steady rhythm. 360 00:22:50,519 --> 00:22:52,559 I turned to face the direction they seemed to come 361 00:22:52,599 --> 00:22:55,920 from and took a few steps of my own, slow 362 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,160 and careful not to make a sound, I inched forward 363 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,599 until my outstretch hand met the wood of the door. 364 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:05,319 I leaned against it, pressing my ear on the wood, 365 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:11,839 and heard the footsteps clearer. I hoped there would be 366 00:23:11,839 --> 00:23:16,680 another person. I hoped me and Vanessa would get another 367 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:19,279 companion to help us out. But the more I listened, 368 00:23:19,279 --> 00:23:23,680 the more that hope was eroded away until it shattered entirely. 369 00:23:23,799 --> 00:23:26,119 The steps were too heavy for a normal human, too 370 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:29,039 drawn out, and besides that, the room they seemed to 371 00:23:29,039 --> 00:23:33,839 come from wasn't decided yet. For all intents and purposes, 372 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:38,720 I shouldn't have been able to hear them. The moment 373 00:23:38,759 --> 00:23:42,319 that realization hit me, Brandon's warning and Vanessa's question suddenly 374 00:23:42,319 --> 00:23:45,519 made sense. A deep sense of dread and fear took 375 00:23:45,559 --> 00:23:47,640 over me, and I made my way next to Vanessa 376 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:56,599 without even taking a single breath. The night passed, one 377 00:23:56,599 --> 00:24:01,559 heartbeat at a time, one footstep, because they never went away, 378 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:06,559 not until the light returned in full. At that point, 379 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:09,559 I woke Vanessa up. She came to her senses slowly 380 00:24:09,559 --> 00:24:15,279 and noticed the change in my demeanor. Did did you 381 00:24:15,319 --> 00:24:19,440 see it? It was the first thing she asked me. No. 382 00:24:21,279 --> 00:24:26,400 Did you hear the footsteps? Then? Yes, but I didn't 383 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:34,039 follow them. We should be safe. Then Vanessa tried to 384 00:24:34,039 --> 00:24:36,279 get up on her own, but she couldn't. She was 385 00:24:36,319 --> 00:24:38,680 still too weak, and we both doubted a sandwich and 386 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,079 a bit of water could change that. I helped her 387 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:42,720 to her feet and threw one of her arms around 388 00:24:42,759 --> 00:24:47,160 my shoulders, basically dragging her along. You don't have to, 389 00:24:47,839 --> 00:24:49,880 she said, as we walked towards the door. Opposite the 390 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:54,480 footsteps I heard the night before. I'm not going by myself, 391 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:57,279 I cut her short. If I spent another night awake 392 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:03,799 by myself, I'd lose it. She didn't say anything. Having 393 00:25:03,839 --> 00:25:06,279 been alone for the past months, she probably understood me, 394 00:25:07,559 --> 00:25:09,920 who spent the day walking in a straight line, door 395 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:12,559 after door, hoping one of them would lead us outside. 396 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:18,720 It hadn't, of course, and by nightfall we stopped once again. 397 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,000 I sat Vanessa down in a corner and laid next 398 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,880 to her. She lifted her right pant leg to reveal 399 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:29,119 her shin, and I saw it was full of straight 400 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,640 cuts and various stages of healing. I didn't know what 401 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:36,119 to make of them, but they looked suspiciously like tally marks. 402 00:25:37,079 --> 00:25:38,920 With the nail of her thumb, she cut another line 403 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:42,000 into her skin. She winced a bit, but didn't let 404 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:48,200 us sound. Seeing my confusion, she started to explain, I'm 405 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:52,640 counting the days I've been here on your skin, I asked, 406 00:25:52,799 --> 00:25:59,240 unnerved by it, I've forgot nothing else, she said. We 407 00:25:59,319 --> 00:26:03,200 talked a bit more, mostly about our lives. She'd finished 408 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,279 high school but didn't pursue a higher education. That left 409 00:26:06,279 --> 00:26:08,200 her working at a restaurant. As a waitress to make 410 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,920 a living. There, she met the man that would soon 411 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:14,880 become her boyfriend and then fiance. He was the son 412 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:18,000 of the owner, but from what Vanessa told me, he 413 00:26:18,039 --> 00:26:21,880 worked with him whenever he needed. He sounded like a 414 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:26,160 swell guy, to be honest. Anyway, two of them moved 415 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:28,640 into an apartment by themselves a year prior, and they'd 416 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:32,640 been happy together. Vanessa said she could already see the 417 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:39,000 rest of her life with him until well, until this 418 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:43,880 happened to her. I told her I was in a 419 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:47,480 similar position to hers, working a dead end job in 420 00:26:47,599 --> 00:26:51,160 order to scrape by. Only I had wasted years of 421 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:54,039 my life going to college, getting a degree that never 422 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,559 led me anywhere. I still live with my parents in 423 00:26:57,599 --> 00:27:00,720 our small suburban home, hoping to find someone to share 424 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:07,039 my days with, maybe start a family. Well you can 425 00:27:07,079 --> 00:27:10,119 guess how well that went, I said, trying to pass 426 00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:14,039 it off as a joke. Vanessa managed to giggle, but 427 00:27:14,319 --> 00:27:16,160 I could tell us she didn't really taste my joke. 428 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:20,119 I didn't blame her, but I always found humor alleviates 429 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,960 bad situations for me. We kept talking as the lights 430 00:27:24,039 --> 00:27:27,240 vanished almost completely, and we'd have done it even after 431 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:33,680 probably all through the night, something we heard stopped us. 432 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:42,000 The footsteps, goddamn footsteps. They returned as the last rays 433 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:48,079 were gone, seemingly closer than last night. We held our breath, 434 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:52,680 listening in anticipation for what must have been hours. We 435 00:27:52,759 --> 00:27:56,440 huddled closer together, bunching into one another for a fleeting 436 00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:03,759 sense of safety. The night eventually passed. We were both 437 00:28:03,799 --> 00:28:06,000 still alive by the end of it, Scared out of 438 00:28:06,039 --> 00:28:11,680 our minds, but alive. We spent about two more months 439 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:16,119 traveling together, passing the days with small talk and the 440 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:20,279 nights fearing for our lives. The footsteps got closer some nights, 441 00:28:20,279 --> 00:28:25,880 but if we kept quiet, they wouldn't approach us. We 442 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,160 both got weaker by the day, withering away to hunger 443 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:33,559 and thirst, but Vanessa was much worse off than me. 444 00:28:34,799 --> 00:28:37,440 I didn't think someone could be that thin and still live. 445 00:28:38,519 --> 00:28:40,960 I think only her will to survive and see this 446 00:28:41,039 --> 00:28:45,440 through kept her alive. At that point, we'd made very 447 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:47,440 little progress for a few days, and I guess we 448 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:50,240 both knew that she didn't have long left, but I 449 00:28:50,359 --> 00:28:55,039 refused to acknowledge it. One evening, as we stopped for 450 00:28:55,079 --> 00:28:56,960 the day, she was too weak to even talk to me. 451 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:00,319 She went straight to sleep, which worried me since I 452 00:29:00,319 --> 00:29:03,759 didn't need to sleep once since i'd met her. Then 453 00:29:03,799 --> 00:29:11,000 morning finally came and she woke up. She kept uncharacteristically silent. 454 00:29:12,799 --> 00:29:14,440 I waited half an hour for her to wake up 455 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:16,559 fully before I suggested we get on the move again. 456 00:29:16,599 --> 00:29:25,000 But she stopped me. Just leave me, she said, in 457 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:28,440 a weak, sad voice. Both No, I don't have much 458 00:29:28,519 --> 00:29:32,559 left and I'm only sighing it down. No, I protested, 459 00:29:32,759 --> 00:29:35,880 there's not some movie. You're not doing some heroic sacrifice 460 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:42,960 for me. She didn't fight me about it. Maybe she 461 00:29:43,039 --> 00:29:46,480 was too weak too. Maybe she's simply didn't care anymore, 462 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:54,400 knowing we'd both meet our end regardless. Sorry, she accepted 463 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:58,160 my decision after a while. At least let me tell 464 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:02,839 you the truth. God knows how much time I have left. 465 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:07,079 This might be my last chance to I wanted to 466 00:30:07,079 --> 00:30:09,400 stop her, to contradict her and reassure her we'd make 467 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:14,640 it eventually, but I listened. I was curious, but I 468 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:17,759 didn't want to risk braving this place alone without knowing 469 00:30:17,799 --> 00:30:24,799 exactly what I'm in for. There's something in here with us, 470 00:30:25,359 --> 00:30:29,240 she said, after a long pause. I don't know exactly 471 00:30:29,279 --> 00:30:35,400 what it is, but it's hunting us down. If you 472 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:37,519 move during the night, it picks up on you, I think, 473 00:30:38,319 --> 00:30:41,200 And then it just starts circling the rooms and search 474 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:44,319 for you, making those footsteps we've been hearing. If you 475 00:30:44,359 --> 00:30:49,119 make noise, or if you follow the footsteps, it can 476 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:54,960 find you. Did I started, but the words got stuck 477 00:30:55,000 --> 00:31:03,079 in my throat. Did you see it? I did, she admitted, 478 00:31:03,119 --> 00:31:06,880 with a surprised calmness when I first got here. Actually, 479 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:09,599 I ran around for a few days, even through the dark, 480 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:15,559 and one night I bumped into it. I didn't get 481 00:31:15,599 --> 00:31:17,440 a good look at it. I ran away like hell, 482 00:31:17,599 --> 00:31:23,880 and and I guess I lost it. How did it look? 483 00:31:24,559 --> 00:31:27,400 I asked, even though I was sure I'd regret finding 484 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:36,559 out its tall, gaunt, spindly limbs, Vanessa said, and paused 485 00:31:36,559 --> 00:31:39,359 for a moment. Her sight got lost in empty space, 486 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:41,279 and for a few heartbeats, I was sure she wasn't 487 00:31:41,319 --> 00:31:46,680 there with me anymore on a mental level. And those eyes, 488 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:54,799 she eventually added, red shining, and tears formed around her 489 00:31:54,799 --> 00:31:59,519 eyes flowed down her cheeks, but her expression didn't change 490 00:31:59,559 --> 00:32:06,960 to reflect fat haunting. I asked, She nodded her head. Okay, 491 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:09,599 he said, that's enough. I'm not sure I want to 492 00:32:09,599 --> 00:32:11,480 hear more, and I'm pretty sure it's not doing you 493 00:32:11,519 --> 00:32:15,599 any good to try and remember more. She sheepishly nodded 494 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:19,279 her head again, so we closed the subject. We got 495 00:32:19,319 --> 00:32:22,480 on the move, at a glacial pace, with bricks every 496 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:24,480 other hour or so for her to catch her breath. 497 00:32:25,519 --> 00:32:28,759 He mostly kept silent, with barely a few words exchanged 498 00:32:28,759 --> 00:32:34,480 between us, but I still appreciate her her presence. I 499 00:32:34,519 --> 00:32:38,240 think another week or so passed and Vanessa withered away 500 00:32:38,359 --> 00:32:42,839 visibly day by day. It wasn't long before she couldn't 501 00:32:42,839 --> 00:32:45,599 walk anymore, and she kept insisting that I either leave 502 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:51,519 her or end her. But I didn't do either. I 503 00:32:51,559 --> 00:32:55,759 couldn't do either, at least not in the meantime. For 504 00:32:55,799 --> 00:32:58,440 as long as I was able, I'd carry her around 505 00:32:58,519 --> 00:33:01,039 on my back, which is exactly what I did, And 506 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:04,319 even though she was more bone than flesh at that point, 507 00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:08,599 she still felt very heavy, a clear sign of my 508 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:15,599 own degradation. We traveled less and less, starting up later 509 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:20,119 and stopping sooner every day. Vanessa kept tallying the days 510 00:33:20,119 --> 00:33:22,000 on her skin until she ran out of room on 511 00:33:22,039 --> 00:33:26,559 her legs and had to move on to her forearms. Bored. 512 00:33:26,599 --> 00:33:30,319 One evening, we counted the marks and we found that 513 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:33,079 she'd been in here for a little over six months. 514 00:33:34,559 --> 00:33:37,400 That's the rate I'm going, she said, after a while, 515 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:47,519 I have maybe another month left. She didn't bring it 516 00:33:47,599 --> 00:33:50,720 up again that I knew from a look in her 517 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:59,440 eyes she was afraid, despite her inhuman amounts of resolve, 518 00:34:00,599 --> 00:34:05,680 what in another month in her condition would mean so 519 00:34:05,759 --> 00:34:09,480 much pain, so much suffering. And although she never said it, 520 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:13,960 I knew she was angry with me for refusing to 521 00:34:14,039 --> 00:34:20,039 end it for her. That night was the first time 522 00:34:20,079 --> 00:34:24,400 I slept as well. Couldn't describe how good it felt. 523 00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:27,679 Escaping the hell I was in, even for a few hours, 524 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:30,800 was a blessing, But unfortunately I didn't get to relish 525 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,039 in it for too long. All the stress, all the anxiety, 526 00:34:34,119 --> 00:34:37,599 all the worry that built up in me, they turned 527 00:34:37,599 --> 00:34:43,800 into nightmares and ruined my rest. I dreamt of Vanessa dying, 528 00:34:44,679 --> 00:34:48,480 of me crying over her lifeless body. My resolve to 529 00:34:48,559 --> 00:34:55,480 continue shattered. And then she opened her eyes and reached 530 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:59,480 a skeletal arm out towards me. I tried to scream 531 00:34:59,519 --> 00:35:01,159 and back a way away from her. But you know 532 00:35:01,239 --> 00:35:06,039 how well that goes in dreams. I was paralyzed, the 533 00:35:06,159 --> 00:35:08,559 yells frozen in my throat. She threw me to the 534 00:35:08,559 --> 00:35:14,400 ground effortlessly. Why didn't you kill me, she asked, climbing 535 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:16,880 over me and wrapping her fingers around my throat. I 536 00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:21,400 couldn't answer, and I thrashed around beneath her and tried 537 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:24,039 to scream again and again, but I was only met 538 00:35:24,079 --> 00:35:27,079 with failure. The struggle didn't last for long, though. Fortunately 539 00:35:27,239 --> 00:35:29,119 the real Vanessa woke me up, but I let out 540 00:35:29,119 --> 00:35:31,840 a single loud screech as I came to and regained 541 00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:34,840 control of my body. It's all right, it's okay, You're okay, 542 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:45,719 you're okay, she whispered and covered my mouth. The silence 543 00:35:45,719 --> 00:35:51,679 that engulfed us was so all consuming that I could 544 00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:54,880 hear the beating of my own heart in my ears. 545 00:35:56,119 --> 00:35:58,800 I kept quiet as the shock of the nightmares faded away, 546 00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:03,079 and Vanessa did the same, not making a single sound. 547 00:36:04,679 --> 00:36:10,719 I could barely even hear her breathing because my senses adjusted, 548 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:14,599 I heard something faint and distant. Footsteps somewhere far away, 549 00:36:14,639 --> 00:36:18,719 the doors squeaking as they opened and close. They were 550 00:36:18,719 --> 00:36:22,199 getting closer. I knew that the creature heard my scream. 551 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:23,960 It was only a matter of time until it would 552 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:27,480 reach us. We have to move, I whispered to Vanessa. 553 00:36:27,519 --> 00:36:32,760 Will be found. We can't outrun it, Vanessa said, And 554 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:36,800 it'll hear us, It'll hear the doors. The footsteps got 555 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:39,199 even closer to the point I could tell them apart. 556 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:41,599 The creature was only a few rooms away at best. 557 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:43,800 We don't have a choice, I said, as I got 558 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:48,599 to my feet. Let's go. We'll figure something out. I 559 00:36:48,639 --> 00:36:51,239 didn't wait for Vanessa to answer. The footsteps were maybe 560 00:36:51,239 --> 00:36:54,039 two rooms away. We didn't have time to argue any longer. 561 00:36:54,239 --> 00:36:56,280 I took her hands and pulled her to her feet, 562 00:36:57,159 --> 00:36:59,719 getting her on my back and taking off. I tried 563 00:36:59,719 --> 00:37:01,960 my best to move as quietly as possible, but as 564 00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:04,519 soon as I opened the first door, the footsteps quickened 565 00:37:04,519 --> 00:37:07,079 behind us. The door to our room opened just as 566 00:37:07,119 --> 00:37:10,599 we left it, and I heard a guttural scream from behind. 567 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:13,239 That was all I needed to convince me to throw 568 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:16,159 all caution to the wind. I sped up, not quite running, 569 00:37:16,239 --> 00:37:19,280 but hurrying the best of my abilities. I went at random, 570 00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:21,519 opening and closing all the doors in my wake. But 571 00:37:21,559 --> 00:37:24,039 the creature was onto us. I didn't have the strength 572 00:37:24,079 --> 00:37:26,920 to go any faster and lose it. It soon caught 573 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:28,840 up to us, and I turned my head around in 574 00:37:28,920 --> 00:37:32,960 time to get a glimpse of it. Dredd invaded me 575 00:37:33,079 --> 00:37:35,800 at the sight of its glowing eyes filled with malice, 576 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:38,159 and I almost tripped right then and there. But I 577 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:41,679 kept going, and by some miracle, I stayed ahead of 578 00:37:41,719 --> 00:37:45,719 it for a little while longer leave me, Vanessa urged, 579 00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:48,320 I'm a goner anyway else, I'll buy you some time 580 00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:51,320 to get away. No way in hell, I yelled back 581 00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:54,599 at her. Not an option. The next room was a 582 00:37:54,599 --> 00:37:57,920 flight of stairs with no other route in sight. I 583 00:37:57,920 --> 00:37:59,800 could barely make out a door all the way up, 584 00:38:00,039 --> 00:38:02,280 and with the way I came from blocked by the creature, 585 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:05,119 I started ascending. I didn't think i'd make it five 586 00:38:05,159 --> 00:38:07,320 steps before I tripped and was forced to continue on 587 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:10,000 all fours. Vanessa was barely hanging onto me, and I 588 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:13,440 felt her grip around my throat loosening. Whether or not 589 00:38:13,519 --> 00:38:16,159 she was letting go intentionally, I'll never know. Your guess 590 00:38:16,159 --> 00:38:18,440 is as good as mine. At any rate, she didn't 591 00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:21,559 get to fall off my back. The creature caught up 592 00:38:21,559 --> 00:38:24,239 to us, bounding up the stairs like a crazed animal. 593 00:38:24,239 --> 00:38:27,400 When it got its calloused hands around my ankle, I 594 00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:29,320 tried to kick it away to keep going, but in 595 00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:32,480 a single motion, it hurled me through the air and 596 00:38:32,559 --> 00:38:35,159 back down the stairs. I landed hard on my back, 597 00:38:35,199 --> 00:38:38,559 getting the air knocked out of me, and I heard 598 00:38:38,679 --> 00:38:42,079 Vanessa crash to the floor somewhere to my right. Through 599 00:38:42,079 --> 00:38:44,280 the stars in my vision, I could vaguely make out 600 00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:49,360 her form in the murky darkness. She was completely still Vanessa. 601 00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:55,000 I yelled, crawling towards her scow. She yelled back, yet 602 00:38:56,440 --> 00:38:58,360 her words were cut short by the creature as it 603 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:01,599 plowed into her, up off the ground so fast that 604 00:39:01,639 --> 00:39:04,239 its spindley body was just a blur of shadows and movement. 605 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:07,239 I heard a loud thud as it pitted Vanessa against 606 00:39:07,239 --> 00:39:10,760 a wall, and heard her gargle as she tried to scream. 607 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:14,199 Her eyes locked for a final time, and behind her 608 00:39:14,239 --> 00:39:21,679 gaze I saw a terrifying calm, an acceptance of her 609 00:39:21,679 --> 00:39:28,400 fate that I didn't think possible. She mouthed go one 610 00:39:28,519 --> 00:39:31,639 final time, and her eyes left mine, moving to meet 611 00:39:31,679 --> 00:39:36,679 those of the creature. I didn't want to my heart 612 00:39:36,719 --> 00:39:41,280 screamed at me to stay, to fight, to help, but 613 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:44,840 my tired, malnourished body fought me back, and I found 614 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:49,920 myself turning around, limping away on all fours. As I 615 00:39:49,960 --> 00:39:54,960 reached the door and left the room, I heard a 616 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:58,039 sickening sound of flesh and bone being torn apart as 617 00:39:58,039 --> 00:40:02,199 the creature let out squeals of satisfy action it won, 618 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:08,480 it got its prey. I went as fast as I could, 619 00:40:09,599 --> 00:40:11,920 closing all of the doors behind me, hoping that the 620 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:16,039 rooms would get reshuffled and i'd be safe. More than 621 00:40:16,079 --> 00:40:18,440 once I was tempted to either stop or outright turn around, 622 00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:23,360 because oh was the point, But I kept going until 623 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:28,079 my lungs burned and my souls felt raw. A human 624 00:40:28,119 --> 00:40:35,119 survival spirit as a hell of a thing. After Vanessa's death, 625 00:40:35,159 --> 00:40:40,960 I had no idea how much time passed. Days, weeks, months, 626 00:40:42,559 --> 00:40:45,599 even slowed down As it was a Hunger and dehydration 627 00:40:45,719 --> 00:40:48,360 were finally catching up to me, and I soon started 628 00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:51,119 resembling the state that Vanessa had been in during her 629 00:40:51,119 --> 00:40:56,519 final days, with my consciousness lapsing in and out, spending 630 00:40:56,519 --> 00:40:59,480 more and more time sleeping each day. I picked a 631 00:40:59,519 --> 00:41:04,000 room and sided to just to let myself die and 632 00:41:05,239 --> 00:41:11,760 end the nightmare. But that didn't get to happen obviously, 633 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:18,960 Otherwise I wouldn't be here telling you my story. One 634 00:41:19,039 --> 00:41:21,440 faithful evening, as the lights in the room dimmed to 635 00:41:21,519 --> 00:41:24,840 almost nothing, one of the doors opened. The two figures 636 00:41:24,840 --> 00:41:28,599 walked inside, shining flashlights in my face. I opened my 637 00:41:28,639 --> 00:41:31,079 crusted eyes slowly. I tried to speak, but all that 638 00:41:31,199 --> 00:41:36,800 escaped my mouth was a throaty rasp. Bloody hell Nate, 639 00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:39,599 one of the figures said, in a thick British accent, 640 00:41:40,039 --> 00:41:43,960 he's still alive. Get him out. More people appeared from 641 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:47,920 behind the two, brandishing shotguns and firemen's axis. Two of 642 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:50,159 them grabbed me by my feet and arms, hauling me 643 00:41:50,280 --> 00:41:53,280 up and carrying me along. I passed out on the way, 644 00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:56,159 but I was conscious for long enough to notice that 645 00:41:56,199 --> 00:42:00,880 they left every door open behind them. They also spread 646 00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:05,239 a thick steel rope as they went. It's kept the 647 00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:12,480 doors from closing and reshuffling. I made it out of 648 00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:20,199 the back rooms four months after I'd entered, and I 649 00:42:20,239 --> 00:42:24,920 woke up in a small town in northern Alaska. Seeing 650 00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:27,920 as I'm from West Virginia, I was quite a ways 651 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:33,559 away from home. The local doctor defied the odds and 652 00:42:33,599 --> 00:42:35,400 treating me, and his idea of keeping me in the 653 00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:37,880 back rooms for another day while he gave me liquids 654 00:42:38,199 --> 00:42:41,719 and glucose was quite smart. Feared that bringing me back 655 00:42:41,719 --> 00:42:43,960 outside into the real world would have just caused my 656 00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:49,760 body to instantly collapse and die. I didn't get to 657 00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:55,199 meet my saviors. By the time I woke up after 658 00:42:55,199 --> 00:43:00,400 a few days of non stop sleeping, they were already gone. 659 00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:05,519 A pair of monster hunters named Damian, British guy and 660 00:43:05,639 --> 00:43:09,880 his apprentice named Miles. That's all I managed to get 661 00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:14,079 out of the locals. Men in black arrived before long, 662 00:43:14,119 --> 00:43:16,280 and they made up a story about me being kidnapped 663 00:43:16,280 --> 00:43:19,800 by human traffickers for unknown reasons. We were all in 664 00:43:19,840 --> 00:43:22,400 the same page. They contacted my family and let them 665 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:25,880 know I was alive. Transport was arranged for me to 666 00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:32,800 return back home, and I made it without incident. But 667 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:36,000 my life hasn't been the same since. And for starters, 668 00:43:36,079 --> 00:43:38,840 I removed all the unnecessary doors in my home. I 669 00:43:38,880 --> 00:43:41,880 replaced the rest with glass ones so I could always 670 00:43:41,960 --> 00:43:48,280 see what laid on the other side. Unfortunately, I wasn't 671 00:43:48,320 --> 00:43:50,760 able to share Brandon and Vanessa's fates with their families, 672 00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:55,000 and for the lack of trying. Believe me, I did 673 00:43:55,159 --> 00:43:58,800 try from the day I got home. The men in 674 00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:01,679 black they'd been key being the under surveillance. For how 675 00:44:01,719 --> 00:44:04,320 long they'll keep it up, I don't know. I'm not 676 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:07,880 even sure for who they work for, the ont a 677 00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:13,320 nebulous concept that they're part of some branch of the government. Anyway, 678 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:16,679 that's all I got. I wish I had a better resolution, 679 00:44:17,519 --> 00:44:21,239 a happy ending, but I don't. I'm a scarred and 680 00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:23,920 traumatized shell of the person I used to be, and 681 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:27,920 no amount of therapy and medication can fix me. And 682 00:44:28,039 --> 00:44:37,360 I'll forever be paranoid when opening doors. I'll never again 683 00:44:37,519 --> 00:44:43,880 in my life into a room without checking what is 684 00:44:43,920 --> 00:44:53,920 on the other side. First, Hey, they're kids, it's me, 685 00:44:54,079 --> 00:44:56,480 mister Peppasta. And before we say good night, I just 686 00:44:56,519 --> 00:44:58,880 wanted to say thank you so much for watching tonight's 687 00:44:58,920 --> 00:45:02,119 video or for listening to tonight's episode or the podcast. 688 00:45:02,199 --> 00:45:03,760 I also want to say, if you guys like the 689 00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:06,119 stories you're hearing now, please check out The Creepy Pasta 690 00:45:06,159 --> 00:45:09,119 Collection Volume one and Volume two. They're available now on Amazon. 691 00:45:09,159 --> 00:45:11,280 They're available at Barnes and Noble. They're available wherever you 692 00:45:11,599 --> 00:45:14,039 like to get books. They're some of the best authors 693 00:45:14,079 --> 00:45:16,280 I've worked with over the years, of my absolute favorite 694 00:45:16,320 --> 00:45:18,519 authors and some of my friends, so I'd appreciate it 695 00:45:18,559 --> 00:45:20,480 if you guys check those things out. There's also an 696 00:45:20,519 --> 00:45:23,480 audiobook that I wasn't involved with. I don't know why 697 00:45:23,519 --> 00:45:26,119 Simon and Schuster did that, but they did, so you 698 00:45:26,119 --> 00:45:28,760 can check that out too if you'd like listening to 699 00:45:28,840 --> 00:45:31,480 books but you just don't want to hear me. As always, 700 00:45:31,519 --> 00:45:32,800 I want to give a very big thank you to 701 00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:35,719 everybody who supports me on Patreon, patreon dot com, slash 702 00:45:35,719 --> 00:45:39,440 mister Creeposta, people such as Diana Kraus Asset System, Benjamin 703 00:45:39,440 --> 00:45:42,159 two thousand and three, Lake Bratler, Bottle cooland Brandon Mendoza, Caltuna, 704 00:45:42,199 --> 00:45:44,079 Cory x Keenson, The Code of Best, Daniel Polson, Don 705 00:45:44,119 --> 00:45:46,280 Taking Kid and Chanted Buns, Eric Anthony Carusso as to 706 00:45:46,280 --> 00:45:48,199 being fifteen Squirrels on our trench Coat, Dalaty Gremlin, he 707 00:45:48,239 --> 00:45:50,599 his nephew, Imo, Jerry Hour a Minute Second Time, Jay Kearns, 708 00:45:50,679 --> 00:45:53,480 Jetti's Pet, Lu Cipher, Nick mc flant, piss Red Shadow Cat, 709 00:45:53,480 --> 00:45:55,920 Remember the Sun Salty Surprize So Marilyn Scary Stories Fuel 710 00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:58,440 Me thirty two seclude Simps, Budody, mo Jo Sky, Harper Smiley, 711 00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:00,760 The Psychotic Sully Man, Colly, Sue m Leo seventy six, 712 00:46:00,800 --> 00:46:02,480 The Cha of His Brothers, The Ginger Bros, Tommy Walters, 713 00:46:02,559 --> 00:46:05,039 Vice Royce born William Wellington X Reapert sixty nine x 714 00:46:05,079 --> 00:46:07,679 X Lucky Cat xx, Zibol, Shadow Gardens and Peaceful Buddha. 715 00:46:07,719 --> 00:46:10,800 Thank you all so much for being here, and as always, 716 00:46:11,159 --> 00:46:11,880 sweet dreams.