Don't Look

I sit alone, crouched naked on the floor in the middle of the room. Except I'm not alone. There are eyes everywhere. The only light comes from the open door on the other side of the room. Feeling hopeful, I run towards the door. I'm on a treadmill; no matter how much I run, the door doesn't get any closer. I stop running and realize that hopefulness is a useless and ignorant feeling here. The impossibly far away door remains open, leaving just enough light for me to see the hideous figures an their eyes watching me. I've tried to close my eyes before, but I can see through my eyelids, so I look straight ahead at the small glowing rectangle. But I can still see them out of the corner of my eye. I know they won't do anything if I don't look, so I stay still and continue to look straight. Every so often though, and I don't know how often because there is no time here, I can't help but look over to see if they're gone. Every time I do they're closer. And every time they get closer I can see them more clearly. I promise myself I won't look ever again. Ever. I have to wonder what I could possibly have done to end up here. I may not have been a saint, but I never killed anyone or anything like that. Nothing so bad that I would end up here. Nothing worse than a little laziness and maybe greed. An occasional lie, sure, but nothing serious. No worse than the average person. Besides, I don't fit in here. I don't look like the other people, if you could call them that. The other things is more accurate. Unless they started out looking like me. Maybe they just become like that over time. Oh, never mind, there is no time here. Or maybe every time they get closer I become more like one of them. Just don't look. Don't look at them and you'll be fine. Just concentrate on the door and maybe it will become closer. I'm not sure how long I've been I this place. Hours? Days? Weeks? I keep forgetting there's no time here. I can't forget the other thing they don't have here. Food. And water. I'm starving, and my throat is incredibly dry. I could die of hunger and thirst here, but if I did, where would I go? An even worse place? Or a better one? I'm being hopeful again. I can't die twice. Just wishful thinking. I hear an echoey creaking noise. Don't look! I almost gave in, but I won't let myself. I'm too afraid of what might happen. The things I could do easily on earth are painfully difficult here. For example: running, moving, talking is nearly impossible when my throat is so dry, but even if it were easy I wouldn't want to do it. Every noise here is amplified and echoed and I would be too afraid of what might hear me. I think everyone else must be afraid too. There is always an eerie silence. I think if I had control over my body I would easily be able to reach the door. I was probably hallucinating myself running earlier. My body probably didn't move at all. This body I received when I got here looks like my old one but it doesn't function. It's only purpose is to feel pain. There is no sleeping here either; no matter what I do, I can't sleep. The door was the cruelest part of this place. It forces me to be able to see the horror around me and taunts me with its peaceful light. But I can't help wondering if HE might be back there. I haven't seen HIM yet and I fear that some time I will. Maybe HE is what makes them that way, what will make me one of them. What if I already am one of them? I can't be. Don't look at your hand, you might see something. Just let yourself be hypnotized by the distant light. Hunger is so strong here it is a severe pain. I am so exhausted that on earth I would be able to sleep for days. My eyes are so dry and sore. It's not hot here like I would expect. It's actually frigidly cold. Despite all of these feelings, the strongest, most painful thing I feel is fear. I try again to recall what I might have done to get here, but now I can't remember anything about my life. How did I die? I have all of my common knowledge, but the only memories I have are of this place, those things, and that door. I get a hunger pain so intense that I want to cry out but my throat is so dry that I can't. I suddenly hear a faint snicker. Another one joins it, and another, until the whole eternity is echoing with cruel raspy whispers of laughter. They're laughing at me and my helplessness! Suddenly, there is a thud and the laughter stops. I forget not to look and turn my head. A skeleton covered in shriveled up skin is an inch away from me, its eyes bloodshot and wrinkly. It sees my terror and smiles a slow, wide smile that cracks its lips. I try to look away, but I can't. It reaches its hand towards me and I can't move. It touches me with a hand so cold it burns. The door slams shut.

Reviews

[weirdguyblueeyes]

You've managed to scare the s**t out of me again! This is brilliant. The subtlety, the repetition, the symbolism...you have the potential to become extremely successful. You're going to have such an amazing life....I will be seriously disappointed if I don't find a book that says by Katie McDonald in the library someday. You really deserve it

[Eliott]

SORRY ABOUT THE FORMAT I KNOW IT'S ANNOYING! I DON'T KNOW WHY IT DOES THIS I KEEP TRYING TO FIX IT!