Test and Sacrifices

Red Zone

Timid footsteps were made down the long halls of a strange building. The walls were bright white, just like the pristine appearance of freshly fallen snow. The floor was covered with a crimson red carpet that had a squishy feel to it.

A confused and scared young teen wanders around the halls with fear laced curiosity. His posture is slouched and his mind racing, searching for a memory to explain this predicament he has found himself in. Another thing that confused him was the deep blue circle on his hand.

His head was throbbing and he felt dizzy. He could not remember a single thing about his family or events in his life. The facts he learned in school were the only things from his life he still had memory of. He knew his name and age but not where he was from or who his loved ones were. He could recall no faces or voices of anyone. It was like his past life was never real.

Fourteen year - old Owen was like the runt of the litter kind of frame. He was short and scrawny and wore a white shirt and a pair of white pants . Both were slightly loose of him due to his small stature. His face was as freckled as a robin’s egg. His red hair went down to his thin shoulders that were the opposite of broad. His light green eyes that often showed signs of a shy but kind soul, were now filled with fear. His body was slightly shaking and the little confidence he had in his demeanor had vanished.

"Owen" A distorted and stern voice echoes through the halls. It's unclear from which direction it is coming from. Again the voice echoed this time saying " Do you know where you are? Do you have any recollection of what led you here?” Owen shook his head and hesitantly sputtered out "N….N…..No".

The voice was the kind of voice that sent chills down one's spine. It was so unnerving that the discomfort was almost tangible within the air. It made Owen shiver and quiver in dread of the strangely ominous situation he was in. Owen was startled, when the voice spoke again as its tone rang in Owen’s head.

"I see." called the voice. “Now carry on down the hall in front of you and you will find answers along your journey here. That is if my creatures spare your life, but beware all of them can kill you. Find out which ones from which you should run from and which ones will guide you." After that last statement who’s ever voice it was chuckled sinisterly as it mocked him with fear

"Crr… eatures." Owen stuttered as he was now filled with fear just like one's lungs would fill with water if they were drowning. Except this didn’t feel like drowning in water, instead it felt like drowning in blood. It felt like thick liquid was coating his throat like a hellish blanket. It was a kind of fear that suffocates those who feel it. He saw that he had no choice but to continue down the hall if he ever wanted to leave this place. His heart raced faster and faster with each step. “Why oh why is this happening to me?” Owen thought. His mind was filled with hopeless dread, and was laced with petrifying fear.

This place got stranger and stranger as time went on. It seemed unreal and Owen was unsure if he was awake or not. “How is this real?” He wondered, but despite his questioning it felt beyond real. Every sense he had was vividly used in this place. He could see very clearly and feel even the air against his skin. The room faintly smelled of fresh blood and the voice he heard was so real and clear in his head. It was as if he landed in a different dimension. He then saw a change in the walls.

The color of the walls begin to slowly darken from pristine white to pitch black. Once fully in the dark he heard someone giggling. It sounded like a child but also not quite young and was devoid of any childlike innocence.

As if it was a distorted figment of a child's vocals. Just the sound of this made his skin crawl and his spine shiver. He wanted to run but to where would young Owen flee. Fleeing was clearly fruitless and idiotic because there was no where to go.

A few steps ahead a small light on the ground could be seen. Owen hesitantly walked toward it. When he reached it he could see that there was an envelope attached to it. The envelope had a slight weight to it. Inside he found a note. The note said " You might need this". Confused, Owen flipped over the note and taped to the back of it was a knife. The knife had a slight weight to it and felt cold and sharp. He picked it up with his hands shaking. "Why do I need this?" he thought. The giggling started again and Owen stepped back in fear, but he knew that escape was not possible unless he continued.

As he walked down the hall the giggling got louder and louder. He walked until he reached a door with alarming red light radiating from underneath it. The giggling was right on the other side of the door. There was a key hanging by a string on the doorknob. A light note accompanied it. The note read " Congratulations you've found my first creature. Open the door and face it if you wish to leave this place, but beware danger may be right ahead."

Owen paused for a while. He knew he had to open it but was terrified of what awaited him beyond that door. He began to swallow down his fear and while clenching the knife took a step closer to the door. Trembling, he put the key in the key hole and turned it. Whatever was on the other side stopped giggling but instead made a deafening sound that sounded like a cackle mixed with a manic scream followed by sinister laughter.

He jumped back and covered his ears. The thing on the other screeched out the Words " Come in coward before I free myself and come out." Owen opened the door slowly and at first couldn't see anyone, but then he looked to the corner and saw it or rather her.

She was tiny and frail looking. Almost like you would imagine how the demeanor of a trembling leaf would look if it was human. In an innocent voice she said " Help me please I'm not what you heard before entering. Help me before it comes out." Her long dark hair hung down in her face and was messy and tangled. A crimson stained knee length white dress covered her tiny body. Her skin was a similar color to the color of a coconut husk and was edged with a collection of scars. The word escape was carved under her right eye which was strange. Owen approached her and knelt down to her.

As soon as he did she said " I lied" and pounced. He was on the floor struggling while her hands were around his neck. Her claw-like nails dug into his skin and began to draw blood. That's when he realized the room was red for a reason. It was red in order to hide the blood stains. He brought the knife up to her skin and slashed at her arms as hard as he could, getting her to let go. For some reason he felt wrong about harming her. She was trying to kill him, but he didn’t feel like he was the kind of person to harm others.

He pushed her off him and ran to a door located on the other side of the room. She tried to get him but was chained to the wall. She began to pull violently at her chains. Owen was fearful that somehow she might eventually break free. There were already some small cracks on the wall and he was pretty sure that they were from her struggling to get free. Her entire demeanor at that moment was one that was fully of sinister and ominous characteristics. Despite her small build she was very scary.

Unfortunately the door was locked and the key to the other door didn't work. He felt his stomach drop. This whole ideal is absolutely terrifying and he was trapped in it. Then he noticed something that gave him a little hope that he could figure out how to open the door. There was a note that said "Find the answer to the riddle written on the wall and you'll find the key". The riddle read : " Tiny mirror and window of the soul used in lies and truth. It usually comes in a pair but can be alone. You will find the key behind the answer ."

He quickly looked around the room and spotted a painting on the wall. It was of an eye. He quickly thought of the common quote " Eyes are the window to the soul." As he pulled the painting off the wall and hoped that he would find the key. Indeed there was a key on the wall. He pulled it off and rushed to the door. The key felt weirdly sharp, almost as if it was a knife shaped like a key.

A horrible feeling rushed through him when the key didn't work and he saw the message attached to it. All it said was "Wrong eye." He turned to the creature behind him remembering the world escape carved under her right eye. He gulped and filled with dread as he realized which eye the riddle was referring to.