Writing Prompt

“Sam. This door is locked!” screamed Alyssa in the gory, cold, and scary basement. “Oh please. You think i’m going to fall for that-“ Sam tried the lock. It was in fact locked. They looked at each other, with fear in their eyes. Alyssa exclaimed, “Oh I knew it! We’re trapped! I should have never trusted you Sam.” her body shook with fear. “I should have never followed you into that basement.” she sat down on a wet chair and shivered.

  “YOU DID THIS!” shrieked Alyssa, shaking in fear. Sam squatted down and threw his head in his hands. “Well. Seems like we are trapped huh?” Sam expressed with a slight smirk. “Do you find this funny Samuel?” Alyssa looked at him with a disgusted look on her face. The basement of the old abandoned hospital had become a swamp. Water started flowing down the stairs into the basement. “RUN!” screamed citizens of the city of Dark and Lost. 

 Sam stood upright from his squatting position. Alyssa did not even try to stand up from her chair. “Alyssa. Please. STAND up.” yelled Sam. Alyssa gripped onto the chair. “I cant. What is the point Sam? We are lost with nowhere to run! The door is locked, don’t you remember.” Sam looked around the basement. Panting, Sam found a window. It was one of those really thick basement windows. “I think I found our way out.”

 Alyssa chuckled, “Like we could break that window, those are practically indestructible.” The water was up to their knees at that moment. “What’s the harm in trying?” Sam asked. “Why would I trust you!? You are the one you lead me into this gory nightmare of a place. You did all of this.” Alyssa cried. She put her hands on her face and cried. “Alyssa.” Sam said, acting as if he was rushed. Alyssa looked up. “What Sam?” Sam gasped, “I am afraid we are done for.” More water rushed down the stairwell into the basement. Alyssa, however, still refused to stand up.

 “Please. I am begging you Alyssa. Take my hand and we will break this window and escape this dirty nightmare!” Alyssa closed her eyes, fearful of what might happen. She stuck her hand out, still with shut eyes. Sam pulled her into his arms. “I love you. I am so sorry for all I have done.” Sam braced himself. He ran up to the window, and with all his might, tried to break the window. It was no use. The window wouldn’t budge. Alyssa opened her eyes. “Sam. Set me down for your own good!” crying, Sam set her down. 

They both stood there, staring into the nothingness. The water had rose up to their waists, but it was flowing faster then ever. It went up to their shoulders. They grasped hands. “Your the best sister I have ever had.” Sam said. “I don’t deserve you, after everything I’ve done.” Alyssa looked into his eyes and cried. “I love you Sam.” 

 “Hey wait! We aren’t giving up now.” Alyssa said. “I believe that I am stronger than you! I’m going to break this window and we are going to escape.” She ran up to the window, Sam tried to stop her but it was no use. She shoved her foot through the window. It shattered. “Oh my gosh! How-“ Sam looked puzzled. Alyssa smiled. “No time for questions. Come on we are getting out of here!” 

_Epilogue: _ The twins did end up escaping the horror scene. They ran far and far to a town called Wolerland. It was a busy little town, but it was perfect for the twins. They bought a home on a street called Wonder, which was a beautiful street. The twins never fought again, never lead each other into a deadly situation or even argued who would pick the dinner for the night. They lived together until they grew old, they never got married to other people, they didn’t need marriage. There twin relationship was better than any other kind of relationship

The End!

Sophie attempted to open the door once more pulling the handle with all her might. “It still won’t budged.” She looked up at me tears began to stream down her eyes. “Jolie, what’s going to happen?” Her voice quivered as she asked me this question. I turned my head away from her nor daring to look her in the eyes. She didn’t know, did she?

Me and my sister were different from most humans, we had a gift, a magic gift. Around one precent of humans are born with this power. A power that gave you the ability to do magic— although since we are only humans, we can’t do very powerful magic, and to even learn basic magic we would need a trainer who was a very powerful mage. But that didn’t matter to the elves, they had been ruling over humans for centuries, and when they found people who possessed this magic gift, they whould kill them to get rid of any chance humans may have of rebelling against them. The elves where cruel, they’d use humans as entertainment before killing them. They’d lock people in a stadium and release a monster know as Azog. And while the humans tried to fight for their lives, the elves whould sit on their behinds and watch the human’s life get taken. No human has ever made it out alive.

Around a week ago, the elves had captured me and Sophie, my sister. They brought use to human camps and locked us in a wooden cabin. They hardly gave us food and water, many people here had died. We where lucky we weren’t dead. Yet.

The sun had began to set one evening as footsteps approached the door to cabin. _Who could that be? _We had just been giving food an hour before. The footsteps stopped and a letter was slind under our door. Then, whoever had been there left. I picked up the letter and began to read it. My heart stopped, the letter stated that tomorrow we where being brought in to preform for the elves. We whould have to fight Azog.

That brings me to where I am now, trying tell Sophie the truth. “Sophie,” My voice cracked, I myself was beginning to cry, “Azog…” I couldn’t finish my sentence and I didn’t need to. Sophie looked at me her whole face looked white, as if she had just seen a ghost. She understood what was happening. “Jolie, we are going to die, aren’t we?” Sophie wishpered this as if that would make the situation seem better. “The only thing we can do now,” I gulped, “Is fight.” I said this just as the doors began to squeak open. I was time.

Me and Sophie walked out of the doors, our hearts heavy. We knew that with each step we took we were closer to our fate— death. We looked around, there was no Azog. “Before we release Azog,” a deep voice came from a nearby speaker, “We will spare one life. One life that will then be used to severe the elven prince.” I looked at Sophie.

It was time. Not for me and Sophie to die, though. It was time for just me too, only one person had to go out and fight, the other would be held back and used as an elven servant. I didn’t know which was worse, but I knew that a life without Sophie was no life worth living. I took a step forward, I would fight. “Then,” came a he deep voice, “let the fight begin.” I heard Sophie’s screams as the door behind me locked and the door which held Azog opened.

The rumors where true, Azog was a hideous creature his skin was a pinkish color and he had more scars and wounds on him than a hedgehog has quills. Not only that, but he was huge, at least three times more size. The round started and I was handed an old worn out sword to use to fight Azog. Not that it mattered, end the end I’ll die. But I guess that end the end everyone does. Azog came running at me I held the sword tightly in my hand and swung the sword as came within its reach. I had cut a deep wound in his right leg. But I wasn’t fast enough to doge the beaten up club that he’d swung at me.

I saw my love flash before my eyes. There wasn’t much to see. But I what I did see made me smile. I saw Sophie, she was my only family. And knowing that she would get to love was worth everything.

Elise ran down the stairs, two at a time, her long navy skirt billowing around her. She took a deep breath in as she walked into the kitchen. The delicious aroma was intoxicating.

“Mmmm! What are you making, Grandma?” she said, as she leaned on the wooden counter beside the elderly white-haired woman who was washing her hands at the white porcelain sink.

“Fruit compote from the garden, sweetie. Those apples and raspberries you picked for me earlier. Thought it would go nicely with some yoghurt for our breakfast tomorrow.”

Elise moved over to the stove and breathed in the warm aroma of the sweet, cooking fruit, lightly bubbling in the large pan.

She paused and looked at her Grandma from the side of her eyes. Maybe she should ask about it now?

“Grandma?”

“Mmmn,” the old lady said absentmindedly as she wiped her hands on the towel hanging beside the sink.

“That door…”

“What door, dear?” she said as she reached up to her hair to re-pin some stray strands that had escaped her messy bun.

“The one upstairs. The door is locked.”

Grandma smiled benignly. “Mmm, yes, it is dear. You know it is.”

“Well, why?” Elise said as she placed her elbows on the counter. She tried to keep her tone as nonchalant as possible. “I mean, why is it locked? You never tell me why.”

The old lady sighed. “I guess you’re old enough to know,” she said as she went over to sit on a kitchen chair. ”It’s a matter of safety, dear. For us all. You, me, the village - “

“The village?” Elise said with a frown. “How can a door keep a village safe? I don’t understand.”

Grandma gave her a small, bitter smile. “It’s not the door that’s the problem. It’s what it’s keeping inside that is.”

Elise’s mind raced. Keeping what inside? If it wasn’t for her grandmother’s grave expression, she might have thought she was joking.

“I suppose I should start at the beginning.” her grandmother said, clasping her hands on the kitchen table. “You know this house is a Windsor house. It has been in our family for generations.”

Elise nodded, but said nothing. The Windors - her family on her mother’s side - had lived there for well over a century.

“Well, your great, great, great… oh goodness I don’t know how many greats.” Elise’s grandma waved her hand. “Let’s just say one of your ancestors - Arthur Windsor - he was a Protector Of The Realm, very famous in his day.”

Elise knew that name. Arthur Windsor was the man in the old oil painting that hung above the staircase in the entrance. “A Protector Of The Realm?” Elise asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. The question, though, is what realm exactly did he protect us from?” the old lady said, with a twinkle in her eye. “Because it was not from entities on this plane. Oh, no. He protected the world from entities from realms far beyond what normal folk could even imagine.”

Her grandma reached for her tea-stained teapot, and poured some tea into two chipped, white mugs.

“There are entities that you have no idea even exist. Evil entities that would harm not only you, but the world at large. They would like nothing more than to obliterate the human race and the animal kingdom, or to inhabit it.”

“Inhabit?”

“Possession.” Her grandma said grimly as she pushed a mug of hot tea towards Elise. “Oh, there have been a few that have snuck past. A few that weren’t trapped. But for the most part - your ancestor, Arthur Windsor, managed to trap them all inside a mirror in a single swoop.”

“What mirror?” Elise said, eyes widening.

“Nothing much to look at, dear. Just an old hand-held mirror. Apparently, it belonged to his wife. Arthur needed something to trap them all in and decided that it would do, you see.” The old lady dropped a cube of sugar into her mug and began to stir with an old, tea-stained spoon.

“Well, those entities are locked away inside that tiny mirror, upstairs.” she said gravely, meeting Elise’s eyes.

Elise’s eyes widened and she looked up at the ceiling.

“Now, don’t start panicking. You've been ok all these years, haven’t you?” her grandma said, taking her hand.

Elise nodded, mouth gaping open.

“The mirror is locked inside a chest that has wards inscribed inside it. And that chest rests in the center of a devil’s trap - that’s just a protective circlular design that immobilises entities inside it. And then there are the lines of salt that seal both the doorway and the window.” Her grandma waved her hand dismissively again. “It’s fully protected and has remained still for decades. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Elise breathed out, not realising she’d been holding her breath this whole time.

“And that, my girl, is why the door is locked. And it will remain locked until this house is no longer fit to hold it.” her grandma said, lifting her chin. “And once it is not, it will be moved to another safe-house, where it will be protected in a similar fashion.”

Elise bit her lip, suddenly feeling very unsafe in a home she’d felt was her sanctuary ever since she could remember.

“Oh, don’t worry dear. Nothing will happen. Your ancestors made sure of that. We are simply the keepers. The keepers of the chest. We make sure it stays unknown, not attracting any untoward attention.”

“Now here,” her Grandma said, pushing Elise’s mug a little closer to her. “Drink your tea and don’t let that imagination run away with you. We’re perfectly safe.”

—-

Thevius unfolded the map and frowned. He rocked back and forth’, cajoled by the movement of the train that was whistling through the English countryside.

Not long now. The Windsor house was only a few miles away. He would get off at the next stop.

Only an old woman and a teenage girl guarded the mirror. What fools.

He smiled. This would be an easy job. An easy job, indeed.

“The door is locked!” Eleanore cried, jiggling the handle. “Please, let me out!”

An evil laugh came from the other side of the door. “Why? You don’t deserve it.”

Eleanore felt like someone had punched her in the face. “What did I ever do to you?”

“It’s a long list so I’m not going to start. But just know that I am beyond disappointed in you, Eleanore. I gave you one task. One task. And you failed to complete it.”

Eleanore widened her eyes. “Of course I failed to complete it! You ordered me to kill someone! Just because I have… abilities, doesn’t mean that I should be used as a weapon!”

The person on the other side of the door was silent for a moment, as if considering Eleanore’s words. “Goodbye, daughter.”

Well. This is embarrassing. Here I was on my second date with Carl, and I had the intention to potentially destroy his bathroom. Did he know this? God no. Did I plan to tell him this? Fuck no.

But...

His car's music was low, the windows were up, and the air was off. He was bound to hear my stomach going on the fritz. He probably already did...

Was that a wince of unease? He fidgeted in his seat, his hands tightening around the steering wheel, it could have been him adjusting himself, or he could hear my stomach doing somersaults and didn't know how to react.

God this is so embarrassing. Bravo Aly, you know that you're lactose intolerant, why did you order the Chicken Fried Steak for dinner? Country gravy on the side, you've been doing it for years, how did you forget that today?? I was starting to sweat, I felt like I was on the verge of a mass explosion. Oh my God, this was bad.

"Can we turn on the air?" I blurted out.

I could see Carl's eyes narrow. "Um...you're hot?"

"I run...hot" I said with a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah...sure no problem." Carl replied. "High or low?"

"Medium" I answered, even though I wanted it on at full blast. I probably looked crazy for wanting the air on when the weather outside was in the low sixties.

He turned the air dial and I felt the euphoric rush of the car's air hit me in the face. It helped, but my stomach still felt awful.

"Thank you."

Carl smiled. "No problem. Can't have you dying of heat exhaustion on our second date right?"

Honestly, at this point, I'd rather die of heat exhaustion than completely let loose in his car. Anything, I was even for a small car accident at this point, at least I'd have an excuse for cutting loose.

"You're sweet." I said with a smile.

He smiled back at me. He really did have a nice smile, I didn't really notice it on our first date. Carl turned right onto a row of houses.

"God damnit." He muttered.

"What's wrong?"

He gestured with his head to a house that had the downstairs lights on.

"My niece and nephew are awake." He paused. "They're staying with me for the weekend, and I thought they'd be asleep."

"You left them alone?" I asked. Kind of bewildered by his potentially bad decision.

Carl shook his head. "They're twins, Evan and Ellie, both twelve. My brother leaves them alone all the time."

He pulled the car into the driveway and put the car in park. "Time to lay down the law."

I smiled. He could do whatever he wanted to those kids, all I cared about was using the bathroom.

He got out of the car and did a cute little sprint to the passenger side door to let me out. He opened the door, smiled, and actually helped me out of the car. He grabbed my left hand and we walked to his front door.

Through the front door, I could hear the sounds of children talking and scurrying around the living room. Carl unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Uncle Carl!" They both screamed in unison, running frantically towards us.

"What are you two doing up? It's way past your bedtime, your Dad is going to kill me if he finds this ou..."

"There's a man upstairs." The girl shouted.

Carl flashed me that smile and rolled his eyes.

"Ellie, what did I tell yo..."

"Uncle Carl I saw him too. We heard him walking around and then we saw him at the end of the hall." Ethan said.

"Okay, stop." Carl started, holding out his hands. "We've been over this, I'm the only one who lives here. Seriously, I'm not having you kids over if you're going to behave like this. Come on you're embarrassing me in front of Aly."

The twins looked at me for a second, discarded the fact that I was there, and brought their attention back to their uncle. Both of their mouths hung open in unison, on the verge of pleading their case.

"No. I don't want to hear it." Carl said cutting them off.

I gave him a playful tap on the arm. "Ummm...I need to use your bathroom."

"No!! Don't go up there Aly!!" Ellie pleaded.

"Yeah don't go up there." Ethan agreed.

Carl shook his head. "God damnit." He let out a sigh and his eyes met mine. "Bathroom is out of order down here, you'll have to use the upstairs one. I'll go with you." He grabbed my hand and led me to the stairs.

"You two. Bed. And turn off all the lights, I'm not made of money." Carl ordered as we proceeded up the stairs, leaving their pleas for us to come back downstairs behind us.

Carl flicked the hallway light on, he let out a frustrated sigh. "Umm...they're not always like this. I hope they didn't freak you out."

He did a quick scan of the guest bedroom where the kids were staying, his apparent work office, his bedroom, and even the hallway closet. Each room proved to be empty. They did kind of freak me out, but it looked as though we were the only ones upstairs.

"Probably saw their shadows or the shadows of a car passing by outside." Carl continued with a chuckle. We stopped in front of the bathroom.

I smiled. Part of me wanted him to stay upstairs for the foolish fact that I was kind of scared, but I really didn't want him standing outside the door because of my stomach.

"I'll give you your privacy, but I'll be down the hall putting the kids to bed if you need anything."

I nodded my head with a smile and entered the bathroom. I did a quick and somewhat frantic scan and found nothing concerning. I fast-walked to the toilet, put the seat down, lowered my pants, and sat down.

Bliss. Pure and unparalleled satisfaction. I'd never felt more satisfied in my entire life. I felt my joints loosen, I felt my body relax. I remained seated and let my body do its thing, then turned to get the toilet paper...

There was a shadow in the shower, on the other side of the sliding door. I froze, a shadow wasn't there just moments ago. I was sure of it, I'd scanned the entire bathroom and was positive that I was alone. But right now, there was a man standing in the shower.

I trembled. My eyes locked onto his massive legs, I slowly looked upwards. There was definitely a man in the shower, and he appeared to be very tall. My body was frozen but I could feel my lips trembling together. The shadow's arm moved and grabbed the handle for the sliding door. And then, very slowly, it slid the door open.

A towering man revealed himself, he had to be at least nine feet tall. He had long brown, graying hair that went past his shoulders. He wore a blue denim button-up that was tucked into a pair of dirty and worn-out jeans. He had a large scar on his left cheek.

"CARL!!!" I screamed. My joints loosened, and I hurled myself forward and off the toilet. In that split second I tried to break my fall, but my face smacked into the bathroom tiles. Through blurred vision I could see the man step out of the shower, I could hear his heavy boots make contact with the tiles below.

"CARL!!! CARL!!!" I screamed again. I feebly crawled across the bathroom tiles as my world spun around me. I tried to crawl as fast as I could and in the distance, I could hear his slow steps approaching me.

"Aly?? Aly??! What's wrong??" Carl shouted from the other side of the bathroom door. He banged on the door, I could hear him trying the knob. "Aly! The door's locked."

The man grabbed my ankles with both hands, his touch was ice cold, his skin felt coarse and dry, he felt...dead. I screamed until my throat went sore, tears ran down my cheeks and onto the tiles. In the distance, I could hear Carl slamming himself into the bathroom door before finally bursting through.

"Carl!!! Help me!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Aly!!!" Carl screamed.

I desperately reached for his hands. The last thing I felt was Carl's fingertips graze mine. And then the world around me cut to black. I could see Carl but he got further and further away with each passing second, and then the darkness swallowed me whole.

“Come on in,” said the elderly woman. At first we didn’t think much of it. Her house smelled like old cans of vegetables that have been left out in the sun for too long. As we looked around her house, we saw things. Not just things you would have in your home. Skeletons. Weapons. Burnt books on the floor. I was getting an eerie feeling. I knew this wasn’t safe. “Would you like to stay for dinner?” the woman said, a smile beaming across her face. I saw black chunks that looked like they would be bugs, which they probably were. “Oh no it’s okay. I think our mother is waiting for us. She cooked our favorite meal, a warm stew with mashed potatoes on the side,” my big brother said, knowing exactly how to smoothly exit the conversation She said nothing. Her mouth still smiling, but her eyes told a different story. “Stay,” was all she said. “Let’s go, Kayla,” he said. He slowly walked along the broken floor boards, trying to be as calm as possible without making her think we were frightened. She stood there. Hands at her sides. Still looking. I was about to run. But I didn’t. I followed him until we got her her dirty floor mat. He put his hand on the door knob. Turning it ever so slightly, he tried to open it. One turn. Two. Three. Four. “The door is locked,” said the woman, with her beady, old eyes.

My brother Hamish slaps his hand over my mouth, a terrified look in his eyes that scared me just as well. Hamish never got scared, ever. Even when Papa chased us down with his switch or a gun was pointed straight at his heart.

“Is the front door locked?” He whispers to me, holding me closer to him as if at any point someone could take me.

“The door is locked,” I confirm in my own whisper, and he seems satisfied at that. I’m terrified to ask why would it matter? Normally he’d insist the door was open, allowing friends into our little home.

“Listen here, Mary-May,” He grips my shoulder tightly. Not enough to hurt, he would never hurt me. “When the clock strikes 12, you hide in your room and bring Smokey too. The closet, hold it shut and no matter what you hear or see, don’t open it. When you hear the clock ding that’s when it’s safe.“

I grip his forearms, “Where will you be?”

“Elliot and I will be outside.”

“But-“

“No buts.” His grip tightens. “Just do what I say.”

“Who’s out there?”

“It’s no who Mary-May,” He says harshly. “It’s, it’s something even your worst nightmares couldn’t imagine.”

I know this is no normal situation, not a burglar or a bear nearby or else he’d be right there with me. And the closet? Why wait to get out when it strikes ten?

“Is it bad?”

“It’s evil, so much that when it roams this Earth on nights like this even Satan starts to shake.”

No smile comes to my face. He’s not joking. I know that much. Hamish May have his jokester moment but not this far.

“Will you be okay?” I ask the questions I know are hard to answer, whether it be stupid or smart.

“I’ll be fine.”

“And Elliot?”

As much as he annoyed me and made me go grab him beers. I’d never wish harm on him.

“He’ll need every bit of God’s blessing.” His frightened grey eyes flash to the clock that reads 10. “Where is that damn cat?”

“He’s in the closet, won’t come out even when I took him out.”

“Good God he sensed it.”

“Sensed what?”

Hamish snaps out of it, as if realizing he said too much. “Nothing. Just remember my rules. And absolutely no talking.”

I nod my head, as he now backs away and towards Papa’s gun at the door. He grabs it, looking at it, remembering the events of last night, when Papa shot at his feet.

He turns back to me with sad eyes. “I love you Mary-May, so much.”

“I love you too Hamish.” I wave, showing a smile even if I felt sick to my stomach. What was happening? Who’s out there? Why does he need the gun? Where’s Papa? “Be safe.”

“I should say the same for you.” And then he’s off, out the door. The skies are dark

Will I see him again?

The rattling was getting in my nerves. How long had it been? Days, weeks? I took this job thinking it would be simple. Guard duty, night shift. Just watching one room.

Granted, the room was in a building far in the outskirts of the city. On the bottom level, down a dark hallway...you know the drill. Still, for what they were paying me it was worth it.

They wouldn’t tell me what was in the room, and I was told never to ask. Did I mention the pay was good? So I sat at my chair, reading my book, listening the constant rattling.

My mind would wander. Was it a deranged criminal, one whose crimes were so unmentionable they didn’t even warrant execution, but study? A space alien? A zombie? Could it be a failed science experiment? Was I the experiment? I wondered if someone somewhere was watching my reactions, to see when would break.

I tried to keep my cool. I needed this job, and it was easy. Easy enough. Just the rattling. I went through many books, lost weight from my pacing when sitting became tedious. And still the rattling. I wasn’t allowed to listen to the radio, “just in case.” I tried dancing to the rattling, but that was absurd.

The rattling, the rattling...how much longer could I take it?

One day, it might have been around the one year mark, the rattling stopped. I laughed, oh the joy of silence! I closed my eyes in relief.

The I felt the pain, as if my body was being torn apart.

Last thing I heard, before the sweet dark silence claimed me, “Odd. The door was locked.”

“The door is locked,” says Nadia. “Then unlock it,” I reply. “With what key, Claude?” she snaps. “Didn’t you find a whole bunch in that office?”

I’ll be the first to admit that exploring an abandoned mental asylum at night wasn’t the brightest idea. I’ll also admit that forgetting to charge the flashlights yesterday was a rookie mistake. But something had to go wrong this trip, and if it’s gonna be flickering lights I can live with that.

Nadia finally locates the correct key on the ring. There must be about twenty of them, and of course it’s the rustiest one that fits. I hope I’m up-to-date on tetanus shots. We shove open the door and it screeches like a banshee stuck in wet cement that’s also screaming. “Remind me again why we’re here, Claude,” says Nadia angrily. I don’t have a chance to answer.

Evil growling comes from deep within the chamber we’ve just opened. “I wish I’d gone to the bathroom when we had the chance,” I squeak. Of course I’m lying- I wouldn’t touch those toilets with a ten foot pole and a hazmat suit. I couldn’t see the porcelain beneath all the stains and congealed substances and there was a colony of rats that’d chewed through the wall to the shower block.

“Is it a ghost? Is it a monster? Is it your stomach?” Nadia is desperately trying to figure out what’s going on. “Shut up for one damn second, Nadia!” I shout at her, “or I’ll tell mom what happened to her favourite perfume.” That threat shuts her up. The growling pitches into a roar and then stops.

We inch closer to the source, swinging our torches at the slightest shadow and sound. Once in a while the growl and roar comes back, but it always subsides. The silence is worse.

I don’t know if I ever want to talk about what just happened. I don’t think I’ll ever live it down. I may need therapy. Nadia hasn’t spoken a word since, just shoots me wide-eyed looks. Our parents are concerned, but we can’t tell them. We can’t tell them we went exploring after curfew and only found a raccoon trapped in a furnace. They expect more from us.

There’s a light floating outside of my room. Teasing me, luring me. I tell myself to ignore it, but my senses betray me. A padlocked door is the only thing keeping me from the ‘outside’

I try so hard to not give in; hoping that whatever’s out there is not a bad thing. Out from the comforts of my room awaits an unfamiliar world, away from the restraint and the tedium. The light calls out to me. Should, I maybe unlock the door?

My room had kept me safe for as long as I can remember. But my room has kept me away from the things that I cherish. If I leave it now, would it really make that much of a difference? Maybe, it’s time for me to unlock the door.

But if I go into the light, would that really be enough to set me free? I’ll forever be stuck in a room; there was never really an escape for me. Should I even bother unlocking the door?

But what if the light is deceiving me? That there was never even a chance of freedom for me? Maybe I shouldn’t even bother unlocking the door.

Here, I sit in the comforts of my room. Helping me, suppressing me. I tell myself that everything’s fine, but my thoughts betray me. A padlocked door is the only thing standing between me and the outside.