The Backrooms

I breathe heavily, walking in to door after door, the dim yellow lights absolutely not contrasting with the dim yellow walls.

It's an endless maze or what?

The ground is a queer shade of brown, kind of light but not too light. I guess it's a bit comforting.

There is no roof, nor any visible opening in the walls, and I turn and run every time I hear an ear-splitting screech, the sound bouncing off the walls and reverberating loudly.

My legs felt like lead and my head felt as if it was in a daze, a whole place covered with fog.

Unseen enemies lurk around the corners, and heavy footsteps just around that turn. I gasp as a looming figure emerged from the recesses, its head dark, its eyes nonexistent.

Its arms were long and thin, like an inky black toothpick hanging from its frail, spider-web-like body. Its main body frame was pitch black and like a spine shooting up from the lower abdomen.

Its legs were impossibly wobbly and I can't help but wonder if it'd fall if it lumbered on forward even a step more.

Its head was nothing but a Stygian blob of black, reminding me of my five-year-old's cousin's style of drawing, all globs and nonsense.

Then it let out a scream that is indeed too terrifying to describe and I ran back from where I came from, which was nowhere, as far as I knew.

My hand was clamped to my mouth to stop the monster-attracting scream my trembling, pale lips almost let out and my already weak and wan legs almost buckled under the pressure of the speed it undertook.

However, I skidded to a stop as my speedy sprint was halted abruptly. I stumbled over my shoes as I cease my running in the face of another creature, its shape just like its twin, which was right behind me.

If you're dumb enough to not understand my predicament, let me tell you that I'm trapped.

I had two choices, unfortunately none of them were good. I may be writing this in a casual tone as I sit in the comfort of my home, the fire burning merrily within as the snow fell softly without, but at that time, I was in a life-and-death situation and it was anything but fun.

If I go left, I'd take a risk of meeting yet another monster, but indeed, the other option is to die, for I have two of these unearthly creature in front of and behind me.

I muttered a silent prayer to god and darted to the left, heaving my arms above my head to protect myself from anything that might happen.

Pain and ache shot through my legs as it embarked once more at the highest speed, fear powering through my veins and dominating the innermost realms of my mind.

"Sod off, you losers!" I called out, cupping my hands over my mouth as I shot a catcall at those hobbling shapeless titans, as they sheepishly walked on, gathering speed.

They were about six feet tall, which meant they had about half their height-sized legs, and I was only a tiny human. Yes, but I was also the fastest runner in class.

They let out another gut-wrenching roar and I felt my stomach flip as my Adam's apple bobbed in my throat, my nerves so puissant as I felt my willpower crumbling.

No, I reminded myself. I pushed my legs to their limit, probably a little ant in the mutants' eyes, and they let out a bark of laughter, or at least that what I thought it was.

The sounds of violins playing a rather blood-chilling tune shocked my ears, and I turned to see no speakers hanging from the walls, which I thought was quite odd. Where did the music come from, then?

The Lifeforms trudged ever closer, and I tried to quicken my steps but I reached the limit. Be damned my coach's words, for he said "the sky's the limit."

Oh. My. God. Seriously, another Lifeform? It emerged from the place where no one knows and I think it grinned, for the black glob kinda stretched, though I wasn't one hundred percent sure of that.

Turn left, take a right, and another left again.

I breathed heavily, trying to calm myself down as I glanced backwards and saw that there were no more signs of the Lifeforms and I sighed laboriously, my heart still racing as I collected my thoughts in a torturously slow manner.

The orchestra-like violin music subsided into a more mellow strain, a slight jingle in it to be heard if one tauts his ears.

My heart pumped in my chest as I took a seat on the ground, wiping the glistening sweat on my forehead as I leaned my back on the yellow wall.

Then, as sudden as a movie jumpscare, the wall dissolved and I fell backwards, the rear of my head hitting the hard ground with a harsh thud.

I immediately shot up, already on my feet again, and alertness flooded under my skin. My eyes twitched from all the sleep they had forgone.

I sighed, before my ears caught the sound of a slight rumble, a grumbling mumble barely heard. But I heard it, nonetheless.

A Lifeform appeared right behind me, and the hairs on the back of my neck raised as I felt its finger touch my back.

My eyes widened as I dared not move, for in front of me was a blunt wall and to the right was a long hallway with no turns. The left showed no hope; for it was just as dead-ended as what was in front of me.

''No." I whispered, my hands trembling with the rush of adrenaline and fear.

I felt the thin finger pierce my back and I let out a shout of agony, before I willed my feet to move and shot towards my right, risking my whole life as I sprinted down the hallway.

I could feel the blood trickling down my back, tainting my shirt and going down my legs. The cut was evidently a deep one and it ached painfully as I ran, forcing myself.

Once I reached the end of the long, stretching corridor, I hurtled myself to the left, and tried to lose the Lifeform that was trailing slowly but quickly behind me as I turned so many turns that I lost track of any kind of direction.

---

The lights were dim, the faint glow of the moonlight shining through the slightly parted curtains. A vague breeze was allowed in, for the windows were open just a crack.

Sweat stuck to my forehead and neck, dampening both my pillow and blanket. My whole body trembled and my head spun in dizzying circles as I jolted awake, gasping.

It was just a dream.