The Boy Behind the Door

I find myself running through the silent hallways. The only noise I can hear is my heart beating over and over. Thump-thump. Mania, the goddess of death, and the Keres were probably now noticing that I had escaped. Thump-thump. For the past 2 years, I have been imprisoned, being attacked by shadows left and right. I did not know why the Keres did not kill me in the years I was imprisoned; after all, they are the spirits of violent death. But for some reason, I wasn’t dead yet. The walls in the hallways leading from the dungeon were painted a bright green color. Almost like poisonous acid was spilled everywhere. Maybe it was, but I didn't want to find out. All I want right now is to get out of this place.

I saw a dark figure reach from the shadows and try to grab my leg. I tried to jump over it, but the figure reached out quickly like a bolt of lightning and latched onto the anklet I had since I was a baby. I tried to wriggle out of the grip, but the horrible minion pulled me through the floor. I knew better than to scream. I let the hand drag me until it let out an eerie, ghost-like scream, and disappeared. I suddenly found myself falling from the top of a large red crystal pyramid. This is it, I started to think. This is how I will spend my final moments. Alone, not surrounded by anybody that I know. It is probably better than what the Keres would do to me though.

Suddenly, something takes my hand mid-fall. I try to control my breathing and not panic. I am going to be a prisoner all over again, and I wouldn’t get another chance to escape. Just then, I realize that I am in another room once again, not in the air, but on a cold marble floor. The room has white walls, high ceilings, and no doors. It is very brightly lit, but I cannot tell from what. There is nothing else in the room besides two doors, one colored an ebony hue, and the other one rose-gold. The whiteness of the room is too bright, causing me to have to close my eyes. I felt someone still holding my hand. I finally started thinking clearly, but didn't want to open my eyes again; I was expecting to see a whole room of grim, cloudy minions trying to capture me. But this hand holding onto me feels more solid. More... real. It can’t be one of the minions. My eyes finally adjust to the brightness of the room, and I feel my heart skip a beat. It is a boy. He has jet black hair and melancholy green eyes. There is something off about him though. I look at him more closely and realized that he is shimmering, like a mirage.

Suddenly, I get a big wave of courage and I finally manage to squeak out “Who are you?“ He continues staring at me with a serious expression on his face. “Who are you?“ I repeat again, with more strength in my voice. The mysterious boy just keeps staring.

“Sadly Liora, you will have to find that out for yourself,“ he says in a gentle calming tone. “Use the door. It leads to your freedom. Go. Escape from this horrid place.“

The mystery boy disappears like mist, and I’m baffled. I can’t wrap my head around the whole thing. Millions of questions swirl around in my head. Who was he? How did he know my name? Did he just disappear into thin air, and why did his hand feel more solid. What did he mean about the door? There were two, which one do I pick? I look up at the doors and slowly get up; I realize how sore I am from running from these evil villains.

Haltingly, I get up and walk over to the doors. They are bigger than I thought they would be. Even though they are different colors, they both have stone frames. I try to open the doors. That didn't work. Why would it, I thought. It wouldn’t be that easy. I try to kick them too, but they aren’t affected by the weak blow because of my soreness. While examining the doors, I notice a small golden lock under the handle of the rose-gold door. I take the small lockpick out of my ponytail and start to pick the lock, not bothering to look around for a key. I hope that the lockpick does work with this type of lock, and that I’m not just wasting time. I hear that satisfying click that every picklock loves to hear. I take a deep breath, preparing myself for what is behind this door. This could be it. What I’ve wanted for the past 2 years. I slowly open the door, and a cool gust of air makes my short hair whip behind me.

The boy. The boy from before was sitting there, leaning against the farthest wall in the small room. I slowly walk towards him, hoping I chose the correct door. His head whips up at me, but I don’t see those beautiful eyes from before. 

Instead, I see nothing. It’s almost like he had no irises or pupils anymore, just the whites of his eyes. I chose the wrong door. I think before I quickly take a few steps back, only to hear a big boom. I turn around and see the door is closed and slowly fading away into the wall. I turn back around and the boy is standing up with his head tilted like a curious cat. He closes his eyes and lowers his head as his hands come together. He throws his hands out and the next thing I know I have a sharp pain running through my back. I slide down something and hit the hard cement floor. 

I quickly stand up from my spot on the floor and try to ignore the pain. My head spins and the world seems so bright again. For being the Goddess of Death and the Spirits of Violent Deaths, Mania and the Keres sure have a lot of bright-colored rooms. I reach my hands out and try to catch myself on the wall when I feel a pair of strong hands pull me forward. I struggle to get out of this person’s grasp, but they are too strong. Or I am too weak. I give up and look at the person’s face. The boy is staring back at me, his mouth in a thin line and his eyebrows raised. And his eyes. The green eyes I saw before in the white room. I pulled away and examined him. He was wearing all gray and his black hair was russled like it hadn’t been brushed in days. Who knows, maybe it hasn’t been. Maybe he’s been stuck here just like me.

I feel a warm burst of air behind me, way different from the one before. I quickly turn around and pain shoots to my head again, forcing me to close my eyes before I can see what’s behind me.

“I would stop moving so quickly if I were you,” I hear the boy’s voice say teasingly behind me.

“I’m fine,” I respond. I open my eyes once the pain recedes a little bit. And all I see is a big hole in the gray wall. There is nothing behind it, just darkness.

“Sorry for this,” I hear the boy say behind me. Sorry for what? I think. 

“For wha-” I repeat out loud, starting to turn around. I feel something go into my arm, like a needle. I feel my body start to fall and feel those hands catch me again.

“For that,” the boy said. That was the last thing I hear before blacking out.