The Player; Two Doors

Sweat licked at my palms and forehead, soaking my cotton hoodie  as I darted down winding corridors and twisting hallways. 

A bubbly kind of trepidation pricked at my insides, making me want to vomit. No, maybe that was the smell. Burnt rubber mixed in with the stench of rotten mildew to form a horrendous aroma.

Heavy and short were my breaths as my heart beat loudly in my chest, loud enough so that I felt as though I could hear it through my ears.

My feet ran back and forth, left and right, never stopping or slowing down even as my thighs cramped and my feet ached and my body begged me to stop. I was running on pure adrenaline and willpower now.

I skidded to a halt at the end of the hallway. In front of me stood two doors: a pink one with a silver knob, and a green one with a golden knob. Both were adorned with intricate carvings. The pink one had suns and moons dancing at it's edge, while the green one had horses and elephants and circuses instead.

My heart sped up as I stared down the doorways, or more accurately, they stared down me.

I knew it was all a trick. Nothing in this place was ever real. It had to be some sort of ruse. Some sick joke.

My hand reached for the pink door first. Then hesitated. Then the green.

A loud gurgling roar echoed from behind me, making me startle and turn around. But nothing was there. Not yet.

I turned back towards the doors. Sweat soaked my hair, making wet strands fall down on my face. I ran a beady hand through my blonde- brown locks, pushing them up so I could see.

I tried to study the carvings on the wood, but all I could see were suns and moons and circuses, and no clues.

Another roar, this time louder. The sound of footsteps followed as well. Loud, thumping against the ground in slow heavy steps, making the floor beneath me shake just a bit.

I needed to decide quickly.

I finally settled on the green door, simply because it felt right. I had long since learned that following your gut was far better than following nothing at all.

I reached forward as another loud roar echoed from right behind me, shoving the door open. But before I could jump in, my eyes caught sight of what was on the other side and I stopped myself at the frame.

I was in the sky.

I looked down to see a canopy of trees following a winding river, but that was feet below me.

I stumbled back, scrambling for the pink door, but when I tried to twist it's knob, it stayed put. It was locked.

Did I pick the wrong door? Is it too late to turn back? Is this it? My thoughts ran in circles around my head, making me dizzy

Another roar, this time closer than ever. I turned around to face a humongous, slimy pink creature towering over me. It gooped all over the floor, leaving a pink liquidy trail in its wake. It had teeth the size of elephant's tusks, and eyes as wide as boulders were big.

Without thinking, I jumped to the side, standing once again in front of the green door in the sky.

No no no is this really it?, I thought.

It was now or never, plummet to my death or get killed by this giant. My choice. How wonderful.

I turned back towards the cliff, and my resolve hardened. Then, taking one last look behind me at the approaching giant, I jumped.

Suddenly I was falling, air pressure slicing through my hair and pushing my skin and bone, as if it were trying to repel me from reaching the ground. I screamed at the top of my lungs, but it was drowned out by the sound of rushing air.

Finally, I shut my eyes, bracing myself for the inevitable.

-----

My eyes fluttered open, staring at a crisp canopy of leaves followed by a clear blue sky.

Is- Is this heaven?, was my first thought. Then I noticed how much my body ached. No, I was alive. Or maybe I was just hoping I was.

Reluctantly, I pushed myself up into a sitting position, groaning the whole way through.

I noticed the feeling of grass beneath me, and clutched it with my fists.

The air smelled of all sorts of tropical smells, from the stench of rotten fruit to the subtle petrichor. I wrinkled my nose, adjusting to the blast of familiar and unfamiliar scents.

I winced as I tried to get up, and looked down to see a huge gash in my right leg. It wasn't deep, but it was large, covering most of my lower thigh and upper leg. I felt a disturbing tingling from my wound up to my spine when I tried to move it again, and immediately became light headed.

Well, it could have been worse. At least I was safe. . . for now. And at least I wasn't dead. No gigantic slimy pink monsters chasing me. I couldn't help but wonder what was on the other side of the pink door, though.

I got up on my feet, hand hovering protectively over my wound.

Around me, trees filled in the grassy space. Some palm trees, some oak trees, some I couldn't recognize. Shrubbery of all kinds littered the floor, leaving a trail of colorfulness and wonder.

A loud gurgling screech erupted from my back, and I turned to see what could only have been a pterodactyl soaring up into he clear blue sky.

"What?", I yelled, then clasped my hand over my mouth.

I stirred at the sound of footsteps as the earth shook beneath my feet, and turned to see giant dinosaurs stomping the earth. Diplodocus.

On no, I thought. If this place was really what I thought it was turning out to be, then I could imagine what I was about to face next.

This. . .This must have been the next game.