Trapped

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.

“Wake up... GET UP!”

I scramble up off the floor and look around. It was such a weird dream. You know how you sometimes dream of a certain place, whether it’s your home or a place you frequent and yet, you can’t seem to get the details right? Well, that’s me right now. Oh, how I wish this was only a cabin I am trapped in.

I cannot remember how I got here. Anytime I try to think about it, my head starts to pound, and I can feel myself immediately getting lightheaded. Instead of being trapped in a cabin, I am stuck in this never-ending mansion. It feels as though I have been wandering for hours, but to no avail. There are no exits, just entrances into new rooms.

Back tracking is not an option. Anytime I do, it leads to an entirely different room. Keep the door open? Yeah, I’ve tried. Anything from the rooms, like furniture or miscellaneous items have been used to prop the doors open. Nothing worked. I even tried my own shoes thinking it was because the items in the house were cursed or something. Same result.

The item would suddenly disappear, door shuts tight, and now I am barefoot wondering if I will ever see outside again. More hours pass, I think, and I come across a very dark, deep green door, with life-like vines hand drawn all over it. From where I am standing, the door looks like it could start blooming flowers any moment. I walk closer and, after several hours of hearing my own footsteps, along with my nonsensical conversations with myself, I hear something unexpected.

“Crickets!”

I yelled with such joy without realizing how crazy it sounds. I can hear them chirping loudly on the other side. Will I finally be able to escape this hellish house? Or is the house playing its biggest prank yet on me? All I know is, I have never been so excited to open a door before.

I burst through it and am greeted with sticky, humid air, lush green grass and bushes with fully bloomed flowers all around. There is a paved path for me to tread on. I do so carefully and cautiously, taking my time to admire the scenery.

“So pretty.”

I gasp in awe. Tall trees with long branches cover the night sky above me. There is still just enough moonlight peeking through for me to see. The crickets have died down a bit, but I can still hear a few in the distance. Continuing down the path, I arrive at what looks to be the end of the trail.

I do not wish to continue. Before me is a dense fog. I cannot see through this fuzzy curtain blocking my way. Something tells me that I must go on even though any sane person would turn back. But then what? Go back inside? No. I cannot go through that again. Forward is my only way. So, I continue.

I take several steps forward, but suddenly stop again. Shivers run all throughout my body. Up ahead, I see what looks like the silhouette of a person. I have not met anyone here since I came. But why did my body react that way?

My instincts tell me to avoid this person. However, I am so glad to see I am not alone. I begin walking closer. Slowly and quietly, tiptoeing in the grass.

“Hello?” I quietly say. There is no response. I decide to try again.

“Are you okay? I, uh, happen to be lost and was wondering if you are too?”

Silence.

Okay, maybe I am not actually talking to a person. It could be a rock, shaped like one since it is still very foggy in front of me. I quicken my pace just slightly. The person or thing has already heard me speak so it knows I am here. No reason to be quiet now.

Oh god. My head. It hurts. It hurts so bad.

“UGH!”

I drop to my knees and let out a painful groan. A few minutes pass and I continue pressing my hands against the area that is the most severe. After a few minutes, most of the pain has gone. While still looking down, I slowly put my hands on the ground help as I stand up.

Rustling noises.

“Gasp!”

My head shoots right up to see that the figure is gone. I look to the left, then the rig-

“AHHHH!”

There, bent over beside me, stood this thing with an endless blackhole of nothing where its face should be. It looked as if someone carved out the face and put all of the worlds darkest corners and crevasses inside. Its misty looking body leans forward and begins to reach for me.

I frantically crawl away and jump to my feet quickly. As fast as I can, I run straight ahead. The fog clears enough for me to see my most hated object that may very well be my saving grace right now.

“A door!”

I plead while still running. I do not dare look back as I reach for the knob. It turns but does not open.

“NO! WHY? WHY NOW?!”

“You cannot leave this place.”

A chilling, tingling sensation runs through my ears.

“Why not? Why can’t I leave? Why me?”

I am in tears thinking, what next?

“You have come to the end”

“Wha-”

“Your end.”

Beeeeeeeeep!

The heart monitor lets out the noise that everyone has come to dread.

“The time is 7:55 p.m., Wednesday July 6th, 2022.”

Crying can be heard outside the room.

“NO! Doctor please! She can’t die! My baby can’t be dead!”

Her husband tried and tried to soothe her but no longer has the strength left to console his heartbroken wife.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cannon. I am truly sorry for your loss.”

“NO! Melissa! Wake up... GET UP!”

The crying can be heard throughout the hallway.

“Hey, are you the nurse who was assigned to that patient? What happened?”

“She was in a car wreck on the way to an open house and severely damaged her cranium. You could say that she may have been brain dead before we even got to her.”

“Oh no, that’s terrible. At least she’s in a better place.”