Rachel Yan (11) | STAFF REPORTER
Darkness and brief flashes of light swirl in my vision. With a gasp, I open my eyes. I am leaning against a wall, cold linoleum tile beneath me. I see shadow cloaked walls leading to a door on the left.
Throwing a cursory glance at my surroundings, I can only catch glimpses of a large room; dark stretches of wall and ceiling. I do not remember where I am. With a burst of fear, I realise I do not remember who I am either.
An inexplicable panic drives me to get out and run. I scramble for the door, heaving on the handle, and it swings open.
Outside, I stand in a long dark corridor. The narrow grey walls stretch far away in both directions, interspersed with blank doors. In the dimness, the only light comes from the left. The pale white light emanates from around the corner, tracing a glimmer along the tiled floor.
I run towards the light, urged by my need to escape from this expanse of gathered shadows. As I near the corner, I hear something approaching from the other side. I slow to a stop.
It is the noise of footsteps, but strangely blurred and distorted. As though there is a whole set of feet – much more than two – that roll along rather than stepping on the floor.
I turn and run, trying to keep my steps as light as possible. I can hear the footsteps seem to speed up. The uncanny rhythm fills me with terror and I sprint along, not caring about the noise I make.
I do not look back as the grey walls blur past. The myriad of footsteps behind me floods the hall with a mounting susurration. At last, I reach the opposite corner. Around it, I find more of the same dark hallway.
Despairing, I scan the walls as I run for any place to hide. Halfway through the corridor, I see an opening in the wall and dash inside.
The air feels hushed. This seems to be a change room. It is a large room, sections of it lined with benches and lockers. The walls are patterned with blue rimmed tiles; the whole space feels like the bottom of a pool. As I dart past, I see no signs of personal belongings.
Like the hallway outside, the change room is dark, dimly lit by faint blue light coming from several narrow sanded glass windows in the corner. I rush towards them, searching for any means of escape. I grab at the latch and slide them open.
Outside the window, there is only an endless bluish grey mist. I turn from the window and run deeper into the room, taking cover behind a section of wall. I try to breathe quietly as the strange footsteps enter the room a few seconds later.
The entity approaches slowly, as though searching. I hear it pass through the sections of the room. A few moments later, it begins moving in my direction.
The steps slow. I try to hold my breath.
The creature stops right before the windows that I had opened. I press myself back against the wall. The seconds stretch endlessly.
I hear the slam of the window closing. Then the footsteps move away as the creature slowly withdraws from the room.
I stay huddled in place long after it has left.
