Victoria Qiu (9) | STAFF REPORTER
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep…
1 year, 128 days, 18 hours, 36 minutes. At least, that’s what the clock says.
I’ve been stuck in this weird hallway for as long as I can remember. I don’t know where I am, how I got here, or how I can get out. Nothing moves except the ceiling fan and that strange machine in the corner. It’s been beeping since I got here. So many doors line the hallway, spanning as far as it can possibly go. Except none of them are open or unlocked, all are just sitting there. One or two of them have weird scratches on them, long and sharp. I’m starting to suspect that I’m in an abandoned hotel. Or maybe it isn’t even abandoned at all, which is why the doors are all locked.
As I drag my feet towards another door, it occurs to me that I haven’t eaten or drank since I’ve appeared here. Yet, why do I feel so normal? I look down, noticing my bright yellow t-shirt and overalls. Exactly what I was wearing when I opened my eyes on July 31st, 2021, and found myself with nothing but a confetti horn from the night before. The carpet was the same muddy brown, with flecks of orange here and there. The walls were stained with this sticky resin-like liquid, something I’ve learned not to touch after throwing the confetti horn at it. As I look behind me, I see remnants of the horn still stuck to the wall, sprinkles of pink and blue adorned around it. No matter how many times I circle the hallway, everything stays the exact same.
A loud click wakes me up, as I look at the doorknob. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I didn’t notice my hands unlocking the door. Rather than the jammed feeling I was so accustomed to, the door slowly creaked open. Fuzzy lights illuminate another, smaller hallway, but with a different feeling. I shut my eyes, not remembering when or where I’d ever seen such brightness before. The wall was free from sticky stains, and the carpet was remarkably clean. The musty smell that usually accompanied each step I took was replaced by a fresh scent. So fresh, in fact, that it made me feel nauseous. When I emerge from my shock, I notice three doors beckoning me to come towards them.
As I slowly walk towards them, I could hear an internal part of me screaming “don’t do it. DON’T DO IT!”. Against my will, my hand slowly reaches out toward the door in the middle. It felt like I was no longer in control of my own body as if some subconscious being had taken over. My fingertips graze over the top of the doorknob, feeling the cool and sleek surface. My hand slowly turn the doorknob, which opened surprisingly easily. Opening the door cautiously, I peer into a completely empty room, with just a chair and a ceiling fan. It looked akin to the rooms I’d been in this deserted hall. Yet, for some reason, this plain room seemed to stir something within me. A sense of wanting, for something I don’t remember, but must have been there before. It felt so sweet, so dear, that I take a step forward into the room, desperate to feel more of it. Behind me, the lights dimmed, the door shut, and my vision blacked out.
I awoke, not too sure how long later, on the carpet. I rub my eyes and looked around, spotting the stains, the confetti horn, and the specks of orange on the carpet. I was back where I started, and that marvellous feeling was gone. My head aches from I don’t know what, and there’s red on the carpet. Huh, maybe a painter came to repaint the carpet, but left after seeing the state of this place? As I stand up, I notice three things.
First, the machine is still beeping. I don’t know why.
Second, the ceiling fan is spinning. I’ve never seen it spin so fast in my life.
Third, the clock on the wall is still blinking on the wall, its glaring red numbers looking into my soul.
It reads: 1 year, 128 days, 18 hours, 35 minutes.
As I realize in horror what the clock really was, the lights slowly shut behind me. I start running down the hall, not caring where it leads me, or what I might encounter. My head pounding, I keep running, and running, and running until the lights go out completely and all I can hear are the faint beeps of the machine.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep…
