First Encounter
Trapped Within Darkness Part 3 | Choice 1 - How it all began
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The Chosen Path - “Wake up in the Shadow Realm”
Trapped Within Darkness
Part 3.1: First Encounter
“OFF OF ME!” I yelled while thrashing at my arm, but nothing was there. I opened my eyes and looked down at my arm – nothing but pitch black darkness. What the hell just happened? One moment an old, homeless man is trying to molest me, the next I’m standing in the world largest vantablack exhibit.
“Hello?!” The void of darkness just swallowed my words as if they were light being consumed by a black hole. No echo, no answer – entirely alone. Maybe I’m dead.
Everything felt wrong. I felt the sense that I shouldn’t be here and that I was being watched. Probably the worst combination that exists, let alone being amplified by the absolute dark. What was I even to do without seeing or knowing where I am? If this was the afterlife, give me my money back.
Thoughts raced through my head of what possibly could have happened, but none of them made any sense. The longer I thought about it, the more confused I became. Since there was no sense in staying here pondering my situation, I decided to try and walk forward a bit. My feet crunched on a thick, gravelly substance that made it hard to walk – akin to sand at a beach. I didn’t take but two steps before I heard a noise that sounded like something rustling against bushes. I froze in fear, hair standing on end, muscles tense.
“Who’s there?” my voice cracked in an effort to sound tough. Still no answer, and at this point I was starting to get a little frustrated. Fists clenched, my face slowly turned from panicked to brooding.
The silence was maddening. I stared in the direction of the source of the sound, which was really just a guess, and waited for something to happen. After a few minutes passed my impatience got the best of me. I reared my right leg back and kicked up a bunch of gravel towards the sound. I could hear the pebbles hit something, or someone, and fall to the floor. This keen observation was most likely due to my senses honing my hearing with the lack of visual stimulation.
Moments passed before something happened. I felt a slight sting in my arm that was followed by the sound of a pebble hitting the ground. Did something toss it at me?
“Okay, I see that I’ve made a mistake,” I told the unseen thing slowly, my voice trembling. “I’ll just leave you to it, and head the other way in peace.”
I turned around to start walking away, but no sooner than I turned the opposite direction felt two more pebbles hit me – one on the leg and another on the back of my neck. I tried to ignore the pebbles and the feeling of dread coming over me by continuing to walk away in the other direction. I didn’t make it but a few steps before the rustling began again, only to stop when I stopped.
“Whoever, or whatever you are stop fucking with me, please.” Gee, way to ask politely for the monster of the dark to stop tormenting you, dumbass.
Suddenly another pebble smacked me square in the forehead, followed by a few more hitting various parts of my body. Rubbing my forehead, I attempted to think of ways to get out of this situation but none came to mind. It is insane how little options you are presented with when you can’t see anything.
Pebbles continued to hit me, seemingly from different directions. The pace started to get quicker, a few falling to the ground every second. Suddenly it was as if hundreds were tossed at me at once. It felt like a wave, but rather than refreshing water it was unforgiving earth. I was swept off my feet and buried under a small pile of gravel in the blink of an eye.
When I attempted to get up I quickly realized that the gravel wasn’t budging, as if it had molded into a solid piece of stone. Oh shit.
“You win, you win!” I said panicking while trying to heave myself out of the solidified mound of pebbles. Another smacked me in the face, this time much harder. Truly, it could not be put into words how terrifying this was to experience.
Without warning, a voice spoke into my ear in a deathly, hollow tone, “You’re…right. I…win.”
In a terrifying, dark place it seems like Kolt may be facing a danger he is not ready, or willing, to take on. His choice now will have dire consequences in the future, are you willing to make that decision for him? Find out what your choice means for his future in the next part of Trapped Within Darkness!
This would not be possible if not for your choices made, so thank you for helping me create this terrifying horror story! Keep on choosing and see where this story goes! Trapped Within Darkness will return in 3 weeks after the next issues of Expedition Epsilon and Perthro: The Rune of Mystery. Look out for the Character Sheet post on Michael Faust, coming out on Tuesday for paid subscribers! You could earn a free premium membership if your refer 3 people, and you will have access to the character sheets! I hope you have a great week, and as always — Choose Fiction!
"If this is the afterlife, I want my money back!" LOL 😂. Epic!