All of Our Mistakes Are Never Forgotten(StarlessandBibleBlack)Part-3

Day 25

I woke up this morning to Drake and a few others in my bedroom. As soon as I sat up, he rushed to my side.

"Take it slowly."

As I sat up in bed, I immediately grabbed the side of my head. A pain rushed around my mind, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut.

"Shit," I yelled as the pain began to subside.

"Consider yourself lucky that you didn't get a concussion. There's a nasty bruise on the side of your head now. It's not pretty, but you got off easy in my opinion."

Drake handed me a glass of water along with a couple of pain relievers. I gratefully took them.

"If you feel up to it, we would all like to have a meeting. I think the reasons for it are obvious enough."

"After what just happened, a long talk is in order," I said while slowing lifting myself from the bed.

We all gathered in the kitchen at the large table. An eerie silence filled the air as everyone sat and refused to speak a word. My eyes darted from person to person as I waited for someone to speak. Every time I made eye contact with someone, they would immediately look down at the table or up to the ceiling.

"We're not going to get anywhere if all of you just sit here with your traps shut. Someone needs to speak up."

To my left, I heard a long sigh. It came from David. I hadn't heard him speak since Roger's death.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who's seen it."

Drake tried to speak but could only mutter squeaks. Although I was able to get my words out, it was rather difficult.

"What did you just say?"

I can't believe what my ears had heard. I didn't want to believe it, but I knew it was true.

"I know I'm not the only one who saw it standing out there. It was there not long after we arrived. I've kept my mouth shut thinking it was some figment of my imagination, but I've since come to know better."

He threw his head down in his hands and stared down at the table. All of us remained quiet as we observed him. When he finally looked back up at us, I could see tears streaming down his face.

"A few days before Roger…"

He struggled to say this next part, and I honestly couldn't blame the man.

"… had his incident, he started talking about that thing. He had noticed it when it first appeared. Just like me, he thought it was his mind playing a trick on him. When I told him that I could see it too, he was relieved that he wasn't going mad. We didn't know what to say to anyone else in the camp, so we just kept our mouths shut."

He paused and walked into the kitchen. He returned with a glass of ice and a bottle of rum. He didn't return with anything to mix in with it, but none of us said anything. He filled the glass and gulped down its contents in one swift motion.

"One morning, I woke up to find him staring out the window. I tried speaking to him, but he didn't respond to me. I finally reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. His face turned and I saw blood running his neck. He had this nosebleed that was just gushing from his nostrils. I'd never seen someone bleed that much, and it started to run down his shirt. The entire thing was soaking wet. After a few moments of me trying to speak to him like some bumbling idiot, he left the room and went to the bathroom. He stayed there for at least an hour. When he finally returned, he acted as if nothing had happened. He asked if I wanted to go make breakfast. We spent his last few days talking as we had this entire time. I wanted to say something to him or anyone, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

He filled his glass once more and swallowed it quicker than he had the first time. Although he had stopped crying, I could still see wet streaks running down his cheeks.

"What the hell do you mean you couldn't bring yourself to do it? Is it really that difficult to tell one of us that your roommate is acting like a complete nut?"

This came from someone sitting at the far corner of the table. I recognized him as the doctor we had brought on duty. David glared at him and slammed his glass down on the table. This caused a small part of it to chip off.

"What? You think it's easy to tell everyone that your roommate is acting like his sanity is about to completely meltdown? You think it's easy to tell your friends and colleagues that you're seeing this… this thing out in the distance?"

"You're not the only one who's seeing it."

We all turned to face the end of the table. One of the mechanics we brought along to repair generators and the snow crawlers was staring down at the table. David rested his glass on the table and let his mouth hang open in shock.

"You, too?"

"You're not the only one who's seen it," he repeated.

Everyone in the room had their eyes on him. The room went quiet and an awkward silence hung in the air.

"That thing has been tormenting me since the day it first appeared. It began by standing on the mountainside. Then it started invading my dreams. I saw that thing night and day. It's getting closer, and I don't want to know what it wants us for when it finally reaches us."

I took in a deep breath and looked over everyone sitting at the table. It was hard to imagine that we were actually having this conversation. What started as me thinking that The Shape was an isolated incident, had grown. It suddenly hit me that it was here from more than just one person. After snatching David's glass, I swallowed its contents and mustered the courage to speak.

"Alright, I want a show of hands. How many of you have seen it?"

I watched as everyone at the table raised an arm in the air.

"This is a good starting point. Now, have any of you seen it do anything besides stand there? Have you seen it move, or heard it make a sound?"

A few them shook their heads, while the rest remained silent. I made eye contact with everyone who kept their mouths shut. They still did not say a word. I slammed my fist on the table, causing a few people to jump.

"I don't want to see a single one of you sit here and sulk and refuse to acknowledge me. We're not exactly in the best of situations here, so I expect all of you to follow my orders without hesitation."

"And may I ask just who exactly made you our leader," someone scoffed.

"This did."

I reached underneath my jacket and withdrew the shotgun that had been lying on my desk. Luckily, I had been able to sneak it out of my room without anyone noticing.

"Not to mention the fact that I'm the only one willing to lead us in a direction of progress instead of sitting here in silence. I intend on making it out of here, and I won't be stopped by one of you. Those who wish to join me are free to do so. Anyone who doesn't, just try not to get in our way. I don't want another violent altercation."

Up until the past couple of days, I lacked the ability to speak with any sort of authority. I felt a sense of pride in that moment until I heard laughing and turned to see you it was. The mechanic from earlier was now throwing his head back and letting out an almost maniacal cackle.

"What the hell is so funny?"

He turned and stared into my eyes.

"Nothing you do is going to make a difference. It won't let you escape…"

A chill ran down my spine as I came to the realization. The Shape had gained control of another person…

"Everybody back away from him," I shouted as I pointed the shotgun at his chest.

Chairs toppled to the floor as everyone scrambled behind me. Even with all the rustling going on, I kept my eyes focused on the mechanic and my finger on the trigger. To my side, I heard Drake withdraw the pistol from his waistband and cock it.

"Don't you already see what's happening? There's no use in resisting. The plan has been made and there's nothing you can do to change it."

"What the hell are you talking about? What plan," Drake asked.

"It doesn't want me to reveal any details."

The mechanic lifted his wrist and glanced at his watch.

��Now if you'll all excuse me, I really should be going. Feel free to join me later. I don't know about you, but I'm not really a fan of this chilly weather. It says the weather is warm where I'm going."

While we all tried to make sense of his words, he pulled a pistol from his jacket pocket and wrapped his lips around the barrel. Before any of us could so much as speak or make a move, he pulled the trigger.

The loud bang quickly echoed around the room. I watched as the back of his head exploded outward. Shattered fragments of bone and clumps of hair and flesh went flying through the air. Chunks of brain matter and other tissue shot out the hole in his skull and stuck to the wall behind him. His eyes rolled back into his head, and his whole body slumped forward onto the table.

I could hear some of the people standing behind me begin to sob while the others began to shout obscenities. Drake and I paid no attention to them. Our focus was directed out a nearby window. The Shape stood motionless in the snow. Even with the full blast of the spotlights upon it, I was unable to make out any details of its body. All I could see was black.

Day 32

Some of them have given up hope. The snow crawlers were supposed to arrive this morning, but nothing's come yet. I tried convincing them that they have just been delayed, and that they would probably be here within the next couple of days. None of them bought it. Although I'm just as upset about all this as they are, I can't let them see that. I'm their leader now, and I have to act like it.

Day 35

I can feel the tension between everyone getting worse. A few days ago, we would greet one another in the morning. Although we did it with a forced smile, we at least had some sense of respect for one another. Now, everyone just stares at each other. Although Drake and I are still close, I'm starting to notice that everyone else is isolating themselves.

The only time I'll catch a glimpse of someone else is when they run from their room to go to the kitchen or the bathroom. This morning, one of the ROV pilots sprinted from his room and into the kitchen. Drake and I were sitting at a table in the den, going over possible options if we had to suddenly leave camp. We watched as he flung open the door to the fridge and pulled out a pack of raw hamburger meat. He took it and retreated to his room. For the next ten minutes, all Drake and I could hear was the sickening sound of him devouring the uncooked flesh.

I'm becoming extremely worried by everyone else's behavior. It's not as if they're just getting antsy. What I'm seeing is not leeriness, but distrust. Although they're just acting strangely for the moment, I'm fearing that it can grow violent in the coming days.

Day 37

Drake and I came to a decision today to repair one of the snow crawlers. Although Roger managed to drain them of antifreeze, I'm starting to think that I could repair one of them. There's some rubber hosing in my shop that I can use to repair the lines that he sliced open. As for all the antifreeze, we're going to use water for the time being. After the two of us spent a good hour reading through the owner's manual, we came to the conclusion that water can act as a substitute. The manual warns that this is only a temporary solution when antifreeze is unavailable. I don't need this thing to run across the continent. I just need to make it to the radar station where our plane landed.

I went into David's room and asked if he had a map of the surrounding area. He pulled one from a container by the door and followed me back out into the den. The three of us then determined the path we would need to take back to the radar station. Although it may be difficult for us to navigate in this weather, we figured that we have nothing to lose.

I'd rather die trying to escape then remain here and die like a trapped animal.

Day 38

It took a lot of work, but I was able to repair the snow crawler. David kept watch over the camp while Drake and I repaired it. We spent a good part of the day under that thing trying to get the hose clamp tightened down correctly. Although I'd helped my father repair his car many times when I was younger, this was a little bit trickier. Before dinner, the two of us were able to fill up the radiator with water and fire the engine after warming the oil pan with an external heat source. After a few promising grunts, we finally got it to turn over. We rejoiced in our success and then returned inside.

As we trudged through the snow, I could see some of the other team members staring at us from their windows. Their eyes were blank and their faces expressionless. At first, I thought they were just staring out into nothing, but then I turned behind me. The Shape had moved a little closer during the night. This gave me a surprise considering that it hadn't moved since the night my boss attacked us.

We walked inside and quickly shut the door right as David pulled dinner from the oven. As the three of us sat down to eat, no one else came out to join us. I tried calling for them on the intercom but received silence in return. David told me that he had seen none of them leave their rooms for at least a whole day. Although I had a strong inclination as to what they had been eating, I didn't want to believe it. I walked over to the refrigerator and opened it.

Almost all the raw red meat we had been keeping was gone. Just like I'd seen a couple of days ago, I knew that they had eaten it raw. My stomach churned as I began to recall the sounds of them devouring the raw flesh days earlier.

I left the kitchen and returned to my shop. When I came back inside, I had chain and a padlock in my hands. I wrapped the chain around the door handles and locked it shut.

"I don't want a single one of them going back in there. If we're going to be leaving, I want to make sure that we have enough food to last us a few days if something happens."

I pulled the chains to make sure they were secure, and then dropped the key into my jacket pocket.

"What do you mean 'in case something happens,'" David asked with a puzzled look on his face. "We're not taking some month-long expedition. I think if we just bring some granola bars, water bottles, and bags of chips, we'll be fine."

"Going to the radar station should take less than a day, but I can guarantee you that The Shape will do something to interfere with that. It wouldn't surprise me if we end up walking there on foot. If the worst-case scenario happens, I want to make sure that we're prepared."

They both sat there in silence. It occurred to me that they hadn't thought about the worst-case scenario for us until that moment. Although I thought about it multiple times over the past few days, they apparently hadn't.

"What are we going to do about them," Drake asked.

"Once the three of us are prepared and ready to leave, I'll unlock the fridge. They'll be fine for a few days just eating the raw meat like they've been doing. Once we reach the radar station, we can radio for a team to go out and rescue them."

David gave me a puzzled look.

"So, your solution is to just leave them here and lock them up like animals? John, do you realize that they're human beings?"

I pointed towards the hallway that led to their bedrooms.

"Whatever those things are, they're not human anymore. All I see is a husk of what used to be a man. Whatever is filling that shell now is not human. They don't speak anymore. All they do is make grunts and other weird noises and run away into their rooms with raw meat. Right now, they're more savage than human. I don't want to take them with us and risk jeopardizing our escape. Do either of you have a problem with that?"

None of them said a word. After they gathered their thoughts for a few moments, they both shook their heads.

"I want to leave here tomorrow night. As soon as I'm done packing and we've made meals to take with us, we're heading out of here."

"That sounds good with me," Drake said.

I then turned to David. Cocking an eyebrow, I gave him a look asking for his response.

"You're right. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

We finished our dinner in silence. We dumped our plates in the sink and retired back to our rooms. As I sunk into bed and prepared for my last night in the camp, I heard something. At first, I thought it was just my drowsiness, but I soon saw Drake perk up. He was hearing it too.

I rose from my bed and slowly tiptoed over to the door. I tried to make as little noise as possible as I slid the thick bolt that locked our door. I cracked open the door just enough to lean my head outside.

The door to one of the rooms that had remained shut for days was now open. In the hallway, I could see light coming from the den. There was a shadow dancing around in the pale, yellow light, and I could hear laughter drifting my way. This wasn't laughter like someone watching a funny movie. This was the laugh of a demented creature. Whatever was letting out those blood-curdling cackles, it sure as hell wasn't human.

Day 39

We woke at the crack of dawn to prepare. It turns out that I was not the only one who had trouble sleeping. Since David's room was closer to the den, he could hear one of them laughing all night. We walked into the kitchen this morning to find a mess. Whoever had been in here during the night had thrown the equipment all over the place.

Drawers had been ripped out of the cabinets, the contents emptied all over the floor. The oven and microwave both had their glass smashed in. Any shelf that wasn't bolted to the wall had been toppled over. We saw no point in cleaning all of it up, so David just gathered ingredients he needed from the floor.

While he prepared our meals, I gathered supplies. I unlocked the storage room at the back of the camp and gathered anything we might need and placed it in a metal storage locker. By the time I took any supplies I deemed necessary, I was barely able to close the lid. I grabbed one of the handles and turned to drag it out to the snow crawler. As I faced the doorway, I was met with the sight of one of them standing in the doorway. I immediately let go of the locker and grabbed the pistol from my waistband. I aimed directly at his head and put my finger on the trigger.

"What do you want," I asked with a hint of fear in my voice.

It stood there and just stared blankly into my eyes.

"I'll give you one more chance. What the hell do you want?"

Its lips slowly peeled up into a smile. As its lips parted, I watched as a fair amount of blood spill from its mouth. As I looked closely at him, I was able to see that various teeth were either missing or chipped. He reached down and placed a hand in his pocket. I remained attentive with my gun trained on him.

From his pocket, he pulled out the remains of a metal spatula from the kitchen. The flat end had been drastically misshapen. I soon came to realize that the imperfections in the surface were bite marks. Small dents covered the surface of the metal, along with a few blood stains.

"You won't let us eat anymore, so I had to improvise. But don't worry. It says that soon all of us will be able to feast."

He licked his lips and looked over my body.

"I hope your meat is tasty."

I couldn't control myself any longer and fired a shot. I heard the bullet bury itself into the wall behind him. I couldn't believe it at first, but I had missed. I stood there in astonishment, not knowing what to think. He continued to stand there and stare at me.

"It grows stronger every day. Your feeble weapons can no longer stop it. Give up and join us."

I fired another shot at him and missed again.

"It's not so bad where we are. We no longer have to worry ourselves with problems of this world."

I shut my eyes and continued to fire. As I emptied my clip, I turned my head away from him. I didn't want him to see me cry.

"John, what in the living hell are you doing?!"

I looked up to find Drake standing in the doorway. The creature that had been there just moments before had left and retreated to its room. I stuttered over my words as I tried to speak.

"One of them… It was there… it wanted me to join them, but I wouldn't let that happen."

"Look, man, you need to sleep. You've barely slept more than five hours over the past couple of days. Just go lie down in bed and I'll finish packing everything into the snow crawler. Drake is almost done preparing our meals, so I'll have him stand guard over the camp once he's done."

I nodded slowly and placed the gun back in the holder on my waist. Drake placed a hand on my shoulder and walked me back to our room. I laid down in bed and shut my eyes. As I began drifting off into sleep, I thought I could hear them laughing again.

When I woke up, Drake was standing over me shaking my shoulder.

"The sun is almost down. I think it's time for us to go."

I quickly hopped out of bed and grabbed the shotgun leaning against the bedpost. I grabbed my laptop bag and a portable charger. Turning around and looking around our room one final time, a thought crossed my mind.

I sure as hell wasn't going to miss it.

Drake and I met David in the den. He had removed the chains from the fridge so that those things could eat while we were gone.

"Does everyone have everything?" David asked in a hushed tone.

The two of us nodded and turned to show him our backpacks.

"Alright, good. Now let's get the hell out of here. I'm getting more and more creeped out by the minute."

We all turned around and walked towards the exit. As the door handle came within an arm's reach, I heard something coming from down the hallway. It wasn't laughing this time. It was… grunting.

"Am I the only one he's hearing that," Drake asked as he turned in the direction of the noise.

"No," I said. "I hear it, too."

We all stood completely still and didn't make a sound. I turned to face down the hallway and waited to hear another sound. At first, there was nothing but silence. Then, I heard that same grunt again. It was louder this time.

I concentrated and listened to which room it was coming from. After a moment, I could hear the sound again. This time, I could hear a gut-wrenching scream along with it.

"It sounds like one of them is hurt," I heard David say from behind me.

"I don't care," I let out in a stern tone.

"But John, shouldn't we go help them? They could be seriously injured."

I turned and scowled at him.

"I told you already that those are not people. They're lucky that I'm leaving them with raw food in hopes that a rescue team may find them and try to return them back to normality. Can't you tell that they're just trying to lure us into a trap?"

David shook his head at me and dropped his bag on the floor.

"If you won't help them, then I will."

He walked past me and down the hallway towards the source of the noise. I tried to hold him back, but he ignored me. I couldn't think of anything else to do but follow suit.

"David stop!"

He continued to ignore my warnings, and soon reached the door. As he grabbed the handle and slowly opened it, I sprinted to reach him.

"Dear God…"

What I saw in that room will forever be burned into my mind.

The first thing I noticed was the metallic stench of blood as it invaded my nostrils. One of them lay on the bed. His clothes had been ripped to shreds and thrown all over the room. His eyes were wide open, unmoving and staring at the ceiling. There were several craters all over his body where the others had taken large bites from his flesh. Other parts of him were covered in deep cuts from his attackers fighting any resistance he gave. Since I had locked the fridge, they needed to eat. They chose the weakest out of all of them. After I got over the initial shock of what was laid out in front of me, I began to realize the stench of fecal matter and rotting meat that hung in the air as well. I turned my attention to a corner of the room as I heard movement. I quickly withdrew the shotgun from under my jacket and put my finger on the trigger.

Slowly, one of them emerged from the shadows in a corner and came into the light. Blood ran from his mouth all down his body. He clothes sagged with the amount of blood that they held. More began to emerge from different parts of the room. As they gathered in the center, I came to realize that they were all gripping kitchen knives. I grabbed David's shoulder and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Run…"

The two of us started back down the hallway. From behind me I heard one of them scream, followed by many footsteps chasing us.

"Grab our stuff and get outside," I screamed to Drake down the hallway.

He took our bags in hand and quickly sprinted towards the door. He ran out into the night, and the two of us were close behind him. As my boots came in contact with the snow, I turned on my heels and slammed the door shut. I grabbed the crowbar propped against the building that we had used to scrape ice from the threshold and brought it down with all my might on to the door handle. As it sheared off, I heard the locking mechanisms inside break as well.

The three of us continued and ran towards the snow crawler parked a short distance from the building. David and Drake took the front seat while I quickly threw my stuff in the back and slammed the door behind me. The engine roared to life, and the searchlights on top of the vehicle illuminated the snow surrounding us. We began moving, and I turned to face out the back window.

The Shape now stood before the front door of the camp. I hadn't seen it move during our escape, and I was thankful that it didn't get us. At first it remained motionless in front of the door. Then, the door flew right off its hinges. I watched as it soared through the air and landed in a nearby snow embankment. The screams of everyone still inside the camp echoed out into the night louder than naturally possible. I turned away and faced forward. I knew that whatever was about to happen to them, I didn't want to see it.

We've been traveling for a couple of hours. I wanted to sleep, but every time I close my eyes, all I see are the faces of those monsters in that room. I've come to the conclusion that it would be the best use of my time to write everything that's happened over the past couple of days.

Day 40

We finally made it to the radar station. We got turned around once or twice but were lucky enough that David was able to correct us before we veered too far off course. The three of us took turns driving during. We had not gotten much sleep during the days prior to our departure and needed to rest up. I had never driven a vehicle like this before, but there's a first time for everything.

We had one person driving while the other sat up front and read the map. Whoever sat in the back seat would keep an eye out behind us for The Shape in case it followed us. I don't know whether to be grateful that we lost it, or fear that it could appear at any moment. Either way, I refuse to let my guard down.

We've secured ourselves in the radar station until a rescue team can come for us. We radioed them and were told that it would take two days for a team to reach us. There's no bad weather in sight, so we don't need to worry about them getting delayed like last time. The only thing that we need to be vigilant of is The Shape.

We've agreed to take shifts on watch duty during the night. We're not even sure if it knows that this building is out here, but we don't want to take any chances. All the lights or anything that could give us away are going to be turned off at night. We just finished putting sheets of plywood over the windows. We found it around the back of the building. We're lucky that it hadn't rotted outside in the weather yet. Each one has a small slit cut in it so we can see outside.

I better finish typing up this entry. We need to get some sleep so we can be on high guard in the next coming days. I'm not sure how well I'm going to sleep on a cot in this room though. There's one bedroom here, and we gave it to David. The three of us agreed that we should lock ourselves in our own separate rooms at night. Even though I trust the two of them, there's no telling what The Shape could make them do if it finds us. It's best to keep away from each other at night in case something happens. I can never see either of them wanting to hurt anyone. But right now, any logic just needs to go out the window. We aren't exactly in a normal situation.

Day 41

Today went by without any kind of incident. We looked out one of the window slits every 10 minutes to scan the surrounding area. All we can see is white and the mountains very far off in the distance.

Since we don't have the hard drive full of movies anymore, we spent the day entertaining ourselves by talking. We discussed our political views, got to know each other on a personal level, and spent the day in good company.

I know it doesn't seem right to be thinking this kind of way, but I would be happy to call them my friends if we make it out of here.

Day 42

I have both good news and bad news.

We received a call on the radio this morning. The rescue team took off and should arrive here early tomorrow morning. The three of us are overjoyed that we're finally going to get rescued.

Now for the bad news.

David spotted The Shape on the horizon early this afternoon. He said it's far away, but that didn't give any of us a sense of comfort. It could easily reach us before nightfall. Although it moved slowly when we first saw it back at base camp, I doubt it'll move slowly now. We managed to escape from it, and it's most likely not pleased with us right now. I highly doubt that it will so much as hesitate to rip the door to this building right off its hinges.

I know I'm not thinking positive, but I'm starting to get scared. I'm not ready to die.

Day 42 – Part 2

It's almost midnight. David is currently standing guard. When I finished my shift just a few minutes ago, The Shape had moved. It was no longer just barely visible on the horizon. It managed to make it within about 300 yards of the building. Because there aren't any clouds obscuring the sky tonight, I could see it illuminated in the moonlight.

The entire time I stood watch, I never stopped staring at it. I had a feeling deep in my gut that if I looked away, it would move closer. I didn't want to give it any chance to make a sudden move.

While I was staring at it, I got to thinking. What exactly happens to us when we die? That thought never crossed my mind until now. Is there a heaven and hell? Do we just get reincarnated as another person or some animal? For the entire two hours that I stood on watch, I could never come up with a conclusion I was happy with. All I gathered was that we'll just have to wait and see when we die. It may be decades before I find out the answer, but I can wait.

There's one more point I wanted to add to that that I can't believe I didn't think of until now. The Shape says that after we die, we go somewhere warm. I honestly wouldn't mind that considering that we're freezing our ass off in this building. It asked me if I wanted to go to this 'warm place'. I may have to consider that offer. I'm not a big fan of the cold.

Day 42 – Part 3

I tried telling David what The Shape told me once his turn to stand watch was over. I thought he would be interested in what I had to say, but instead he looked concerned. He left me standing in front of the window and went to find Drake. I was a little offended that he didn't take me with him. I wanted to tell Drake about the warm place.

The two of them ended up talking in a distant corner of the room. No matter which one was talking, one of them always had an eye on me. David looked slightly upset, but Drake just seemed depressed. I don't understand why he would be upset. He should be happy that we've been invited to go to the warm place.

When the two of them were done talking, they approached me again. I noticed that David kept his hand over the pistol strapped to his waste. They then proceeded to tell me that I should probably go lie down. Drake was even kind enough to let me sleep in his bedroom. I tried telling them about the warm place, but they told me I should just go to sleep. They said that they wanted to hear all about it in the morning.

I'm currently sitting on this bed typing on my laptop. I'm too excited to fall asleep, so I figured that this would be a better use of my time. I just can't wait to tell them about the warm place in the morning. I hope that they're excited to go there as I am.

That's strange. I can hear them hammering something over my door. I'm not sure why they're trying to trap me in here. If I'm unable to get out, then we won't be able to go to the warm place together.

Day 43

It's almost four in the morning and I can't go to sleep. My mind just keeps racing with thoughts about the warm place. I can't sleep because I can't bear that David and Drake don't know about it yet. I don't want to be taken there and leave the two of them behind. They don't deserve to be left here in the cold.

I've managed to remove one of the metal legs to my bed frame. One of the ends has a flat plate riveted to it. Maybe I can use it as a crowbar to open the door. If that doesn't work, I can always just use my body weight as a battering ram to break it down.

Although the two of them took the gun from my waist holder when I came in here, they didn't know about the one I kept in my hidden pocket. What I love about this jacket is that it has a hidden pocket on the inside. I kept a pistol in there the entire time. I took out the clip and found that I have seven bullets in it.

I'm so happy. That should be plenty enough to take the two of them with me to the warm place. I should get going now. I want to make sure that we have plenty of time to leave before the rescue team gets here. This may be the last entry I type.

To anyone who reads this, I hope that you'll be able to join me in the warm place eventually. The Shape says that no matter who you are or what you've done, everyone gets to go to the warm place in the end. That means that my wife will be there with me one day. Everyone will be in the warm place one day. I can't wait for you to join me there, too.

* * * * * *

Susan walked down the long hallway as she had been doing for years. She had grown accustomed to the routine she had formed while working at the hospital. It wasn't a thrilling job, but it paid the bills. At least she hadn't end up like her sister who had to sell herself to make rent.

She came to a stop in front of one of the rooms. John MacReady had been in that room for a couple of weeks now. The entire time she tended to him, he had not spoken a word. That made him her favorite. She had grown tired of the other patients making disturbing gestures and saying creepy things behind her back.

Susan grabbed the key ring that hung at her side and used it to unlock the door to his room. Just like every other day, John was sitting in the far corner of the room. His eyes darted to her and then quickly returned to face out the window. Every time she came in, he let her change the sheets on his bed and leave his meal on a nearby desk without ever moving a muscle.

She tucked the corners of his sheets under the mattress and fluffed the pillows before placing them at the head of the bed. She then returned to her cart and fetched a meal tray from one of the racks. The gray plastic tray was covered with a piece of plastic wrap, squishing the bland food underneath it. As she laid it down on the desk, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of candy. She placed it next to his bottle of water as a way of thanking John for not making her job more difficult than it already was.

Turning to face John again, she saw that he had made eye contact with her. She gave him a soft smile and then turned to leave the room. She had many other patients to attend to and needed to start moving if she wanted to leave work early to catch a movie.

"How much longer do I have to be here?"

Susan froze in her tracks. She could hardly believe what she had just heard. This was the first time John had said a word to her, or to her knowledge anybody in the hospital, since his arrival.

"What was that, John?"

He remained sitting in the corner and continued to stare at her.

"I just wanted to know how much longer I have to stay here. I don't like it, and I really want to go home."

As strange as it was, Susan had never heard a patient ask her about leaving. She was used to them making obscene comments and graphic suggestions, but this was unexpected.

"I really don't know, John. If you want, I can ask your doctor how long you need to stay here. Does that sound good with you?"

John nodded his head and then turned to face back out the window. Without offering another word, Susan quickly turned on her heels and walked out the room. She locked the door back, quickly grabbed her cart and walked in the direction of Doctor Carpenter's office. She didn't stop at any other room that was on her schedule.

When she reached his office, she knocked on the door quickly. She heard movement inside, and soon enough, the door opened to reveal a thin and aging man. He was holding a book in one of his hands, the cover closed with one of his fingers in between the pages he had been reading to mark his place.

"Did one of them try to touch you again?"

Susan shook her head and pointed down the hallway in the direction of John's room.

"It was John. He… spoke to me."

Doctor Carpenter's eyes went wide, and he dropped the book he was reading on the floor.

"He actually spoke to someone?"

He looked around the hallway to see if anyone else was within hearing distance. After a moment he motioned for her to step inside his office.

"Get in here. Now."

Susan did as she was told, quickly entering his office. Doctor Carpenter shut the door and locked it behind her. He walked over to his desk that was covered in different papers. On the few rare occasions that she had been in his office, Doctor Carpenter's desk had been completely clean. She found it odd that he would let his workspace fall into such a state of disarray.

"What did he say to you? It's an absolute miracle that he said anything to anyone."

"He wants to know when he can leave."

Doctor Carpenter froze midway through shuffling a stack of papers. He gave Susan a puzzled look, not really knowing what to say at first.

"He wants to go home?"

"Yes, sir. He says he doesn't like it here and that he just wants to go home."

Doctor Carpenter stood up and let out a big sigh.

"Well, this is great. It's the first time he's spoken a word since he's been here, and he doesn't remember a bit of what he's done. He's acting like he's here for some unknown reason and that he can return home and life will be normal."

"Doctor, why exactly is John here? He's the only patient I've seen come into this hospital where I wasn't allowed to see his records. What is it that you're not telling me?"

The man didn't say a word. He only motioned for Susan to take a seat in the chair in front of his desk. She did so and waited patiently for him to begin.

"John is here because he was a member of an expedition team in the Antarctic. Something happened, and he, along with two others, had to be rescued from a radar station miles from their camp. When the rescue team found them, John had been tied up and kept in a closet. The other two that were rescued told me that he had tried to kill them. I first approached this as being a case of Cabin Fever. Granted, that would make this the most severe case I've seen, but I really have nothing else to call his condition."

Doctor Carpenter reached for a binder on his desk, picking it up and handing it to Susan. She took it and opened it to begin reading. As she looked over the first couple of pages, Doctor Carpenter leaned against his desk and remained silent. After a few minutes, Susan looked at him with a questioning look on her face.

"It's his journal… Where did you get this?"

"Those pages were taken from his laptop. One of the two people who were rescued along with him told us that he had been updating it while they were there. I had a feeling that it would contain some information as to what happened at that camp, but I wasn't expecting what I read."

Susan flipped around more, looking over the pages for any detail that might stand out to her.

"What did you read in here that was so shocking?"

Doctor Carpenter hesitated at first, not wanting to tell her the truth. He soon gave up and grabbed a folder off his desk. The front had writing on it, but it looked rushed an illegible.

"I'm just warning you that whatever pictures are in that folder are extremely graphic."

After a short pause, Susan opened the folder and immediately placed a hand over her mouth to stop a gasp from escaping. One by one, she flipped through the images. A few times, she had to stop herself from vomiting on the floor of the office.

"Where the hell did you find these pictures?"

"They were given to me by the rescue team that returned to the base camp. Anyone who had been left there was found dead in the snow outside. When I first read John's journal, I didn't want to believe anything that he wrote. He talked about something they called The Shape. According to his writing, it's a physical manifestation of a person's wrongdoings. This thing tormented them there, driving some of them to suicide and complete madness."

"When I finished reading his journal, I thought that it was nothing more than the senseless ramblings of a madman. After looking over those pictures, I'm starting to think that what he was writing may have some truth to it. Those people out in the snow were killed by some nonhuman force. One of them was torn in half as if his legs and arms had been tied to two trucks and ripped apart. Another one had his skull crushed in. The rest were found at different distances away from the camp. If John's story holds true, then I theorize that these people escaped the camp while The Shape attacked others. Although they failed to survive, it sounds to me like freezing to death isn't nearly as bad as the way others perished."

Doctor Carpenter paused. He stared out the window to his office, watching the leaves fall. After a moment of the two of them sitting in silence, he stood up and walked over to the door. Unlocking and opening it, he motioned for Susan to follow him outside. The two of them exited his office and walked down the hallway. As they walked, Susan glanced in the small windows of passing doors. Sometimes there would be a face watching them from the other side and glass, and sometimes there was nothing.

The two of them reached the door to John's room. Doctor Carpenter looked inside, studying the man he had been getting to know all too well over the past couple of weeks.

"Whether or not the entries in his journal are true, I have pity for that man. One part of me is saying that he made it all up. The other part says that he experienced something that no person should ever have to go through."

As the two of them observed John sitting in his corner, Susan noticed that he was muttering something. She was unable to hear him through the door and pulled the keys from her waist to unlock it. She turned the key and swung the door open. The two of them slowly stepped into the room, making sure not to startle him. Doctor Carpenter stepped closer to John, unable to hear what he was muttering from a distance.

"Susan told me that you said something to her, John. Would you like to share that with me?"

John stopped moving his lips and immediately turned to face Doctor Carpenter. At first, the man remained silent, but he soon began to move his lips once more. Whatever he was muttering, it was at such a low volume that none of them were able to hear it.

"You're going to have to speak up for me John. Will you please do that for me? Remember that I'm here to help you."

Doctor Carpenter pressed a button on the digital recorder in his pocket. He was about to make a breakthrough with the most unique patient he had ever seen and wanted to document every moment of it. He watched as John stumbled over his words for a second, and finally corrected himself.

"Can you please close the door?"

This was not what Doctor Carpenter had been expecting, but he wasn't going to complain. Every word out of his mouth was a step towards progress.

"Sure, I don't see why not. Is it letting in a draft?"

John lifted a trembling hand and pointed towards the open doorway.

"The Shape is standing outside. It's best that you don't let it in."

Credit: StarlessandBibleBlack (Creepypasta Wiki • YouTube)