You came, you called

She moved towards the boy's old portrait while audibly inhaling. "Who is he?" She needed to think more about them.

Her mind was more active than ever. She found herself lost in thought, exploring new ideas and possibilities. The world around her seemed to move at a snail's pace, giving her ample time to ponder and reflect.

"Is it connected? ...Am I connected with all of this?" Her eyes narrowed at the portraits before her and the thoughts that were coming to her brain. She couldn't help but search for answers.

She wondered if there was a way to quiet her mind and find inner peace. Perhaps meditation or therapy could help her find the answers she was looking for.

"If someone brought me here. It means they want me to find the truth?" Lauren claimed, realizing as she turned towards another hallway. It was completely dark; there was no light. It sent something inside her that she couldn't describe in words, she wanted to go but also don't.

The truth behind this hallway will lead her somewhere she didn't want to go or know about. But she didn't understand it much, so she made her way through the hallway of this other building. She had no idea where she was heading.

Suddenly, her mind was clear. She had to get out of this place now. There was real danger here, not just fantasy. Something was out there—something evil, something that wanted her. And she was all alone.

Something moved in the shadows.

Lauren startled and her scream froze in her throat. Her muscles were frozen, too, held motionless by her terror and by some nameless force. Helplessly, she watched as the shape in the darkness moved out of the shadows.

It seemed almost as if the darkness itself had come to life and was coalescing as she watched, but what Lauren saw was unexpected.

Unexpected and terrifying for her sight. There was a limb of an animal, and something was sitting there, eating it slowly and meticulously.

It might have noticed her presence because it turned towards her. All the colours faded from Lauren's face; her once smooth skin turned pale as she kept her gaze towards it.

Didn't try to run.

Didn't try to cry.

Didn't try to shout.

She stood still there as if all energy had been sucked from her whole system.

Lauren never knew that coming out of the room would be the worst decision ever. Something she couldn't describe staring at her while she did the same. They both stood still and didn't try to do anything.

Every fibre of her being seemed to come unwound; her hair stood up, her eye sockets seemed to be expanding, and her eyeballs were contracting as if her head were trying to turn into a skull. Every inch of Lauren's skin broke out in gooseflesh; something was in here with her, something dead.

That's it.

Lauren lost every ounce of energy in herself; her knees started giving up, and her whole body shivered in terror.

"Oh, no." She kept repeating these words in a whisper and was shocked.

"W-What is that?"

If Lauren searched for danger in the dictionary, the image would be front and centre, along with a red warning stamp.

She would not say that, though. She didn't even say anything as her brain raced to figure out a way out of this terrifying situation.

Part of her thought she must be dreaming because this felt like a scene out of every fantasy movie, where a monster suddenly came out of nowhere and scared the shite out of the person.

But yeah, whoever it was and whatever it called itself. Lauren was sure that if she didn't try to run. She would be next laying with that flesh, human or animal - not clear yet.

'Was it the same I encountered on my first day? she thought. It didn't look like it was because it didn't have horns or anything related to its appearance. She couldn't say this because she hadn't taken a good look at it, but somehow what she witnessed there and here was totally different.

Furthermore, this was real life, not the movie or novel. And Lauren had no delusions that she was being pranked here or anywhere else. She wanted to yell, but right now it felt like the sound that she used to convey and the voice were nowhere in her.

So, she knew this couldn't end like this; she would not keep standing and staring at it. She wouldn't wait until it heads toward her and eats her alive.

No, she will not.

Lauren was in a position where she could beg to differ with her senses and eyes because she was collecting all the energy that was left in her.

Mustering her remaining courage, Lauren took one step, two, and then she ran for her life. She ran while thinking that if she stopped, she wouldn't see tomorrow's scorching sun.

The pounding of hearts had stopped as if it had been ineffective, and there was now a quick movement up and down the hallway, like an animal pacing back and forth with unbelievable impatience while keeping an eye on one door after another in case there was activity inside.

While she breathed, Lauren remembered a little babbling murmur of her own: Am I doing it? Is that me? I am not a psycho! She quickly questioned and answered herself too. She overheard her being mocked by the tiny laughter outside the door but didn't turn to take a look.

Lauren questioned both herself and what she was seeing at this point. Any horror story must be like this. And usually, the mysterious characters respond as strange things occur. The response would be stronger in stranger circumstances, so most of us would also question our sanity in ominous situations like this.

Lauren whirled around, adrenaline pumping, and made a break for the stairs. Panic raced through her, and she reached out, trying to go back from where she came.

The monster's eyes gleamed fiercely, unblinking, and yellowish saliva dribbled down from a corner of its mouth to its chin. Its big lips stretched taut into a feral grin of bow-mouthed mockery. This appearance engraves itself in Lauren's mind.

"What the hell is that?!"

'Am I nearly out of breath? she asked herself. 'Is going back to my room supposed to be the only solution to this situation? Is it true that everything happening at this moment, at this hour, would be deemed a dream if I slammed 'that' out?

While she searched for clues as to what might be hiding in the darkness at the end of the hall, panic persisted. She lost all senses due to the overwhelming smell of blood that pervaded the area.

Finally spotting a secluded space, she hid and covered herself. Lauren tried her best to calm herself down by thinking that what she stared at was a mere shadow. However, Lauren could still smell the stench of something vile — the stink of something dead but alive.

However, she knew. It was not the time to play hide and seek or any other game at this moment. Something creaked, making her lose her last serene heartbeat of hers.

Oh, God.

"Elliott..." She murmured the name that suddenly came to her mind, which surprised her too. Tears flow more freely and are batted around to keep themselves safe. She remembered how he saved her that day and was hoping from somewhere he would come... "Please come."

Run!

Her lungs were overworked, her stomach still threatening to betray her, and she was gasping, her hands shaking hard as she tried to stand. Lauren spun around, the hall moving more quickly than she did, and she saw only flashes of pink, flashes of purple.

But before she could make her way up the stairs, someone hugged her from behind.

Lauren, in fear that this must be it, screamed and frantically shook herself away from the tight grip she was in.

Monster! Monster!

"No! Let go!"

"Calm down, Lorrie."

A familiar baritone voice spoke and covered her bawling eyes. Lauren cried even more when she felt the arms of a human and not of some monster. She knew she wasn't in a position to turn around, so all she could do was grip that person's arms and weep. Letting her whole weight rest on his arms.

"I got you."

She heard a soothing voice and felt a small soft pat on her head. Then he held her more tightly in his arms. Lauren would be fooled if she still wanted to turn around and check who was holding her because she knew exactly who this person was.

The scent of his cologne and the warmth of his embrace were familiar to her. She closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh, feeling safe and loved in his arms.

"You came," Lauren said in a whisper, almost relieved.

"You called."

That person patted her hair gently, repeatedly, while hushing her with a soothing voice. Lauren, who was still trembling, seemed to calm down. Swiftly, she fainted, making him hold her more tightly in his arms.

"I'm here now."