Background Shadows

Chapter 9

TW:

There are minimal mentions of blood and a reference to a deceased individual

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  I gasped.

I didn't know what I expected, but it sure wasn't that. From the dim light, I could make out strange symbols, shortly followed by numbers that were carved into the metal wall.

M&ai£&@n b&%ui%l<u>d",in*^g</u> <s>do</s><span style="color:red;">or</span>:

64292321

 The wall was also covered in some red material that looked like blood. The overall scenery looked painfully horrible, from the bleeding walls to the rusted ceiling.

 
But then I noticed something else too. Something that made my blood run cold, something that made me catch my breath. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed someone's lower torso. Their long legs were covered in specks of dry, old blood. My hands shaking all over again as I tried to calm myself. I inched closer cautiously; slowly, I could make out the rest of the corpse. The small specks of blood were now disgustingly large spots. They covered the person's clothes and body like it was its second skin.

My head started spinning, and I started hyperventilating. This was terrifying. Is this my future?
Pieces started flowing together. Was he the one who carved the message? Is it a way to escape? I had to find out.

 The phone I had was monitored, so I couldn't take a picture of it. The wheels started turning in my head, and I started looking for any sort of paper or stone. After exploring the territory and searching the body, I found the materials in a satchel that I didn't notice at first. I took the whole bag because I figured it might help me later on. And after all that, I started planning my departure. It was already nine o'clock at night, so I had to plan my escape perfectly; I wouldn't want to end up dead too. I gulped, biting the inside of my cheek.

I went back through the ladder slowly, without making any sound, trying to find any button or leather to open the trap door.

Every second felt like an hour, and my hand started to sweat from the stress. My eyesight was blurry, but I pushed on and on.

 
And then-
I bumped really hard into the metallic ceiling, and the force almost made me fall into that small pit of hell. But I held on tightly. And that's when I noticed the leather. It was like the small key to heaven, which was ironic as it was, I was opening the doorway to yet another hell.

Reality.