Delusional

Number 22

The room was pitch black. I could hear the shuffling of my friends feet. I still had Number 1's arm wrapped around my shoulder. "Everyone stay close."

"What exactly is your fear?" Daniel asked.

"I have a few, but, as of now, I'm certain what it is."

"Just answer the question. Anthony where are you?" Evelyn said.

"Here! What happened?"

"My father."

"Just your father, that's normal, everyone is scared of their dad." Daniel said.

"No, you don't understand. My fear isn't my father, I'm saying I see my father. Which is why I need you to stay close."

I could see him at the top of the invisible stairs. I knew where we were now. "We're in the basement."

"The basement of what?" Evelyn whispered.

"My old house."

The light began to seep down the wood stairs. I could see the outlines of the walls. It all looked like cardboard.

"Alright then, what are we supposed to be doing in something like this. In all the others it was so explanatory in what we were supposed to do, other than the last one." Dani asked.

"I don't know, this feels odd."

"Of course it does, it's your fear." Evelyn said.

"No, not like a scary odd, like..." I pulled away from Number 1, and walked up the stairs. I heard them call call out to me, but I continued. I reached the top, what I had thought had been true, he wasn't real, he was a fold up poster board. I poked him and he fell over. Then they climbed up the stairs and stood behind me.

"What just happened?" Daniel asked.

"Keep close." I said, stepping over the cut out.

"Don't get cocky Alex. Keep your head." Tony said.

"I know that, I thought I was doing a pretty good job at it."

"You are." Evelyn said.

"Then stay close, because you don't want to be alone in this mess."

"What mess? There's literally nothing here, except for a blank space." Daniel said.

We were in a dark room. There was a light fog surrounding the floor. I turned around and the door had disappeared, there was no turning back.

"This is the mess."

Evelyn grabbed my arm and spun me around, "Tell us what your fear is, now!"

"Myself."

"What?" Anthony asked, holding Number 1 up.

"You fear, yourself? Are you kidding?" Daniel asked.

"No, I fear myself, my past, I fear fear." We stood in silence for a few moments, "That's why I need you all to stay close, because I know what's in here. I'm sure that at first it'll be my past, because of my dad that you just saw. I see him as a big horrible giant you beats you down. So beware of him."

"Now I'm getting freaked out." Evelyn said.

"You have a reason to be, but I get the feeling that you're not telling us everything we need to know." Anthony said.

"That's because I don't like talking about it, besides, I get the feeling you're about to find out." Scanning the room, I see the outline of my old kitchen. If this really is my old house, then the hallway leading to my room should be over there. I head toward where I believe he hallway should be. The fog moves around me as I maneuver through the darkness. They follow close behind me.