The Macabre Diaries

The Dull Light.

The dull light appeared at the end of the prolonged corridor, perhaps it was a way out. She was running out of time, and not only was that blatantly clear to her, but she knew what would happen if she didn't find a way out. Her hands grazed along the walls, noting any small peculiarity in the cracked brick foundation, which appeared to be impossible. The corridor lead on for what seemed like miles, and the distant echo of the clock chiming was her only way to keep track of how long she had been there. It had been about a day since she had seemingly vanished from her bedroom. She had wondered how such a place could even exist; only a straight pathway with a light at the end was visible.
Her hand slipped as she lost balance, her legs could no longer support her weight, but everyday she felt it coming closer. She didn't know what it was, but she could swear that out of the black abyss she could hear a faint breathing and a pair of footsteps. She sometimes thought she heard voices, but she could never make out what they were discussing. No matter what she did, no matter how fast she ran, she knew she would never be liberated. If she stopped, so would the matching footsteps, but the breathing continued right behind her. The girl would collapse from exhaustion if she didn't stop, but she knew if she did the disembodied breathing would catch up with her. She came to a halt as she slammed onto her hands and knees, slowly regaining her strength and sitting up against the wall. She peered down the corridor at the dull light, which she had decided to name it.
The dull light had been teasing her relentlessly since she had first arrived. It had an orange hue and signified an exit, a way of escaping this trap; her only source of light. Sometimes she swore she saw a shadow flash in front of the light, but she knew that was impossible, right? She concluded it must be from exhaustion, but she wasn't so sure. If something was trailing behind her nonstop, maybe it was possible there was more beings with her. Shuddering at the thought, she slowly climbed back onto her aching feet as she gripped the brick wall for support. As she lifted herself off the ground, her fingers fell upon a smooth surface. She ran her fingers across the cold surface, slightly tapping on it with her index finger. It had to have been a mirror, if it was a window she could've seen some sort of light or anything. She pondered why on Earth a mirror would suddenly appear in this barren structure. She glanced to her sides. On the left, the dull light remained glowing as usual. To her left, however, she noticed something strange this time. In an instant she smashed the mirror, blood dripping from the side of her fist. She grabbed the biggest shard of glass she could find, which was no bigger than a small kitchen knife. Wincing from the pain, she held out the fragment in front of her. The footsteps were still following her even though she had stopped. Then she heard it. The faint breathing had returned, this time it was very prominent.. She knew her time was up. Almost instantaneously, the figure screeched as she sprinted down the hallway.
Her footsteps echoed as she flew down the hallway at full speed, holding out one hand expecting to run into something. There was a new type of fear in her now that she knew she wasn't hallucinating. She swung her head around in curiosity, catching a glimpse of a large, lanky figure standing as tall as the ceiling, slightly hunched over to avoid hitting it. She let out a gasp as she turned around only to notice the light was much closer than before. She kept at a steady pace and focused on her breathing, not wanting to lose breath. The figure's breathing became increasingly harder and more vicious. She knew it had the intent to kill her as soon as he got the chance. Tears flooded down her cheeks as she feared death, but that didn't stop her. The light was right in front of her, she could almost touch it now. She didn't know what the light exactly was, but it filled the entire corridor. The light was vibrantly orange and radiated warmth she longed for; the voices growing louder. She knew it was her only chance. The creature's jaw unhinged as he launched himself at her, slamming her into the brick wall. Her head struck the surface and she held out the glass shard she had procured earlier. The creature had grown in size as her fear became more prominent. She stared at the grotesque creature in its eyes as it revealed needle-like teeth protruding from his unhinged jaw. She thrashed violently as the creature had her in his grasp, his long arms wrapped around him. She used her last bit of strength to free her arm and punched the creature in the eye, dropping her to the floor. The warmth filled her with an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time: happiness. She stood to her feet and leapt into the light.
Her eyes flashed open to reveal an IV sticking in her left arm. She sat up quickly, her heart monitor beeping as she panicked. A nurse came into the room, settling her down with a glass of water. The ventilator beside her teased her as the air pumping sounded as if someone was breathing right next to her. The nurse gently placed a hand on her shoulder, "We almost lost you there." Her heels tapped on the tile as she walked out of the room, mocking the echoing footsteps of the creature. She exhaled as she laid her head back down, promising to keep fighting for her life.