Chapter Text
An absence of light dabbles his vision. Inky darkness envelopes his every being, incinerating the skin pasting his body, like acid, yet it almost feels endearing.
Are his eyes open or closed? Is that voice real, or is it just his thoughts? Is he even anywhere right now? And yet he feels like he's everywhere.
He can hear his own muffled, terrified breath, wheezing and pausing tiredly. His chest felt soft, fragile. It felt like he was floating. How he often wishes to void his own thoughts, and calm. Like meditation. Yet this wasn't meditation.
He could feel spikes in the back of his skull, stabbing his head. It was almost agonising. He felt shivers, yet didn't feel the bother to move.
His body felt numb, tired, and yet he embraced it. All the energy draining out of him. He felt like he was sinking, and no matter how hard he tried, he was too afraid to open his eyes. Or were they glued shut?
He could feel the taste of iron on the tip of his tongue. Yet begs the question, his or not? Had he suddenly lost all his senses? No, surely not, he can still taste. What can he taste? He can only assume it's blood, the strong tangs enveloping his only method of the outside world.
It all felt like a dream to him, one he did not wish to escape.
But why?
Was it the eery calmness that came with the feeling of pain, tiredness? Was he so drained, he wished not to move a muscle? He could feel his lungs filling up, the iron washing away from his mouth. A familiar, yet unreal taste and texture. One he recognised and yet didn't. He couldn't decipher what it was he was tasting. He couldn't pinpoint it.
And yet he knew he could hardly breathe no longer. He had to do something. He could feel the dizziness get to him.
He tried his best, mustering all the energy he could, trying to bring all his emotions and senses back to him. Panic swirled through him, feeling everything sway around him, something he did not understand was possible.
He slowly opened his glassy, blurry eyes. Finally, light hit them. The rays blinding him for a moment, as he got himself together. He managed to keep his mouth closed, and as he processed his situation, a surge of bright energy swam through him again.
His eyes widened, trying to bring himself to move, to dash, to dive, and yet couldn't.
He was surrounded by a swampy, cold feeling. He felt like ice, his whole body stiffening and stirring, trying to break free against it.
Water. He was in water. He was sinking in water. He had to get out. He had to move. He had to. He was going to die here. And yet no matter how much energy he tried to persuade to use, he could do nothing.
He could feel conscious fading from his mitts, all his energy draining yet again. He managed to break out a few coughs, watching dark red mixed with dirty green.
He can see distorted faces looking down at him. He can't read their expressions, nor their minds. He couldn't even remember who they were. And yet he felt familiarity.
Who were they?
The water that which capture him swirled, as something - someone - broke it's surface, the splashes and waves from the dive drifting him further down.
A panicked person, reaching a hand out for him to grab, and yet all he could do was pray, pray that whoever it was could save him.
He couldn't move, it was like he was being stabbed, icicles sinking into his skin, cause him to bleed even more, and yet they weren't real.
He was drenched. Drenched in his own blood. Covered in horrid injuries.
And yet so was this stranger, who was going out of his way to help him.
All he had the energy to do was give them a warm smile, to hope they didn't succumb to the cold trenches like he too did. To warm their cold heart.
He'll forever be grateful for them, for trying their best, to save someone they didn't even recognise.
-
And yet he jolted awake.
-
Sam, Colby, Jake and Corey had all been in their respective seats for the past three hours now.
Colby was at the wheel, taking charge and keeping his focused eyes on the road, participating in the banter every now and again, yet taking his job fairly seriously. He'd make sure to only check his phone when in traffic, on whenever he deems safe, so he doesn't accidentally drive them all to their deaths.
Sam took shotgun, sitting with a camera charged to a comfy ninety-six percent on his lap, turning it on whenever he found a chance to have some funny content or talk about anything, keeping his chatter up with the rest of the group, and proposing stupid games like eye-spy or twenty-one, trying to entertain them.
Jake was sat behind Colby in the driver's seat, dubbing himself on snack duty. He and Corey were the ones who would point out rest spots and gas stations whenever they were needed, and were making sure to cause the chaos in the back. Mainly Jake. Of course, he'd be the one drifting in and out of sleep every few minutes, taking this road time to chill.
Corey was the directions, although being sat behind Sam. He'd keep his eyes on his phone and yell out what turns to take and what exits and roundabouts to come off on. He had been the most hesitant to join on this trip, and yet with a little persuading on Sam and Colby's end, he was eventually convinced this could possibly be kind of fun.
What trip is this, may you ask? A road trip!
A paranormal one, at that!
The boys thought it was a good idea to stray from the trap house for a few weeks and get their own sense of adventure. And hey, why not make some content while their out too? So Sam and Colby, after proposing the idea to the other two, dragged them along for the ride. It'll be life-changing!
Imagine all the investigations they'll do, everything they'll complete on their bucket list!
The car pulls up to a screech, and they finally reach their first destination.
They're met with an eery looking building, the architecture radiating a sense of eeriness and fear. A gothic like structure, surrounded by overgrowth and nature, strange for a hotel that's still in use. It seems to have been a church in it's early days, arched, stain glass windows, chiseled, worn bricks, a pointed roof and a handmade, wooden cross, perched at the top to finish it all of.
It seemed fairly small, holding them back a bit as the questioned if it was truly the place they were searching for.
But, the directions prevailed, and they were right. They were at their destination.
There was no car park, first of all, and they were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by wood and hills, casting a shadow onto everything. Another thing, is that there didn't seem to be anybody else nearby. No cars, no people walking in and out, it looked like it wasn't meant to be there. Like it was just some glitch in the matrix.
Sam gave a weary glance to Corey, and softly tapping Colby, indicating he wanted to ask him something.
"Hey, are we sure this is the right place? This place is weird already, we're just surrounded by forest."
Colby kept his eyes glued to his phone, analysing the hotel's notes. "I'm pretty sure it is? Where do we even park..?"
"Just park right here, I'm sure we can ask someone once we go inside."
Colby hummed in response, grabbing the wheel and twisting it so he was just sat across the road to the hotel. He gestured for them to get out of the car and grab the suitcases with them. The four each got out after the other, gathering themselves up and ordering the discord. The beep of the car lock was the only thing that spoke through the tension thick air, scattering responding as small creatures ran off in fear.
It was, almost eerily quiet.
The four of them dragged their luggage behind them, deciphering their surroundings as best as they could. Every angle they looked, everything seemed off putting, and nothing seemed to really sit right. At moments, they could've sworn they felt eyes watching them, or people's hushed murmurs and whispers softly echoing, and yet the entire place was empty.
The windows of the hotel were void, and it seemed to be completely dark in there. Were they sure they got the right place? Was this just an abandoned church?
I mean, I guess it wouldn't hurt to investigate it either way.
They stood at the entrance, feeling the gaze of the building as it seemed to stare back. There was hesitation for a moment, before a shared glance. It was completely empty, they swore. All the lights were turned off, and there wasn't even a hint of activity anywhere.
Jake, one by one, watched the expressions on the other faces. Confusion and bewilderment. He just shrugged at them, and stepped closer to the door. How hard was it? It was just a door to some old, abandoned church.
He knocked once, getting zero response. He knocked twice. Nothing but the breeze whisking at the trees around him. He knocked a third time. Utter silence. After his defeat of politeness, he grabbed the handle and pushed it down with all his might.
The doors were towering, and weighed tonnes, it was almost unnatural. This whole place was unnatural. He swung it open as hard as he could, and was met with an ominous void of darkness. It was pitch black, just leaving him and the rest of the crew even more confused.
"Uhm," He looked back. "Someone pass me a flashlight."
He held his hand out, Corey dropping one of the light into it. He nodded a thanks, twisting it on and shining it through the door. The light went through, yet it was still impossible to see anything in there. It was like the light was useless. It was eery, and there was nothing there. All he could see with the light were concrete floors, walls and ceilings. It was like a massive concrete box.
He poked his head through, almost immediately whipping it back and rubbing his neck. He heard the murmur question from Sam, asking if he was alright, yet he pushed it away, narrowing his eyes at this stupid door. He took a deep breath, stepping through and plunging himself into darkness.
Sam, Corey and Colby are silent for a moment, trying to listen for Jake shuffling around, and ye they receive nothing. They share a worried glance before Sam sighs. "Jake? Jake, is there anything there?"
And he once again receives nothing.
It makes him drop the camera to his side, turning it off.
"Do we follow him?" He mutters.
"Well yeah, duh, we didn't travel three hours for nothing!" Corey exclaimed, dragging Sam in with him, despite a protest.
Colby groans, grabbing the luggage Jake left behind and following them in, the hotel door slamming behind him.