Chapter: One
After Mr. Whirlhouse smiled and winked at me, out of nowhere I suddenly got tired and started yawning nonstop. Even if you were to ask me how that was possible, I wouldn't be able to explain it — or even dare risk trying.
You think him opening his umbrella and the rain pouring down heavily the moment he stepped outside was weird? Then you have no idea what weird really is or what it feels like. But rest assured, I'm about to tell you all about it, and I hope you're ready.
If you're one of those people who likes to play detective and solve mysteries, I'm sure you've already figured out that the reason I was feeling so tired and drained — like a child on a sugar rush one second and completely exhausted the next — was caused by the old, wise man himself. So go ahead and reward yourself.
Just after he and my dad stepped out, I felt like the whole house was spinning, or maybe I was trapped in some kind of magical illusion. It felt like the house was getting smaller, and everything my mom and Victoria were trying to say sounded distorted. Their voices were so squeaky it was like they had just inhaled helium.
And that wasn't the only thing happening. Their faces were stretching and changing like I was about to get sucked into a black hole or something. My eyes felt heavier by the second, and I was starting to feel dizzy. It had to be the spinning.
"Mom, I don't feel well. I think I'm going to lie down. Is that okay?" I managed to tell her.
I had no idea what she was doing, where she was, or if she was even near me because of… everything. But I heard her say something — or at least I think I did.
"It's okay, honey. Why don't you go rest? I'm sure the stress of not finding a school is catching up with you," she said. Or I think she did.
"Thanks." I got up from my chair. "See you later, Vic." I reached out and touched something, which I really hope was my little sister.
Have you ever felt like each step you take gets heavier than the last? That was me. Everything felt like it was moving around and out of place. The floor felt wobbly, and I felt like I was climbing a massive mountain under a scorching sun.
I kept trying to find my balance, but it was hard. I kept tripping and stumbling like I was a headless chicken drunk on something.
Everything was blurry. Nothing looked the way it usually did. Blinking only made it worse, and lifting my eyelids felt like lifting bricks.
Obviously — as you've probably guessed — I bumped into everything. Luckily for me, after my… whatever that was… I found my room. But it felt strange and unfamiliar, like it wasn't even mine. Everything had changed. I wouldn't say it wasn't my room, but from the style and decorations, it looked ancient — vintage, like I had stepped into the sixteenth century.
My walls were painted a bluish color with cracks running across them. There were old paraffin lamps, portraits that looked like they watched my every move, and don't even get me started on the bed. I don't know what that thing was, but it wasn't a bed. And then there was the dresser mirror — so old it had fungi around the corners and even a little in the middle.
I took a peek at myself and saw that I was still the same person. Nothing about me had changed — my black curly hair, my green eyes, my healthy skin. The only thing different was my outfit. I wasn't wearing my own clothes anymore.
The clothes I had on looked like a prisoner's uniform — whitish and faded black that almost looked green, all striped. And on my feet? Nothing. I was barefoot. To finish off the look, there was some kind of stitched emblem, all black, with blood-red initials: T.A.
I didn't understand what was happening. Maybe it was the side effects of my screaming headache making me lose my mind, because I kept hearing screams — like people were following me.
I couldn't take any more. Nothing I tried helped. I gritted my teeth, covered my ears — nothing worked.
I even tried screaming, but I don't think a sound came out.
"I just need to lie down." My vision was so bad I had to rely on feeling my way around.
Luckily, since I was close to the bed — or whatever that thing was — I found it and just threw myself onto it.
The bed felt soft and relaxing, which was surprising for something that definitely wasn't a real bed. Within a second I was dozing off, and my headache slowly eased.
I took a deep sigh, and just slept it off.
You think that was the end of it? I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that was actually the beginning of everything. After I shut my eyes, I felt the bed pulling me in… somehow.
Before I tell you what happened next, let me ask you something. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you have no idea how you went from one place to the next without moving an inch? That was me. It was like an unplanned blackout. I "woke up" — or whatever you want to call it — in a completely different location. A place that looked like something straight out of a demented person's mind.
Up ahead was a haunted, brick, Dracula-style castle. It didn't even look like it had electricity — just old chandeliers that held Victorian-style candles. And the creepy part? From a distance, the lights seemed to be moving on their own.
"Where the hell am I?" I couldn't believe my surroundings.
I was completely out of place, that's for sure. Apart from the eerie castle, the weather wasn't comforting either. The clouds clumped together, and the sky was reddish-orange. The sun looked like it had merged with the moon, forming some kind of creepy, sore-eyed creature.
When I looked around, I discovered I wasn't alone. There were other kids just like me — all wearing the same prisoner outfits. But unlike me, they didn't seem out of place. They looked… comfortable. Like they belonged there.
Like I said before, I'm not good with numbers, but we were like an army of ants charging into war against fire ants.
As I was busy looking lost — and like an idiot — thunder roared in the clouds, but it felt like it roared right next to me.
A mysterious figure appeared — and get this — she wasn't alone. There were many of her. Like she had multiplied herself so each one of us was standing in front of a version of her.
She just stared at me. Didn't say a word. Just loomed there, giving me the creeps.
She was strange-looking. She wore a witch's long pointy hat and a black coat shaped like one of those puffed dresses. Her face was really old — really old. She had a mole on her long pointy nose and yellowish rabbit-like teeth poking out.
"What is your name?" she asked.
"Excuse me?" I heard her — though I wish I hadn't.
"What is your name, child?" she asked again.
"Oh, my name? I'm Chain Clear." I introduced myself.
She gave me this long look, like she was deciding whether she should believe me or not. I've been in uncomfortable situations before, but she was in my top three.
"Chain Clear, your entrance exam starts now." After she said that, she poofed into a thousand black moths — and not just for me, but for everyone else too.
"Entrance exam?" I muttered.
Then out of nowhere, I heard a rumbling sound — screaming teenagers. For a second, I thought my headache was back.
"Not again…" I touched my head and looked down.
Only to see the ground shaking and rumbling like an earthquake was about to hit.
Something told me to look behind me — and I'm glad I did. What I saw? A hundred teenagers screaming and running toward me.
Honestly, I had no idea what to do. There was nowhere to hide — I didn't even know where "here" was. Fear washed over me like a furious wave.
I didn't realize there were teens behind me too. I only paid attention to the ones I saw ahead — didn't even think to look back.
"Everybody run!!!" a boy shouted.
A riot broke out instantly. Teenagers scattered like lambs without a shepherd.
It was chaos. I wanted to run too, but I couldn't — I was one of the unlucky ones shoved and pushed around. If what happened next hadn't occurred, I'd be mush right now.
I got shoved again and again. I fell to the ground, and since I'm a scaredy-cat, I curled into a ball — if that's even the right term. I was terrified.
I covered my head — the first thing that came to mind. I became a human mat for the running teens. Most didn't bother jumping over me — they just stepped on me.
That was one intense stampede.
I waited for it to slow down — that was my only plan — but with all those feet, it didn't seem possible. More and more were coming.
"Oh my god, just get up already!" a girl shouted as she helped me up. Then she ran ahead.
"Thanks…" was all I managed. I was stupid enough not to run.
So, I'm sure you can guess what happened. I got shoved again. But before I could fall, the girl stopped, turned around, and looked at me — clearly judging my life choices.
She took a deep breath, unable to believe how stupid one guy could be. She had just helped me up, and here I was again, standing in the danger zone, helpless.
"For God's sake, come on!" she yelled. She grabbed my hand, and suddenly we were running together.
She must've turned around while I wasn't paying attention — probably because I was too busy trying not to die. She was fast — incredibly fast — and for someone dragging dead weight, she was doing impressively well.
She knew exactly which paths to take and how to take them. She wasn't even looking at me — she was fully focused on surviving. And yet, she didn't let go of my hand.
"Where are we going?" I asked while struggling to keep up.
The stampede didn't let up, even while we were running. Sure, she dodged people easily, but the deeper we went, the more intense it got.
"Just shut up and keep pushing and shoving everyone coming toward you!" she shouted without looking back.
Before you get any ideas — I wasn't shoving people because I was suddenly taken with her or anything. I did it for survival. That's it.
And in case you're wondering — yes, we were heading straight for the creepy haunted castle.
I didn't look back. I knew if I did, I'd slow us down.
After running for our lives and barely surviving the stampede — despite my not-so-gentle shoving — we made it to the castle. The door opened by itself… and welcomed us inside.