As if I had gone up from the long slumber, my eyelids were heavy when I opened my own two eyes. When I tried to move my arm, It was heavy enough that I almost grit my teeth to even lift it. Perhaps, I haven't eaten yet which is the cause of lack of energy.
Wait, eat? Come to think of it, when was the last time I ate something? More importantly, I didn't remember what I was even eating at that time. But I decided to cast that topic aside when I saw where exactly am I right now.
"Where am I?"
It was the place I didn't recognize. All the building seems to be abandoned from all the cracks from it. I didn't hear anything for a moment, not a single thing. When I looked around me, I realized that I was leaning on the red, fire hydrant all along.
"Hello?! Anyone there?!" I shout for the response of anyone, but who's 'anyone'? Uhh... My head hurts... Come to think of it, I didn't remember my name, my age, my past, and how I even got here. As I tried to remember something, I kept getting a headache. Ah... Why does it hurt so much?!
"Okay, for now... I remember the terrace building in front and my back. And there's the road just right in front of me too. But the road seems to be damaged a lot, too damaged for any vehicle to use this road. Wait, what is a vehicle again?
Ah! I'm having a headache again. Was the vehicle part of my common sense? Actually, what even is a vehicle? Why does that 'unknown' word come to my mind? Yeah, if I think of it then… I suddenly remember it. Not knowing where I am, I then decide to roam the unknown place.
But, who knows if that choice is going to be my biggest regret in my entire life. For me who can't even remember my name and my age. But as I look into the broken piece of glass on the ground, I can actually see myself on it. Black hair, with black shirt and long sleeve. And also the white jeans as I looked down.
When I look at myself, I must say that my height is short. My age... is probably that of a teen. And again, that's probably the first time I've seen my appearance because I never remember anything before I woke up in front of that fire hydrant.
...
It's a silent atmosphere, and I'm hungry. I've walked long enough, but I don't know what am I supposed to be searching... Food, Yeah! And water! I remember it now. As more of the common sense has entered my memory, I began to search for food and the source of water.
But the luck wasn't in my favor, it took more of my energy the longer I walked in the roadside. A long time passed, and my body and sanity were about to collapse. But then a sound of water droplets echoed within my ears. The sound itself made me take my attention towards it.
*Plink...*
Once again, the sound of droplets has gained my interest as I look at the source of the sound. It seems the sounds were coming from inside that building. Which is among the terrace building. The glass on the window seems to be run down. And also there's no door here. Like any other building, it's either broken or there were no doors on them. Just what is happening here?
The sight of darkness prevents my body from going any further, but it's not like I have any choice to begin with. Lack of food and water is putting my decision on the edge. In the short term, I can't think clearly. In the end, I gulped my saliva as I entered the building.
…
Urgh, it's like a maze here. The droplet's sound became louder, but the obstacle was in my way. It's too dark to see anything, but I can confirm that I could hear it beyond this wall. I tried to punch it, it seems like it was made of stone or concrete. Shit, my hand is hurt… At this rate, I didn't have a choice but to die of thirst, that's what one part of my body was screaming at the moment.
I say that, but one part of me decides to cling onto the hope, and trying to find a way towards the sound of droplets.
…
Half an hour? Maybe one hour? Maybe even longer than that, I still haven't found a way towards the sound of the droplets. Is my ears playing tricks with me? But it's no lie that I could've heard it, that's one part of me thought. As I was on the edge of raging, my legs stubble upon the stairs.
"A stairs? Right, I nearly forget about stairs…" Forget? Come to think of it, why does the word 'stairs' just come into my mind the moment I stumble upon it. I mean, it's not like I can't see the 'stairs' inside of this darkness. Hell, I somehow acknowledge what it even looks like the moment I remember the word 'stairs'.
Somehow, one way or another the word 'stairs' comes along with the word 'Floor'. I immediately thought that I could have gotten to the second floor if I went up the stairs. Goddamnit, why can't I remember anything… Ouch! Once again the harder I think the hurt my headache is!
In the darkness, I can feel myself getting up each step I take on the stairs. At the same time, once I acknowledge it, I feel like I just learned a new thing… New thing? No, of course, I've learned about this a long time ago! But again, I don't remember where I learned about it…
…
I finally reached the second floor, which is the top floor of this building. At that moment, I thanked god the moment I caught a glimpse of the light beyond the door. I hurriedly went to open the door, and in my eyes, there it was… It was a glimpse of the heaven! That's what my brain was thinking at that moment. It was the drop of the water on the small puddle you usually saw at the side of the road. And again, the puddle on the side of the road suddenly comes into my mind. But hell if I cared it as I went to my knee in the small puddle. I haven't said anything about it, but there are also lights emanating from above towards the puddle. But my mind didn't care about the lights since my mind was locked on my only source of water.
I took the water from the puddle with the palm of my hand. The water felt warm, but I couldn't care less as I drank it gluttonously. But then the realization comes to my mind.
"This isn't the taste of the water…" By some force of curiosity, I decided to look up. And the moment I do that, the light is gone. And I was again surrounded by darkness.
…
"A-AAARRRGGHH!!!" I screamed as I opened my eyes. I don't know why, but it does take a while to recompose myself. I realized that there were tears in my eyes, but why? The moment I felt it, it looked like I had just gone through something unimaginable. But I still remember what happened before that as I stood up.
"T-This place…" It was no doubt, this was the very same place that I woken up hours ago. The terrace building in front and my back. And also the fire hydrant that I was leaning on before I woke up. And again, I don't know how I ended up here…
I decided to reconcile, thinking about how I ended up here. First, I've seen a puddle, and then I didn't remember anything after that. After a while, I decided to put this topic aside thinking it was just a dream.
"Hmm… The most important thing I'll need to get is… Yes! Food and drinks! A place to sleep, and also bath! Huh? My mind was suddenly struck by the small puddle I'd found before I woke up here.
"Right, if my memory is right, the puddle is on that way-" I take a step towards the path I used earlier. And suddenly, my body is trembling and shivering for no reason. I thought to myself…
(Eh, why can't I move? I don't know about this, but something tells me that my body won't take any step forward… Why? What's the reason for that? What exactly is waiting for me on that path?)
At the same time, I unconsciously gulped my saliva. And then I just realized that I was sweating hard. I hadn't realized this but my body was screaming, screaming to not go towards that path.
"L-let's explore the other way first…" I smiled vividly and nervously at the same time, as I went the opposite path from the first path I went to…
…
I don't know why I did that, I mean… I already know that there's a source of water there. But again, my mind might be playing tricks with me. Who knows, it might be a dream after all. As I thought that, I laughed nervously.
…
I walked for over 10 minutes, yet I couldn't find anything that could be food or drinks. And then, my stomach was grumbling out of hunger. The thirst also was getting to me, if I don't find either of these soon I might as well die a dog death, not accomplishing anything.
"T-That's right… It took a week for a human to die of hunger and 3 days from thirst. I still have time to search for them if I look hard enough. Yes, don't give up,..." Yes, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna shout my name there. Fuck me…
"Hmm?" As I went to the corner, I couldn't believe my eyes on what I was seeing. My body was trembling as I walked forward, but I gained enough courage and decided to see it up front.
Step after step, I walked closely towards 'it'. My eyes were locked on it and I didn't realize that my shoes had stepped onto the red puddle.
"W-What is this…" I stopped once I got the close view. The plank, the barbed wire that is blocking the road, from left to right. But what made me scared was the red liquid, which came from the corpse that was hanging on the barbed wire. Lot… Lots of them…
"H-How could this happened…" I noticed the blood was dripping from the corpse, and then I asked myself. When did they die? What killed them? And what happened that led the corpse to group themself together like this?
And also, what am I doing standing here like a tree?! If I happen to stand here any longer, who knows I might end up like those corpses hanging there!
"I-I need to head back…" Little did I know, I just realized that I was standing on the corpse. The corpse's face shows that he also went through something horrific, and thus, I lose balance as I trip on the blood puddle that I just realized I stepped on. As I saw it, I noticed that I had gone too close to the mountain of corpses.
As a consequence, as I fell on my butt, I was surrounded by a corpse that had met the same fate as the others. It took me not long before I instinctively raised my voice, the voice which has led to that 'thing' taking interest in my voice.
"A-Aaa-Aa-Aaaaaaaa…" I help back my voice as I can, to the point that I almost pass out from the stress. But my body wasn't listening to me, which led to me screaming my lungs out.
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" After I let that scream go out loud, I finally regained my composure. But it looked like I was too late to flee from that place. I've seen it, among the countless corpses that form as the mountain, I noticed the giant eyes that's been watching me among the gaps of the corpse. He's watching me, with the piercing gaze that could kill me any second.
I was trembling with fear as I stared back into the eyes. My whole body was trembling, but yet, I tried to find a way to run away, before that 'thing' chased after me. At the corner of my eyes, I noticed the dark alleyway right beside me. If I'm gonna ask my past self, I don't know why I'm taking that alleyway. Instinctively, I got up from the puddle of blood, stepped over the corpse, and ran into the alleyway.
I ran as hard as I could. And from my ears, It was no mistake that 'thing' chases me into this dark alleyway. I didn't have the courage to look behind so I sprinted forward as hard as I could. I grit my teeth and grip my fist as hard as I can as I run inside the alley.
Turn after turn, I still could hear it chasing me, I thought to myself, if this drags on any longer, my fate may lie not far different from those corpses I'd found earlier. But then, a hope reached to me… The door opened inside the alleyway, and then a hand reached out to me as they said…
"Here, young one…" I take no hesitation to reach for those hands. Thanks to her, I managed to lose my tail against that 'thing'. She closed the door, preventing that 'thing' from reaching us. Truly, I'm glad… If I'd known about it sooner… If only…
"T-Thanks… You've saved my life…" I take a good look at my savior, it seems she's an older lady. Maybe even older, thus I called her 'Granny'.
"Oh, it was nothing young one… Regardless of that, why don't you eat something? You must be hungry, aren't you?" The Granny put the basket full of cookies on the table. I look the cookie in awe and didn't hesitate to take one for myself.
"T-Thanks you so much…" The cookie also comes with a cup of tea, which I didn't hesitate to drink because of thirst.
…
The minutes have passed, and thus I have replenished my hunger and thirst. But sadly, my clothes were smeared by the blood. It's shameless to ask granny for a bath, and then I looked in her direction. It seems she's busy doing something on the cabinet. So now, my next priority has changed to my curiosity about the mountain of corpses on the road earlier. Thus I asked the granny a question.
"Umm… If I may ask… Did anyone else live with Granny? What happened to this place by the way? And why are there so many corpses lying around the road?" I'm giving Granny a barrage of questions, to fill my curiosity. Place… Is to referring I don't even know where I am… The granny turned her head with a vicious smile as she answered my question.
"Ah… Granny heard about it, and those 'things' suddenly came and attacked the city. The people are getting killed left and right. Not a soul left after that… Granny lives alone since my grandkids haven't visited Granny anymore… Oh, Granny remembers it now… They were either eaten or became part of themself… To live alongside them until the moment 'that' met its death." The granny was focusing on doing something on the cabinet.
"W-What do you referring to 'themself'? What are they?" The granny suddenly ignored me and went to the other shelf. She opened the shelf and took something that was made of metal. And then I saw a cleaver in her eyes. To be specific, a bloody cleaver. Even though it's dry there's no doubt that there's blood. But again, I'm talking to myself…
(I-It's gonna be fine… Maybe it's blood from the livestock like a cow?)
I kept trying to convince myself that Granny was as nice as she looked. And then as I was thinking, I've come to the realization. And then, out of curiosity, I asked a question…
"Umm… Out of curiosity, when exactly did all of that happen?" The granny slowly turned her head towards me, and as I realized it, she suddenly gave a creepy smile.
"It happened about… 8 Years ago." Once I've got my answer, my suspicion has risen. How could this Granny live by herself over these 8 years? Once my suspicion was proven right, I immediately got up from my chair.
"Granny, NO! What the hell are you…" From the outside perspective, Granny's body may be a bit fat. But then, her body became bigger the moment I opened my mouth. Revealing multiple arms and legs like a spider, the Granny's eyes were met with I. Her face from before was proven more intimidating and scarier than when I first met her.
Her eyes became darker than black, she revealing her sharp red-yellowish teeth, her skin started to rot every second that passed by, and her nails and legs became sharper and harder as they got. The Granny's appearance was so horrific that I wish I had taken my eyes off her.
(Oh god… What did I just walk into…)
Upon seeing Granny's true form, my body started moving instinctively. To get out of what I called a nightmare. That's what I wished until my face was flattened on the floor as I fell. At that time, my mind questioned my body's stupid decision, why did you have to stumble at this time?!
The answer didn't come to me, but the fact that my body stopped moving completely.
"Oooh~ It appears that the drink is kicking in…" When she talked about the drink, I came to an understanding completely. It was the tea I drank before. But not only that, I've come to vomit blood on the floor.
"Ah~ It looks like the cookie is also kicking in too…" She also poisoned the cookie? At this moment, my fate was sealed the moment Granny walked towards the defenseless me.
N-No! Don't come any closer! I wanna scream out loud, thinking there's gonna be any help coming soon. But I couldn't, my voice couldn't leave my mouth. Probably because of the poison in my body.
"Granny has just started to think that Granny was gonna cook something, but sadly, the ingredient ran out a long… Long time ago…" One of the many arms opened the fridge, revealing the bloody flesh which was a leftover for Granny. As she finished her sentences, the Granny held me in places as she tied my arm with a rope, and then she lifted up her cleaver… And chopped my toe. Toe to toe…
It hurts, IT HURTS!!! What are these sensations?!... The feelings on my legs became more and more intense as the granny chopped more parts of my legs. I had difficulty moving because my hand was somehow tied by some kind of rope. It was slimy with a red color and smelled awful, but despite it being slimy, the force that had been tying my arm almost broke my bone it actually hurt.
Swings after swings, chop after chop. The granny has no intention of letting me die. Instead, she keeps chopping my body part from lower, from toe to forefoot bit by bit, towards the knee, until it reaches my upper thigh. And then as both my legs had been chopped off, Granny's eyes were locked on my male genitalia.
I who was still in pain from my legs was being chopped. Can feel the child down my spine as I saw the Granny's eerie smile on my pupils.
"No... Nononono NO!!!" I instinctively cover my crotch with my tied-up hand. But the granny didn't care and instead, raised her arm that was holding the cleave.
"AAAHHHHHH!!!" Even if I tried to protect my crotch, it was no use. She chopped my genitalia along with my hand. I screamed until my lungs were given out. Until that moment, I had no strength to even mutter any word. As time passed, I slowly lost my energy to speak, to move.
But, before I could finally rest, the granny gave me a last immeasurable pain before I died. She chopped my guts, and that's it. At last, my wish to rest in peace came to mind as I was dying even in the most painful way possible.
…
But it wasn't for long. When I realized where I was once again, I was back to my starting point, where I was sitting in front of the fire hydrant. I thought from my common sense because I thought I was gonna be sent to the afterlife.
But it was not what I imagined the afterlife was for. Perhaps, this was the afterlife all along. Where the Heaven and Hell are. And at this very land I was sitting, was perhaps the Hell all along.