Chapter Text
I felt like I was lost inside a dream. My hands stretched into an inky void that wrapped its cold around me, swallowing every sense I had left. No direction made sense. Up, down—all of it was the same empty dark. The only thing I understood was the sinking twist in my stomach telling me I was falling. Fast.
How did I get here?
I tried to reach for a memory—any memory—but only broken pictures surfaced. Static crackled through my mind with faint whispers buried beneath it. Not a single familiar face. Not a single clear image. I couldn’t remember anything. Pain interrupted the noise—a sharp, burning sting tore at my right side. I pressed my palm against the source and felt a wetness, the edges of a wound. Had I been stabbed? The pressure only made the pain bloom hotter, dragging a gasp from my throat. My body curled inward as I flipped in the darkness, helpless as a falling leaf.
If there was an end waiting, I’d face it head-on.
A tiny speck of light appeared far below, growing brighter by the second. Trees. Walls. A campfire flickering like a heartbeat. For a moment, I wondered if I had died and finally spotted the “light” people talk about. But the world rushed closer—too real, too detailed.
The whispers rose in volume until I could make out layers of voices speaking at once. Shapes formed from the falling blur—small dots that grew into people. The ground rushed toward me.
But the impact never came.
Wake up…
I shot upright and gasped for air. The whispers vanished. A ringing replaced them—shrill and disorienting. My hand flew to the wound on my side, but it was gone. All that remained was a large scar. The clouds that hung above me swirled with mixes of red and orange. A loud, distant crash rang out, disturbing the birds.
People started to emerge from the woods, staring at me and the sky. Everything was still ringing. Their voices sounded like warped melodic tones instead of words. My vision slowly came back to me only to see a fog rolling toward me. It was cool as it wrapped around my ankles and engulfed me entirely. I was now sitting on a log as my breath trembled. The world came back to me as a hand was placed on my shoulder. I jumped up from my spot, seeing the culprit accompanied by two others standing behind me.
Where am I? Who are all these people? The overwhelming feelings finally burst at the seams as tears started to spill from my eyes.
“Hey, hey, I know it’s a lot, but we need you to focus—we’re about to go to a trial,” a person with blonde hair said.
A what? I felt a cool prickle on my ankles before being engulfed in the dark again. The scenery began to rapidly change around me as walls rose from the dirt. I closed my eyes tight, crouching into a little ball as my hands went into my hair. Where am I!? This had to be a sick nightmare or a trip gone wrong. I had no time to even think about what was going on around me.
I felt a hand on my shoulder again and screamed, jumping away—only to fall in the process. It was the blonde guy who had talked to me earlier.
“Hey, it’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Felix,” he said, crouching down and holding out his hand.
I grabbed his hand. What other choice did I have? He helped me up and led me to a huge generator. I recognized it from the stage crew setups. What am I talking about? Felix pointed out how to fix the generators and warned me to watch out for sparks. I started to work on it with him as he explained what was happening. We needed to complete at least five of these generators to power up the exit gates.
It didn’t seem too hard until he started talking about special abilities. I thought he was joking. This had to be some elaborate prank being played on me.
The generator started sparking and I freaked out, trying to connect the wires—and somehow managed to do it successfully. I let out a sigh. Felix continued to talk. I noticed flashes of light coming from somewhere and shrugged it off, assuming it was firelight from the barrel. But then Felix noticed them too. The gen started working as the floodlights turned on brightly and loudly. Felix grabbed my arm and started to run.
“Why are we running?” I asked as we weaved between walls.
“These trials are not easy. We’re being hunted the entire time by thirty-something killers given a second chance to sacrifice us to the Entity.”
I could feel the color draining from my face, fear setting in, the hair on my arms standing up.
“We’ve been marked. Don’t let him hit you—run that way!”
I ran in the direction he pointed and ended up hiding behind a wall. I pressed my back against it as hard as possible and held my breath. I didn’t even know what was hunting us. I heard a yell, looked through the window, and saw Felix on the ground. A man in all black with a cloak stood over him. There were straps suspended in the air—impossible. His face was covered by a white scream mask that was very recognizable. They seemed to be talking before he picked Felix up with ease and walked toward what looked like a hook.
Felix had said something about sacrifice, but I wasn’t sure what he meant. I saw him take Felix from his shoulder and put him on the hook. Felix let out a loud scream before falling limp. I turned around and ran. I knew I’d seen other people—maybe they could help me.
I saw sparks of light from around a wall and ran into a guy who looked like he hadn’t slept in years. He stopped in his tracks.
“Felix needs help! I don’t know what to do!” I said.
He nodded and ran in the direction I had come from.
He didn’t say a word—just ran. What the hell? Is Felix the only one who helps people out around here?
I began surveying my area, looking for anywhere to hide until this nightmare was over. The trees and fog made the woods so dense I couldn’t see anything. I am not a fan of this nightmare and would like to wake up now. Maybe if I pinch myself I can!
I heard a sound from behind me and whipped my head around.
“Who’s there?” I called out.
Oh great—yeah, just ask who’s there after being told you’re being hunted down by a psychopath. I wasn’t about to wait to find out. I took off running until I saw a rundown shack in the distance. I entered and saw the generator I was supposed to complete. However, I figured it would be fine for hiding.
First off, how old is this place? I poked my head out the window one last time to make sure the coast was clear. A hand shot out from below me, catching me by the neck. I froze in fear as a white mask came closer to my face.
“You’re pretty, aren’t you?” The voice came from behind the mask—deep and smooth, one that sent a shiver down my spine. That, or the fact that his hand currently had a tight grip around my neck.
“You have a name?” he tilted his head.
I couldn’t remember it—just like every other memory in existence. I shook my head in disappointment.
“I’ve been watching you, new girl, so let’s make our first time special.”
Excuse me? The way I was taking that was definitely not what he meant. Right? I was staring death in the face. Now was not the time to think about that.
His grip tightened around my neck, pulling me through the window. Pain ripped through my throat as his grip was merciless. He threw me over his shoulder with ease. How was he this strong? I thrashed under his hold, screaming, not sure who to call for—or if anyone would come. I’m going to die not knowing anything about why I’m here or who I am.
“Let go of me!” I yelled, pounding my fist into his back.
“Your wish is my command,” he said.
He grabbed my waist, picking me up. The feeling of flesh ripping and the piercing pain of something sharp impaling my shoulder tore through me. I screamed as my eyes darted toward my shoulder. Indescribable horror rushed through my body. I brought my hand up to the hook, feeling its slippery, blood-coated surface. I looked up at the white mask, and he waved at me before turning on his heel.
No dream could make you feel like this. Maybe this was a coma dream! People live entire lives while unconscious! That had to be it—and when I die here, I’ll wake up in a hospital bed.
A girl with red hair started to run toward me. She picked me up with ease from the hook as one solid pushing pain was replaced with a burning one.
“No! No! Don’t touch me!” I cried, holding my shoulder as blood poured from it in thick globs.
“Let me help you! I’m Meg. I’m not here to hurt you,” she said, holding a first-aid kit in her hand.
I nodded as she got closer and quickly worked on my shoulder. The shock of everything still weighed on me as I stared at my clothes—and the parts they didn’t cover. I was covered in blood. I looked at my hands as the dark color dripped off, dried in some spots. I need this dream to end, and inflicting pain isn’t working. I need to get out of here now.
Meg grabbed my hand, pulling me along to a generator that looked to be halfway done.
“I don’t know if anyone has told you yet, but don’t get hooked more than twice—you’ll die.” She began to work on the generator, cocking her head toward another open space, expecting me to work with her.
“Will I die?” I knelt beside her.
“Yeah, the Entity will take you—but at least you’ll be out of the trial.”
“What if I want to die? I want to wake up from this nightmare.”
Meg snorted. “If only it was that easy.”
Is my own brain telling me I’m stuck here? Meg was just a figment of my subconscious. Right? I remembered Felix talking about the Entity—how it loved to test us and push us to the limit. Was this a game for her? Entertainment, even?
“Meg, I still have some questions.”
“Go ahead and ask. I wish I had help when I arrived.”
I asked where we were and about her. She explained she was among the first to arrive here. She couldn’t remember anything either. Everyone had varying levels of amnesia when they arrived—like me. I didn’t even remember my name. She said there were many different realms where the trials took place. We were currently at the MacMillan Estate, near the coal mine.
“Death is not an escape,” she said seriously, locking eyes with me before glancing at my hands.
Oops—I forgot I was supposed to be helping. What she said chilled every nerve and bone in my body. I wanted to brush it off, but I couldn’t. Dying wasn’t going to save me, was it?
Someone ran toward us—it was the tired guy. He held his side and was covered in blood. He looked terrified.
“I didn’t know you were here. I’m sorry!” his voice cracked as blood spilled from his mouth.
The gen roared to life as the masked man came around the corner, planting his knife in the guy’s back. I froze as he fell to the floor. I needed to run but couldn’t. The masked man looked up at me. He started taking quick strides toward me. He grabbed my arm, pulling me up and turning me around, giving me a shove. Was he not going to kill me?
“Make it fun for me, love. This is our first chase,” I heard in my ear.
Without thinking, I started to sprint as fast as I could. I hid behind a wall as I heard a scream and what sounded like another generator turning on. I saw logs stacked up and decided to keep moving toward them. I could hear the leaves moving behind me. No matter where I ran, I could hear him right behind me. It felt like he was only getting faster.
As I ran, I noticed objects scattered around. Maybe I could slow him down if I threw something in his path! I was about to try when something slammed into my back. Pain exploded, and I collapsed.
I heard him walk over and crouch down behind me.
“See? That was fun, wasn’t it?” His hand snaked around the front of my neck, pulling my chin up. He tilted his head before quickly picking me up.
“No! NO! NO! Please! Not again!” I screamed as he walked toward the hook.
“One more thing, sweetheart—don’t forget to fight back.”
He placed me onto the hook again as I screamed, feeling my shoulder tear apart.
“Fighting, remember?” I heard again.
I snapped my eyes open just in time to see a large, spider-like spike coming toward me. I let go of the hook and grabbed it as its sharp point stabbed me. I stopped it before it could get any further. I was fighting back with strength I didn’t have as I bled out. I was getting cold, and my head felt light. I’m going to die from this thing. I should test it. Maybe if I die, I’ll wake up.
I was ready to let go when I saw the familiar blonde hair appear. I was hyperventilating as I felt the floor under me again. I put my hand to my stomach where the thing had stabbed me. I couldn’t hear again, and my vision dimmed.
A sharp sound cut through the ringing. Hands cupped my face, bringing it up.
“Hey! We’re almost out of here. If you want to just hide, do that—but when you hear a loud buzz, find a giant metal gate,” Felix said.
He dropped his hands and ran in another direction.
He left. He left!
I shakily got up and started moving. How do I do that again? Right foot. Left foot. Rig—Is that someone? Please be a regular person!
My slow movements brought me to some walls. I placed my hand against them and crouched down, letting the tears fall. Loud, erupting sounds and screams echoed around me. I wanted to help—but what could I do?
A loud buzz rang out from the large metal wall next to me as the lights turned on. I looked around, waiting. How do I open it?
“God dammit, you fuck!” I heard from around the wall.
I slowly peeked around it, seeing the masked man standing over Felix, wiping his blade clean.
“Better luck next time, blondie.”
He picked up Felix and threw him onto the hook. Felix let out a loud scream before falling limp. He lifted his head, making eye contact with me, and shook it quickly as I took a step toward him. He began fighting against the spider thing again. Seeing its massive form made me cower. I didn’t know what to do other than watch.
“What are we looking at?” I gasped as I felt the knife in my side. I pushed him away and started to run back toward the gate. I pressed my hand to my side as blood poured out. How do I have this much left?
I saw the metal doors—maybe I could pull them open—but I wasn’t fast enough. Why would I be? I wasn’t a track star.
The next hard blow to my back pushed me forward, and I stumbled and fell. I groped at the fallen leaves and dirt with my scuffed hands. I’m done for. I was covered in blood, dirt, stab wounds—probably a million other things. I tried crawling away, thinking it would save me.
A foot pressed into my back, stopping me.
“I can’t wait to add your photos to my collection.”
His foot pushed harder as he plunged his knife into my back—once, twice, again and again. I stopped feeling the stabbing after the second one. Everything was cold. My body felt weak. It was like I was sinking into the ground. My vision blurred as he picked up my face and raised a camera.
Instinctively, I smiled.
“Such a pretty smile. Do another one for me.”
I heard rustling as the third flash went off. He let my face go, and the darkness and cold fog consumed me.