Jackson was your normal run of the mill office worker. Working nine to five, five days a week. While it may seem boring for most for him, it was fine. He lived alone so it wasn't like he had to worry about anyone waiting for him at home. He was in his mid thirties, handsome, with short clean cut brown hair. Sparkling green eyes and tannish skin from his younger days as a hiker. He was lean, but well built, standing tall at just six feet. He should have a girlfriend, but at this point at his life he figured he was fine with the way his life was going. Not that he was really looking. He wanted to focus on his work, a new slot for a manager had opened. And if he was lucky, he could finally step up in the company he worked for. He takes a slow deep breath as he enters the company building. Traffic wasn't to bad this morning at least. He walks to the front desk, clocking in for the day. Once that was taken care of, he steps into the elevator, heading to the floor he work in. He taps his foot slightly, the lights flickering. He frowns a bit, the elevator has been doing that as of late. If he didn't work so high up he would just take the stairs. But soon the doors open and he makes his way to his desk, setting his suitcase down beside him. Today was the day, he was going to prove once and for all that hard work did pay off.
He presses the button on his computer, getting ready to get to work. As he leans back in his chair, he can't help but notice the lights above his workspace start to flicker. Odd, was there a storm coming? He shakes his head as he waits for his computer to warm up. He leans just a bit to far back in his chair, and falls backwards. He flails his arms wildly, but fails to catch himself as he hits the floor hard, and everything goes black. As he starts to come around, he can feel himself laying on the floor. Strange, it's quiet, nothing but the sound of buzzing lights greet him as he slowly sits up, rubbing the back of his head. What awaits him, makes him freeze. It looks like his office, only, it's empty. Nothing but a endless sea of walls, pilers, and flickering florescent lights. He moves slowly, not even his chair was under him, where the hell was he? It takes him a moment to pick himself off the floor. Glancing at his watch, it says it's still nine. But he presses his ear to it, seems his watch had stopped working. "Hello?" His voice echo's, ever so slightly in this space. He moves slowly, the floor covered in a thin carpet muffle's the sound of his shoes. There's no answer, wherever he was, he was alone here. With nothing but the sound of his own heart beating, and the flickering lights above. He can't stay here he suddenly realizes. So he slowly starts to move, trying to figure out just where he was and how he got here.
"Great, I hit my head so hard I'm in a coma..." He pauses, he's not sure if this is what a coma would feel like. Not that he would really know. He brings his arm up, giving himself a slight pinch. It hurts, but changes nothing. "Okay...maybe I've just finally gone crazy...." Maybe his years spent alone are finally starting to catch up. But something about this place seems off. The walls, the floor, even the ceiling are the same strange yellow color. He turns his head every diction he can. But all he sees is the same thing, an endless sea of space. He can feel his heart racing the more he walks. All he can really do is follow what's in front of him, until he hits a dead end. Seems this path didn't lead anywhere, so he turns and goes back. "Is there no one here?" His voice doesn't seem to carry, and something in the back of his mind is telling him it's best to not yell. But, why there's nothing here right? He can't seem to shake this strange feeling he has. He starts to pick of the pace slightly and soon the hallways starts to change. That's good right, maybe? The space he finds himself in resembles a parking lot. It's empty, just like the rest of this place. However he soon sees a familiar green 'exit' sign. He sprints into a jog, only to see the sign leads to nowhere. Not only that, but it seems to repeat itself. Every few feet, the same sign can be seen and he takes a slow step back. What was this place?
He leans forward, placing his hands on his knees. What was he going to do? His thoughts start to race as everything he knows about hiking starts to enter his mind. The rule of three, he has no water, no food and this place doesn't seem like it's going to give him what he needs. It's not to hot at least, so he can survive for awhile. But he knows well enough that if he can't find a exit things will become dire quickly. He takes a deep breath as he steadies himself. He has no idea how he's going to get out of here. It doesn't help he has no idea how he got here in the first place. Or even what this place was. The feeling in the back of his head comes back, telling him he needs to keep moving. He quickly turns to look behind him, but of course sees nothing. It doesn't change the fact he does not feel safe so his only option is to just keep moving. He needs to keep his wits about him. But he just can't shake the new sinking feeling that is starting to set in. It's not so much the how he got here. But how in the world is he going to get out. What will happen if he doesn't? What if he's not as alone as he thinks he is? He quickly shakes the thought away as he comes across a set of double doors. Progress maybe, he's unsure, but he pushes the doors open to a new space. It looks to be just like his office now. Tables, chairs, even bookshelves. Odd, it's all empty of course, but it's still strange. It looks more like an old storage closet then an actual space.
Still it's something at least. He glances at his watch, sure enough it's not working. It's still stuck at nine. He moves slowly, glancing around, unsure of which way he should he go. That was the problem, he could just as easy get turned around and just end up back where he started. He comes up with an idea. He picks up a chair and slams it as hard as he can. He keeps doing this until the legs come off. He uses them as a marker, another trick he learned as a hiker. He checks his pockets, he has nothing he can write with. So he'll just have to find other ways to mark where he's been. This will have to do for now as he picks a path and continues on his way. He soon finds himself in another hall. This one seems to stretch out in two directions. Left, or right. It oddly reminds him of his high school, the walls lined with benches and more bookshelves. He picks the right and keeps walking. The carpet is gone now. He glances down to see smooth white tile. Even the walls here were different. It didn't have the warm yellow wallpaper like the one he woke up in. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not but he has little time to think as even the lights seem to change. It's not as bright as before, so it takes a moment for his eyes to adjust. The hallways narrows slightly as he follows it. It reminding him of the path to the pool area of his high school. Sure enough as he makes a turn, he can smell the water. A large pool lays before him, still, quiet like everything else in this place. It doesn't look deep, but it seems to just be as endless as everything else here. He leans down slightly, cupping his hand to bring up some water, giving it a slight sniff. It didn't smell like it had any chemicals. But again, he knows well enough not to drink water that hasn't been boiled. But he has no way to do so. So he'll just have to take that risk, it's better then nothing. He takes a slow drink, it's not as bad as he thought it was going to be. It solved one problem, but the longer he stayed the greater the chance he was going to start to get hungry. He really shouldn't have skipped breakfast today, but it's not like he saw this coming. With little choice before him he decides to get undressed. Getting into the water wasn't an issue, but he shouldn't be roaming around in wet clothes. So he folds everything as neatly as he can, placing his shoes on top before getting into the water. Lucky for him it's only waist deep.
So it was easy to hold everything above water. At least it wasn't to cold, so he wouldn't have to worry to much about hypothermia. The only thing that bothered him was just how loud treading water was. He's not sure why, but it puts him on edge the whole time he's moving. He knows well enough there's no moving faster unless he ditches everything in order to swim. But that would just waste energy he can't afford to lose right now. Even if he did end up getting tired finding a place to sleep was not going to be easy. Not that he felt he would be able to sleep in such a place. He can't think about that right now. It seems like hours go by before he finds a way out of the pool. As he steps out he sees another pathway. He moves slowly and he almost drops his clothes. It's like a water park, the ones he used to go to as a kid. Endless pools, slides, life rings, and the walls were painted. This time with trees, grass, even a yellow sun. It reminded him of the waterpark that now lay empty. Was this space for all the places that now lay empty? Unused, it doesn't go away even after it got torn down. It just ends up, here? What did that mean for him? He turns to see a large glass window, overlooking a clear blue sky. He quickly rushes over, only to see it's only a false panel with a realistic painting behind the glass. He slowly sinks to his knees, his clothes in his arms. His head pressed against the glass. "This can't be real." He softly bangs his head against the glass. "I need to wake up, this isn't real....this can't be real." He sat there, for what felt like an hour before he slowly opened his eyes. Nothing changed and he lets out a deep sigh. He made sure he was dry enough before getting his cloths back on. He moves slowly, following the tile floor carefully. He finds a set of stairs and follows them up. Once he reaches the top the pool continues into a long river like area. Like one of those old river raft rides they used to have. You'd just lay back in a raft and let the water take you.
Of course there's no raft, and the water is just as still as the rest of the place. Lucky for him there's a path he can follow so he doesn't have to worry about getting wet again. It loops for a bit before it branches off to another path. He follows the path as best he can till it comes to another set of stairs and what looks to be the end of this room. As well as a exit sign, this one glowing red. He pauses, unsure why, but something about it puts him at edge. He knows darn well this isn't a real exit, but he has no where else to go at this point. He lets out a low sigh, he has no choice but to follow this path, to find what looks to be an elevator of all things. He shrugs and presses the button. Half expecting to not have it work. But to his surprise the doors open and he slowly steps in. It was so tiny, and only had one button. So he presses it, hoping for the best as it goes up. All he can really do is wait as the door open to a new space. It looks like the hallway he woke up in, only the wallpaper was green. He slowly steps out, at least this area wasn't so bright. However he didn't like how quiet it was. All he can do is follow the hallway, slowly, keeping his eyes open. Though for what he wasn't sure. To his surprise, he sees another table. It's just a small simple night stand, with a vase, and a old looking piece of paper. This was the first sign he's come across that he wasn't alone. As he looks over the note, a part of him wishes he hadn't found it. Last known date: May 17th, 1983. He shivers as he reads the first line. "I have no idea how I got here. All I remember is going through the park tunnel and woke up here. It feels like days, weeks. I miss the pool room, I'm so thirsty, I don't think I'm alone, I hear a weird static sound when I try to sleep. Mom, dad, Sam, I love you. Mary."
He debates on leaving the note, but folds it up nicely. He had nothing on him to write with, but maybe if he finds a way out he can find her family. Not that he would be able to explain, this. Still, it will at least mark he's been here if he comes across this table again. Still it made him wonder, did other people end up here? Did they get out? Just what is living down here, and did he really want to know? As he walks he starts to realize he really needs to go to the bathroom. He's no doubt been holding it for some time now and all that water didn't help. He glances around, he had no choice but to go to the nearest wall. He felt so, exposed, keeping his eyes open the whole time. Well this would be another way to keep track of where he's been. Once he was done he starts to move again, he's not sure why but he can't shake the feeling he can't remain still. Something is watching him, even if he had no clue what this something is. But this is what being hunted must feel like, he hates it. As he keeps walking, he starts to notice more and more pathways, lead to nowhere. It did narrow things down, but he didn't like the idea of getting pinned in such a dead end. It slowly starts to become darker, the lights dim. He frowns a bit unsure what was worse. The none stop hum of lights, or pure silence. It all sucked as far as he cared. But he freezes, the sound of static. It's so loud and it's coming his way. He takes a step back and sees a slight gap in one of the walls that has no light at all. Thank goodness he was able to slip in and duck down low, hiding in the darkness, when he sees it. A creature, no, some kind of monster, made out of the stuff of pure nightmare. He wasn't sure what unnerved him more, that this, thing was so strange, or that it moved. It was like something a child would draw. A strange dark human like monster, but it's body was made of what looked to be wires? He wasn't sure, but they all curved and looped, making it look like a strange scribble one might do when bored. It soon turns, the sound of static going with it as it wonders off. Just what was that sound and how did such a thing make it? He didn't really want to stay and find out. But something in the back of his mind tells him not to let this thing find him.
If nothing else this gave him more of a reason to get the hell out of this place. Only problem, he had no idea HOW to get out. His only option was to just keep moving forward. Only now he needed to make sure to move as quietly as he could, and to be careful. He just needs to make sure not to get to close to that monster. It feels like hours, moving the way he did but he continues to follow the hallways. At least it starts to get brighter at least as the narrow space seems to open a bit, to a larger space. Once again, looking more of a parking lot then any real space. It even had the lines and bars hanging above. He takes a slow deep breath and that's when he hears it again. Static, and it's close, panic sets in, there's no where to hide so he makes a run for it. He knows darn well not to look behind him as he runs. Thinking on his feet he breaks to the left, then right, left again to try and shake off the creature. But soon his running comes to a hard stop as a large empty space lays before him. It's just a large deep hole and he has no idea just how far it goes. But he has no choice, the creature is catching up to him. He closes his eyes, and for the first time in his life he prays, and jumps. He's unsure of just how long he falls, but the rush of wind seems to stop all together. It takes some time for him to realize he's laying on the ground. He's not sure if he wants to open his eyes, until he hears a more familiar sound, traffic. His eyes open quickly as he sits up, finding himself in a alleyway. He glances up, only to see the open sky above. Was he free? Did he somehow made it out?
He slowly picks himself up and brushes himself off. Patting himself to make sure nothing was broken. Seems he made it in one piece. He moves slowly toward the sound and froze. It wasn't real, it was a set, like from an old movie. A row of houses, a road, and streetlamps line the area. But none of it is real, the white fences, the grass, even the sound. Though he has no idea where it might be coming from. Well at least he got away from the strange monster. He moves slowly to one of the houses and checks the door. Strangely it opens, but nothing is inside. No tables, carpet, nothing. Just an empty layout and he's sure the other houses are just like this one. He slowly makes his way to one of the corners and sits himself down. He buries his face in his knees and breaks down. He knows he shouldn't cry, but it's hard not to. It's hard not feeling tired, and defeated after thinking he finally made it out. There really was no way out of this, was there? Would his family notice he was gone? Did his work know he was gone? Would they try and look for him? Not that they would find him so he knows deep down over time they would just label him as dead at some point. He must had fallen asleep because at some point when he opens his eyes again he's on the floor, curled up in a ball. He moves slowly, looking around. Seemed the place was safe enough to get some rest. Not that it really changed much, he was started to get hungry, to the point his stomach was growling in protest. He rubs the side of his head, there's really nothing here that will help him. Still he ends up checking the house, but finds nothing to no surprise. He walks out, leaving the door open so he knew he already checked inside. He follows the fake road, it would be cute if it wasn't so, depressing and he was in a different setting then this place. He glances up, the open sky he saw was just a painting. Oddly enough it's the same one he saw in the pool room. He looks for a window, but doesn't see one, so it must be a copy like everything else in this place. Still as he looks left, then right down the road he sees it's not as endless as he thought it was. The road to the left ends at a wall, painted to look like the sky, so right it was.
Didn't take him long to see that this to lead to the same wall. So that must mean the exit must be on one of the houses. He'll just have to go through them each as careful as he can to find a way out. Much to his surprise, one of the houses had a long hallway, covered in tiles much like before. The only thing different this time around was a blue exit sign, and another elevator. Well it was better then nothing and steps in, hating just how small this was. He wasn't prepared for what awaited him however. Then the door open, his heart sinks, the floor he was in before. Bright light, yellow wallpaper welcome him as he steps out. Just how far did this go? He was starting to lose hope till he sees something on the wall. Seems someone else made it here with what looked to be a black spray paint can. Last thing written on this wall, "Lost" and that was it. Seems someone got lucky and found a way to mark where they'd been, not that it did them any good. He tries the discarded can, but it was long empty. At least he now had a good idea where not to go. With any luck this floor was just a copy of the last room, since he had found something that hadn't been in the last place. It was so hard to tell however since everything seems to just blind together. Another difference was that this floor didn't have the buzz of lights. Nor did they flicker, making the area brightly lit. At least he can see his impending doom coming at him. He'd laugh, but he hardly had the energy for it at this point.
He glances at the walls, every so often he would see a black arrow. He can only guess the person here before him marked which way he went. So he goes the other way. As he walks slowly, he thinks back to the monster he saw. What kind of creature was that anyways? He knew of every danger he could run into in the wilds. But this was beyond anything he's read about. How was something like this even real to start with? He shakes his head slowly. It won't do him any good being stuck in his head about this. He needs to stay alert if he's going to get out of this alive. If he can get out alive. He glances up to see the hallway what narrow now. But was now looking more like a maze then a real hallway. Not this should surprise him at this point. He does his best to follow the sharp turns this path had to soon see another long hall lined with doors. He tries one, but it doesn't open. He doesn't bother with the other doors, he can tell by looking at them they're all fake. He sighs softly as he walks down the long hallway, when the light flicker. He froze, his heart racing as he slowly look behind him. The creature from before was behind him, the sound of static soon reaching his ears. The creature lets out a strange screeching sound and he bolts. He had to run as fast as he could since he had no real way of losing this monster. He tries to ignore the flicking lights so he keeps his eyes down as he runs. However he comes to a dead end, with one last door. With no other choice he flings it open and jumps through, the door closing behind him. He hits the ground, but he's far to scared to move, but after a few minutes all he hears is quiet.
He slowly picks himself up, the place was dim, it looked like some kind of tunnel. He lets out a low sigh, but soon hears the sound of traffic. This time, it was real. He quickly picks himself up and follows the tunnel, to find himself at a large open park. He was out, seems he found the same tunnel Mary must have went through. He takes a moment to brush himself off and slowly makes his way out of the park. He wasn't to sure where he was, this place didn't look familiar. He finds a newsstand, and picks up a newspaper. He glances at the date and his eyes go wide. Three weeks, three weeks had gone by. After asking where he was the fellow selling the papers rises a brow and tells him the city. Also which part of the city. To his surprise he was a few mile away from his home and just nods and takes off. He could take a taxi, but honestly he just wanted to walk home to make sure this was the real thing. People, noise, the smell of dirt and rain. He's still unsure how he was going to explain this to his job. He also wonders just what the cameras had picked up since all he did was lean back in his chair. He'll just have to cross that bridge later. Right now he just wanted to find the closest bar and down a few. Though he would make sure no more chairs that leaned. He was not about to go through all that again. More then that, how in the world did three weeks pass? How did time go by so quickly when he felt only a day had passed? Where ever he was, what strange place he had ended up. It defied what was normal, so he was just going to keep this experience to himself. If he learned anything, he now knew to keep on his toes and maybe work a bit less from now on.
End.
