Not as it Seems

by DamnToasty

Chapter 2: Broken Psychology

I forced myself each step forward through the forest of battered books and aged wood. A deathly silence had washed over the darkened room. My hands instinctively reached around to inspect the terrain. Anxiousness pulsed through my veins like a heartbeat. Its tormenting force bringing out a panic I would only suspect a caged animal would feel. Sweat leaked from my pores and ran down my face, as a bitter, chapped taste filled my mouth like I had taken a swig of vinegar. Every tiny sound was amplified, from the light shuffling of my feet to the repressed, ragged breaths that I drew. I wasn’t thinking. I was too scared to think. I just needed to move, move as fast as I could out of whatever this place was.

My slow pace accelerated to a tentative stride, still wary of the unknown dangers that may lurk. Turning left into another corridor, my gaze was met with an open door. Through the opening, I could make out the flickering light of a fire. Different shades of orange danced across the cracked cobblestone walls.

At least I was getting somewhere.

My shadow lengthened behind me as my head peeked out the door. Outside, a long, curved hallway extended to the west. Each side lined with multitudes of charred torches. The light now guiding my path, relief eased my edged mind.

I continued onward like this for several minutes, walking blindly.  Turn after turn, step by step, I had no idea of knowing if I was walking to freedom, or leading myself further into the depths. Even in the face of this, I felt…calm. Maybe the slightest hint that progress was being made was enough to motivate me. And all that fear of the unknown, quickly transformed into an annoyed curiosity.

Images of that ‘language’ kept forming in my head. It was drawn in such a unique way, the nearly sporadic curves, oddly placed indentations. It looked more like some sort of geometric pattern than an alphabet. The only thing I was sure of was that right now, it was the only thing that could give me any idea of what the hell this place was. And I was drawing blanks.

The route stretched on an on, down the winding trail of brick and mortar. Thoughts floated around about how long I would have to drone this pilgrimage on, with only the cold stone and light smell of smoke to be my company. I took another turn, and fell flat on my befuddled face. I had tripped on a step, a staircase.

With a pained grunt,  my torso was pulled off of the dust ridden ground to look up at my new discovery. I couldn’t help but let a wry smile grace my lips when I saw the light. Not torchlight, moonlight. I scrambled up like a spurred horse, the sound of my soles hitting the steps echoed. The light grew in my eyes. And as my foot touched  the final step, I turned into the brightness. There were no words.

A wall of glass lined the hall, granting a window into the outside world. The night sky was at its pinnacle, the obsidian expanse twinkled with countless numbers of celestial orbs. The moon shone brightly in the sky like a silent protector, its dominating presence numbed my senses. Below, seemingly hundreds of feet down from where I stood, flowed vast waves of green. Trees littered the land, which only seemed like small drops among an endless sea from my perspective. The entirety of the ground reflected the lunar light like a mirror, giving the whole world a soft tone of that soothing pearl white. It was all so…beautiful, but it was also so wrong. 

I stepped back from the glass until I felt my rear bump into the opposite side. A tired wreck now rested upon the surface as frenzied thoughts raced through my mind. It was too unreal. My hand raised and roughly ran down my face in exasperation. How am I going to get home if I don’t even know where home is?! Something snapped.

I swiftly turned around and punched the wall as hard as I could. I didn’t think. I just needed to do it. It may have been stupid. What if one of those things heard? There was no telling what would happen then. But I didn’t care. I kept slamming into the hard chipped stone, my one arm soon followed by a second. A crimson stain began to paint the grey brick. It was only when I started to feel the sharpness of the blows did I yield. I panted, trying to catch my breath. My eyes wandered down to my hands. All four knuckles on both fists were torn open. Small remnants of skin dotted the bloody patches of flesh. Without a second thought, I placed both hands in my pockets, and walked onward.

The moonlight slowly faded behind me as I walked further from the window. There were no torches in this hallway.  Save for a spot of light that illuminated a corner to the north. Who knew, maybe that would be a way out? Or maybe the corner after that, or the next corridor, who knew?

For the time, everything was left in black. A sore aching brewed in my palms; I could still feel the blood trickle along my clenched fingers-

I froze, there, in the shadows. I didn’t know why I had, I just…did, like a living statue; I had even quieted my breathing. I tried to move, but I couldn’t. I didn’t…want…to move. It felt like I was being watched.  

A sound resonated from beyond the next corner. Any prior hesitation dissipated, and my body stuck back to the wall faster than I could think. My eyes were glued to the quivering light at the end of the foyer. The sounds grew slightly louder. It felt like a rabid animal was trying to punch its way out of my chest, as my heart pounded harder and harder.

Suddenly, a black form passed the corner, briefly illuminated by the torch, before disappearing into the darkened veil. My nails dug deeper into the flesh of my hands. I struggled to restrain my lungs from bursting, as I suppressed more and more of my panicked gulps. I could hear the noise approaching. It sounded like…walking, but different, even familiar, in a way. It moved closer, and closer. I felt air slipping out, and one of my bloodied hands shot up to my mouth to quiet the gasp. I could taste the acid fluid against the tip of my tongue. Click clack, click clack. The sharp tune reverberated in my ears as they drew nearer and nearer. All I could do was stay quiet, and pray.  

Time seemed to slow to an agonizing halt as the invisible being stepped in front of me.  Please God just pass. Please don’t see me.

Blind hopes, misguided optimism, all were shattered when I heard the clicking sounds come to complete stop, directly in front of where I stood. The air was dead, even the distant crackling of flame was expunged from my mind. All I was focused on was what came next.

I slowly lowered my arm from my face and laid it against my side. A soft exhale of air was let loose, mixed with a deep sigh of relief from the strain. A few more clicks resonated from the ground below, I knew it was facing me directly now. What came next, what did I want to come next? I guess it always came down to two separate paths, fight or flight. I gently descended into a crouched position. So, what would I choose?

Was it even a choice?

With all the strength I could muster, I placed my left leg against the wall and pushed off with animalistic ferocity, pouncing at the creature. It all happened in less than a second, but I could feel every moment of it. I felt my arms collide with something. The force of the blow took us both to the opposite side of the hall. We crashed into the hard surface, a pained grunt left my lips. I knew I had a hold on its neck, because I could feel the frantic drumming of its jugular vein. It was hyperventilating, panicked breaths exploded from the creatures mouth.  I heard a particularly sharp intake, and immediately clasped my hand around its head, and muzzled its face. I knew it was trying to scream. I struggled greatly to keep the hold, as its body bucked and jerked in frenzied bursts. I coiled my other arm around what seemed to be its body, and clutched it as tight as I could manage. My fingers brushed against the surface. It was covered in a soft, smooth coat. The feeling resembled that of woven silk rubbing against my skin. I was lost in the sensation for a moment, before being shoved back into reality. I needed to get this thing to either shut up, or calm down, or it could attract more of its kind. The last thing I wanted was attention.

“Hey, listen. If you shut up, I won’t hurt you. Do you hear me, just shut the fuck up,” I whispered aggressively. The creature froze for a moment, before releasing another torrent of kicks and muffled shouts. I didn’t know why I thought it would understand me, maybe it was just impulse?
 
Its screams were still trapped in my gripped palms. God dammit! I knew what I had to do. If this thing wouldn’t be quiet, I needed to make it.  I removed my one arm from around its body. Before it could try anything, I swiftly shot the arm around the being’s throat, and tightened around it like a snake would its prey. It bucked and shook with whatever little strength it had left, desperately trying to get free. I won’t lie that I actually felt a pang of regret when I felt its breath start to sputter in defeat. Its body resisted less …and less. Any attempt at vocalization ceased. I waited several moments, until its heart was beating at a snail’s pace. Then, I finally let go.

I collapsed off of the creature, and caught my breath whilst lying against the cool rock, which chilled the warm beads of sweat that ran down my neck. I wiped the spittle covered palm against my khakis, any sense of cleanliness thrown out the window. I looked over at my opponent. Not even in a curious sense, in all honesty, I just wanted to relax my head. But what laid before me instantly snapped me out of whatever stupor I had been entranced in. I now sat at full attention, mostly in utter confusion. But what I saw wasn’t even what shocked me the most. A shaky, tired breath escaped the impossible animal.

“…P-please…don’t hurt me…” And then there was silence.

“What the fuck…,” I spoke the phrase unconsciously.  

It spoke…this thing…it speaks English!? That means it could understand me…it’s intelligent. My mouth hung open dumbly, and I was frozen in my place, searching for something to explain the oddity that laid unconscious at my feet. Four short legs extended from a soft cylindrical body. A stray sliver of light from above illuminated its head. Its face was shrouded by long strands of wavy dark brown hair that cascaded downward. The coat that covered the animal’s form was colored with a unique shade of tan that resembled that of aged paper. Its side softly rose and fell with the movement of its lungs.

As I analyzed the creature, something caught my scrutinizing eye. On the center of its forehead, a long pointed bone jutted out, parting the hair that fell around it. It…it was horn. This thing is a unicorn. Every logical center of my brain shut down. All the impossibility of this day couldn’t have prepared me to face such an obstacle. The simple implications of such a being existing went beyond even my understanding. All I could think to do was stare at its tranquil face, lost.

Truly, and utterly…lost.

Click clack. My head spun around to where I had entered the hall. More sounds. That meant more if this thing’s kind. I didn’t have a second to debate this time, and I couldn’t let others find their own like this.  I scooped up the slumbering being, and sprung off the ground, the unicorn in my arms. A lingering sense of disbelief refreshed as my gaze met its muzzle once more.

I carried myself into a sprint. Luckily, the equine seemed to be rather light. Even lighter than I would suspect a creature of its size to weigh. I didn’t even look back. I just ran, and ran. The torch luring me in. If you saw me, you would have thought I was running for my life. For all I knew at the time, I was. I nearly collided into the wall at the back of the corridor when I had reached the corner. My heels dug into the floor and twirled around, the torch passed in my vision for a fleeting second. With all the grace of stunned cat, I stumbled into cover. The unicorn had miraculously remained within my grasp.

The aisle was an unusual sight, compared to the previous atmosphere. Doors ran sequentially up and down the path. All of them illuminated by a string of candles held aloft in brass holders. The doors were trimmed with white painted wooden borders. Silver colored handles adorned each entry.

I walked a few steps before I was faced with the nearest door. Right next to the frame, a plaque hung, and the same strange language that had been scrawled on those books were now engraved here. I assumed they had to be some form of label. Slightly intrigued, I firmly cradled the unicorn in my left arm, while my right reached out. I turned the handle about an inch before it abruptly stopped in its place. Damn, locked. I tried the one to the left, once again with no luck. The sound of hooves hitting the floor began to echo once more. It was getting closer. I just can’t get a fucking break now can I? Desperately, I moved from door to door, grasping each handle and turning, only to find them locked.

With more and more speed I ran from one side of the hall to the other, frantically searching for just one open door. The thumps that the locks produced each time started to create an anger that welled inside me. I wanted to scream from the frustration. Back and forth, back and forth I raced. The entity’s steps still resonated in my ears. I eventually came to a unique passage, this one embellished with a large sign, emblazoned with what looked like images of a…broom and mop? Shaking my head, I reached out to the handle. Click. It was open. I gently pushed the door inward, not wanting to make any noise. Turning towards the twinkling candle, I grabbed the holder from its hilt, and walked into the space. I placed the unicorn on the ground with the softness that I would a child. With my free hand, I smoothly placed the door back closed.

I waited, and waited, until I heard the clacking sounds travel past my new hiding place, and fade off into the distance. I took a deep, refreshing breath. My head pivoted and gazed at my new surroundings. Luckily, the small flame of the candle was able to illuminate the miniature room. Facing me was a chaotic array of cleaning supplies. Anything from brooms and dustpans, to cloths and sponges. A small metal tub of water with a mop sticking out and was tucked away in the corner, along with a short stool.

Huh, I guess that’s what the sign meant, it looks like a janitor’s closet, I thought to myself. Down below in the center of it all, rested the little unicorn. I sighed, and stretched my arms out. Several satisfying pops sounded from my aching joints. I gazed back down at the floor.

“Well, what comes next?”