The town I call home isn't known to many.
Buried in obscurity, it's off the beaten path, snuggled up
against a sprawling National Park.
Every summer, hikers flow in like a tide, their enthusiastic
chatter filling the silence we're accustomed to.
This year, however, summer came with an unexpected twist.
One of those hikers? A young woman named Rachel had
vanished into the labyrinth of trees and trails.
As a longtime local, I felt duty bound to join the search party.
We gathered at the parks entrance in the gloaming 50 of
us, under the watchful eye of the police Sergeant.
His grave voice echoed through the still air as he briefed us
on Rachel, he painted a quick, yet poignant picture of a woman
who merely wanted to savor the beauty of nature but hadn't
returned. An uneasy silence enveloped us
as he finished. The quiet was broken as we split
into smaller groups, each taking a different path into the
wilderness. I teamed up with four others,
deciding to venture down one of the park's lesser known trails.
The usually inviting path now seemed ominous, the towering
trees casting long shadows that danced and flickered in the dim
light. We ventured forth, calling out
for Rachel, the echoes of our voices swallowed by the vast
expanse of woods. Every hoot of an owl or rustle
of leaves caused our hearts to skip a beat.
An hour into the search, Sam, a ruggedly built man with a stern
face, called us over. He had discovered a crumpled
photograph, partially buried in the earth.
Wiping the dirt off. We saw Rachel, her smile radiant
even in the grainy image standing next to a man we didn't
recognize. The snapshot of their happier
times felt so out of place. Here.
In the midst of our desperate search, did the family ever
mention a boyfriend? Mary?
A petite woman with sharp eyes asked, breaking the silence.
We all shook our heads, sharing confused glances.
A chill ran down my spine. Who was this man?
Could he be missing too? Or worse, could he be involved
in Rachel's disappearance? Sam tried to radio this new
finding in, but there was no response.
We all stared at each other in silent dread, our unease growing
the tranquility of the woods now felt eerie, the unknown man's
face adding another layer of mystery to Rachel's
disappearance. Our scattered group now had a
mission that seemed more daunting than before.
I stood there holding the photograph, the faces of Rachel
and the unknown man imprinted in my mind.
The wind rustled the leaves above, whispering ominous
secrets. We were at the brink of a
mystery that ran deeper than the mere disappearance of a hiker.
Unknowingly, we had stepped into a story that was about to become
our own, and I, Mike, had no idea about the darkness we were
about to uncover. Little did we know, the true
horror was yet to come. After the eerie silence in our
failed attempts to contact the base, we split up again, a
newfound sense of urgency propelling us deeper into the
forest. I chose a trail that veered away
from the others, a barely visible path that slithered into
the heart of the woods. The growing darkness was
punctuated only by the occasional bird call and the
rustling of leaves under foot. The weight of solitude pressed
down on me, but I kept moving, determined to find Rachel.
Barely an hour into my solitary trek, my foot snagged on
something and sent me sprawling. The abrupt stop startled a deer
nearby. It startled flight, echoing my
racing heart. Picking myself up, I looked down
and froze. There, half buried in the dirt
and leaves, was a boot speckled with dark, drying blood.
It was a woman's boot, eerily similar to the one Rachel was
wearing in the photo. My heart pounded in my chest
like a drum, my breath coming in short gasps.
I reached for my radio desperation, clawing at my
throat, but static was the only response.
Isolated and cut off from my group, the reality of the
situation struck me like a lightning bolt.
Was Rachel injured, or worse, was she?
I shook the morbid thoughts from my head, forcing myself to
focus. Kneeling, I marked the spot with
a circle of twigs, hoping it would help others locate it
later. My hands trembled as I rose.
The eerie silence of the woods, now amplified by the gruesome
discovery, parched and with my heart pounding, I took a long
swig from my water bottle, the cool liquid doing little to
quell my rising fear. My instinct screamed at me to
turn back, to rejoin the others, but I knew I couldn't.
I had a trail now, a trail that might lead me to Rachel.
Gathering my wits, I ventured forth, scanning the environment
for any signs. A silent prayer hung in my
throat as I ventured deeper into the wilderness.
As I continued, I spotted something that made my heart
lurch, splotches of blood scattered across the leaves and
tree trunks ahead. The site was horrifying yet
hopeful. They could be bread crumbs, a
trail left by Rachel for us to follow.
Clinging to that tiny thread of hope, I tried to radio this in,
but the static buzzed mockingly in return.
Undeterred, I pressed on, my legs pumping and heart pounding
in my chest, I raced along the trail, calling Rachel's name,
the echo bouncing off the trees. The bloody splotches guided me a
gruesome path into the unknown. As I ran, the chilling silence
of the woods was replaced by the thunderous pounding in my chest.
My mind raced, thoughts spiraling into horrifying
scenarios of what could have happened to Rachel.
The forest was no longer just a forest.
It had become a horrifying maze of uncertainty and fear.
Every tree, every shadow felt ominous.
But I had to keep going, had to find Rachel.
I had to brave the unknown that lay ahead, unaware of the
chilling discovery that awaited me.
The blood trail led me further off the beaten path until I
arrived at a Cliff. My heart pounded like a
jackhammer as the gruesome scene unfolded before me.
The clearing at the Cliff edge was smeared with a significant
amount of blood, fresh and coagulated, contrasting starkly
against the green foliage. Drag marks through the blood
soaked soil led directly towards the edge of the Cliff.
My breath hitched in my throat as I dared to peer over the
edge. At the bottom, sprawled
haphazardly, was a body. I recoiled, A surge of nausea
overtaking me. The sight was too gruesome, too
real. I wretched the taste of bile,
mixing with the sour fear in my mouth.
A cold sweat broke across my forehead as the reality of the
situation sunk in, Rachel collecting myself, I forced my
gaze back to the tragic sight, the bitter sting of regret
filling me. She had come here for a pleasant
hike, a bit of adventure and peace.
But this forest, this Cliff, had been her downfall.
The silence of the woods seemed to mock me, a grim reminder of
my helplessness. And then a chilling sound
interrupted my grim thoughts. The crunching of a tree branch,
unnaturally loud in the stillness, made me whirl around.
The sight that met my eyes froze me in my tracks.
Emerging from the trees was a creature that seemed to have
been birthed by the darkest recesses of my nightmares.
It stood almost 7 feet tall, a grotesque amalgamation of bones
and shadows. It sported antlers on its head,
sharp as knives, and the chilling sight was accentuated
by fresh blood dripping from its gaping mouth.
My heart hammered against my rib cage, the blood in my veins
turning to ice. I stepped back, my eyes locked
onto the monstrosity as the creature advanced, its movements
unhurried and predatory. A part of my mind registered
that it wasn't human. It couldn't be.
My back hit the rough bark of a tree, and I realized I had
nowhere to go. Panic set in, my breath, coming
in short, ragged gasps. I was alone with a monster, the
body of a woman I tried to find lying lifelessly at the bottom
of the Cliff. I had come here with the hope of
finding Rachel alive, of bringing her back safely, but
now I was standing at the brink of my own oblivion.
The search for a missing hiker had plunged me into a nightmare,
and I was beginning to understand that this forest hid
secrets far darker than I could ever imagine.
Little did I know, the terror was far from over.
The true fear was only just beginning.
The creature, seemingly alerted by the approaching voices,
halted its advance, its Crimson eyes darting in the direction of
the noise. A flicker of recognition, or
perhaps caution, sparked in its gaze.
To my sheer relief, it backed away, disappearing into the
shadows from which it had emerged, leaving me trembling in
its wake. Moments later, Sam, a fellow
searcher, stumbled upon the clearing out of breath and
worried. His eyes widened at my pale,
sweat soaked face concerned, Knitting his brows together.
I was too shaken to form coherent sentences, only
pointing towards the Cliff, the words trapped in my throat.
He followed my gaze and faltered, his face draining of
color at the sight of the gruesome spectacle below.
The distressing sight triggered his own bout of nausea.
Once he recovered, I managed to share my horrifying encounter
with the creature. His face morphed from disbelief
to dread as he tried to wrap his head around my account.
I could tell he was wrestling with the fact that our search
for a missing person had unearthed a chilling truth.
There was a monstrous creature in these woods, a predator that
wasn't of this world. The search was promptly called
off, the grim discovery forcing us to inform the police Sergeant
and return to the entrance of the park.
The feeling of failure hung heavy as we gathered the
haunting image of Rachel's lifeless body Casting a shadow
over our somber faces. The Sergeant listened to our
account, his expression hardening with each passing
minute. He informed us that Rachel's
family had no idea about the man in the photograph, leaving us
with yet another chilling mystery to ponder.
Word spread and the authorities were alerted about the potential
threat in the woods, transforming the search for a
missing hiker into a manhunt for an unseen menace.
While everyone else seemed focused on finding the
unidentified man, I couldn't shake off the image of the
creature from my mind. It had seen me, had stalked me,
and there was no telling what it might do next.
That night I struggled to sleep, the images from the day
replaying in my mind like a nightmarish film reel.
When I did drift off, my dreams were plagued by antlers, blood
and menacing Crimson eyes. The terror of the forest had
invaded my reality, casting a shadow over my previously
peaceful life. Unbeknownst to me, the creature
had marked me an unseen thread binding us in a sinister dance
of fear. The realization of this would
come with the dawn, a grim reminder of the monster lurking
in the woods. Little did I know, the nightmare
was far from over, It was only just beginning.
My sleep, filled with nightmares of Crimson eyes and gruesome
blood trails, was interrupted by the crowing of a rooster, and I
groggily rose from my bed. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes,
I stumbled towards the bathroom, my mind still foggy with the
remnants of my dreams. As I splashed cold water on my
face, I couldn't help but hope that the harsh reality of
yesterday was merely A figment of my imagination.
I shuffled towards the kitchen, intending to brew a strong cup
of coffee to chase away the cobwebs of sleep.
As I passed my living room window, something caught my eye,
a sight that caused my heart to lurch painfully in my chest.
A large, bloody handprint smeared my window pane, fresh
blood dripping down the glass. My blood turned to ice as I
recognized it. It was uncannily similar to the
one I had seen on the creature in the forest.
A cold sense of dread washed over me, my body trembling as I
backed away from the horrifying sight.
The monster from the forest had marked my home, a chilling
indication that it knew where I lived, that it had been here.
The reality of the situation sent a wave of terror crashing
over me. I was no longer safe, not even
in my own home. The creature was hunting me.
The horrifying realization hit me like a punch in the gut.
I spent the rest of the day in a state of heightened alertness,
every sound setting me on edge, every shadow causing my heart to
race. As night fell, the terror only
deepened. I could not shake off the
feeling of being watched, of being hunted, the bloody
handprint serving as a morbid reminder of the lurking danger.
As I lay in bed, sleep evading me, the eerie silence of the
night was punctuated by a low, guttural growl echoing from the
depths of the forest. My heart pounded in my chest as
the sound reverberated through the silence, a chilling promise
of the terror that was yet to come.
The creature had found me, it's bloody handprint, A terrifying
symbol of its deadly intent. As I clutched my blanket, my
eyes wide open in the darkness, I realized my life had taken a
turn into a nightmarish reality. The search for a missing hiker
had led me into the crosshairs of a monstrous creature.
Now I was the prey, hunted by an entity that belonged more in
horror films than in the calm rural town where I resided.
The haunting growl echoed through the night again, closer,
this time a bone chilling soundtrack to my new reality.
The terror was real, and it was waiting for me just beyond the
safety of my home. The realization marked a
horrifying end to a day that it started with the hope of finding
a missing person and ended with the promise of a terrifying
hunt. Fear kept me awake throughout
the night as I waited for dawn for some respite from the
terror, but deep down I knew that as long as the creature
roamed the woods, the dawn could bring no relief.
As long as the creature hunted me, there would be no end to
this terror. My name is not important, for I
do not exist. My entire life, such as my name,
age, and mere existence, has been legally removed from all
documentation on Earth. My family is dead, and I have
accepted that I was sworn into secrecy.
Under threat of potential termination of life, however, I
have finally cracked, there exists a facility in Antarctica
called Apnes Nova. It is the best kept secret on
Earth as far as I have recognized it, but I'm here to
share with you what it is about. The facility itself is kept on
the Far East side of Antarctica. It is held inside of a mountain.
To start off, I'm going to explain to you how I came to
know about this place and why I was the only survivor of my
expedition to Antarctica. When I was 28, I was sent on an
expedition to the cold wastelands of Antarctica to
investigate a subglacial lake. A subglacial lake is a body of
water that exists under the ice for anyone asking.
They had detected heavy seismic activity underneath the ice
layer and they needed people like me, a geologist, to figure
out what was happening down there.
The payout was massive. It was hard to turn a blind eye.
I was set to go via plane to the frigid area to begin drilling
into the ice, and then subsurface.
Excavation was to be pursued, and that's exactly how things
went for the first five days of the three-week expedition.
It was so cold, though I can't even begin to explain how bad it
was there. Each breath felt winding.
It was like my lungs were slowly turning to ice, and each step
felt like needles were piercing every layer of skin on my legs.
Even in five layers of clothing and protective gear, I still
felt terrible. Insomnia was slowly creeping in
as well. I couldn't get a good night's
sleep if my life depended on it. Finally on the 6th day we got
word that we had penetrated the layer of ice and we're now able
to start the descent down. I should note that the hole we
had dug was 2.4 kilometers deep. It would take around 40 minutes
to even an hour to make the full descent.
So when I boarded the escalator to go down Into Darkness, I knew
that if this thing failed, I was gone.
The 1st 10 minutes were fine. Of course I heard the creaking
of metal in the ice beds shift as the escalator grazed the cold
permafrost. That, of course, made me
anxious. But there were three geologists
with me that reassured me that I wasn't alone.
Their names, well, I actually forget because of the events
that occurred. I faintly remember one of them
having a name starting with an A and ending with an N Maybe
Aiden, I don't know. But it's neither important nor
relevant. When 30 minutes had passed, the
cold was becoming torture. I felt my body cramping and my
feet starting to ache painfully. As we slowly descended, we were
reaching some of the lower levels of ice.
Ice that was thousands if not millions of years old had
finally surfaced for the first time, and who knows long and we
were seeing it. We made sure to scrape some
samples with a chisel as we slowly went down, each sample
entering a small vial for analysis when we made it back
up. Finally 45 minutes passed and we
heard shifting in the cables holding us up as finally reached
the cavern. I remember one of the geologists
saying we made it. God, this feels like a scene
right out of Indiana Jones. It was hard to laugh as the cold
kept our mouth shut. Breathing was more painful than
a stab wound in this frozen hell.
When our flashlights finally flickered on, the walls of this
subglacial cavern finally revealed themselves.
The neon blue colors flashed vibrantly.
It felt surreal. It was almost alien, like in
just the ice. But the water was where it
really shone. It was glowing.
When our lights met the water, the algae began to glow.
Amazing colors. I remember seeing hints of
blue-green, and purple among them.
It was one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen.
Yet thinking about it terrifies me.
All these centuries, these algae have lived under this ice sheet
untouched. We finally made it to the very
bottom and stepped out. The crunching of the ice felt
amazing for once. After standing cramped and in
the cold on that escalator for close to an hour, you feel
amazing just being able to move for once.
We split off into two groups, mainly to collect rock samples.
It sounded gloomy down there, like everything was slightly
muffled. I began to start investigating a
small formation of rock. When I heard scampering in the
distance. I checked behind me and weirdly,
all of us were close by. It wasn't them that made that
noise. I started to approach the
source, each step making me feel anxious as I rounded a small
beam of ice. I saw animal prints, small
prints like a squirrel, but they weren't normal.
I counted 6 toes and they were far too long.
I started to back up as I rushed back over to the group.
There's an animal down here. I just heard something and found
prints. Phone into home base and tell
them one of my fellow geologists protested.
You probably just saw imprints. I bet it was nothing.
Before I could lead him to my findings, something else caught
my eye. A small sparkle in the distance
caught me in a trans. I felt hypnotized.
I pointed it out to everyone and they seemed to notice it as
well. We quickly rushed over and we
found something. I still can't explain to you
what this was thinking about. It makes me sick.
All that sad. In a small clearing was a pure
black box. This thing was darker than void.
It was pure black and it made me uneasy looking at it.
Alohum was coming from the box like white noise.
What the hell is this? One of the geologists spoke up,
another one spoke. I feel dizzy what is happening?
As he said this, I started to feel lightheaded.
Was this an attack? What was even happening?
As my thoughts raced, a massive flash proceeded to blind me,
leaving me to fall. I heard yells and stomping.
I couldn't see what was happening and eventually I
passed out. I woke up, I heard the beeping
of a monitor and knew I was safe.
I sighed in relief but when I could finally see I started to
panic. 3 armed guards stood around me.
They bared massive machine guns and had really advanced looking
suits on. It was like something straight
out of a scifi movie. Blue lights pulsated on their
alien like suits as a doctor and a small team started to approach
the bed. Hello, my name is Doctor Norman.
You're very lucky to have survived.
Do you know that? I didn't even process what he
said. Before I tried to get up and
run, however, I had been restrained down, keeping me in
place. You have nowhere to go.
Just listen up and you'll be fine.
I finally sighed and nodded, letting him talk.
We found you in the subglacial lake I H 1392.
You had a burn on your arm and a few cuts and bruises, but really
nothing serious. You were the only one there.
I then responded. There were three more geologists
with me. What happened to them?
He sighed, looking at me with a confused expression.
We didn't find three others down in that cavern.
Only you. You had been there for three
hours before we had our rescue squadron come down and recover
you. I felt sweat dripped down my
forehead as I started to think. Before I could really say
anything, one of those guards received a call on his radio.
I remember what it said because that was the first anomaly I
encountered. Mission Control, this is Ramsey.
IHG12 is pursuing your location to Medical Fact Four.
Please be advised of its location.
Over. I watched as all three guards
looked at each other and quickly ran to the doors.
The lights began to flicker as I heard extremely fast footsteps
above us. The sounds of metal clanking
started to become even clearer as I realized something was
coming to our location and fast. I heard the guards radios chirp.
IHG12 is 50 meters away East hall.
Sending in backup now. Please be advised over.
I started to panic as Scream started to fill the halls.
I heard the sounds of doors being slammed open and random
things falling and shattering on the ground.
Finally, the sound reached our door.
I watched as something black began to seep under the door.
It was a massive, long, unnatural hand.
It was pure black, like that object we encountered in that
subglacial lake. It started to go under the door
and up to the handle when one of those guards fired at it.
It quickly jerked away and proceeded to cut through him
like nothing. That poor man made no sound as
his top half began to slowly slide off like some horror
movie. I realized that this was all
real when he hit the ground. The sickening thump as the other
two armed guards began to fire rapidly.
Shots going through the door. I immediately started to panic
as I looked around. Next to me was a small sliding
metal desk with a scalpel resting on a towel.
I started to push my arm out and after a few seconds of frantic
panic I was able to drag the table over and grab the scalpel.
I started to bend my hand inwards when I heard a massive
slam and growl. The door started to bend
violently. Is something on the other side.
Proceeded to start caving it in. Scream started to fill the room
as more patience started to wake up.
I finally cut through my first restraint, the leather falling
apart in quick succession. I cut through the other three.
I tried to get up but I realized my legs were numb.
No, no. I started to yell, realizing if
I didn't get up, death was guaranteed.
I started to drop down slowly crawling.
I realized there was no way for me to escape, so I did the only
logical thing I hid under the bed.
It was a tight fit and if that thing realized where I was, I
wouldn't be able to escape fast enough.
The lights began to flicker as the power finally went out.
The low hum of the light bulbs fading filled the room as
finally the door was off the hinges.
I heard the other two guards yell in agony as something had
got to them. The room fell silent as anxiety
began to cloud my mind. I held my breath.
I heard something start approaching slowly.
Its footsteps were heavy and I could see a dark shape start to
get closer. It was darker than anything
around us, even the darkness itself that had filled the room
previous to the power outage. I watched as it stopped right at
the foot of my bed. I heard tapping as a small
whistle began to fill the room. That thing knew where I was, and
it was taunting me. I closed my eyes and prayed.
Please save me from the darkness that plagues this room.
My mind played over and over as my hands clamped together.
Finally, that thing lifted the bed, throwing it to the side.
I finally got a good look at it. It was transparent.
Even in the dark. I could see that it had
something in its center mass. It was that object we
encountered in the lake. This thing had something to do
with its appearance. Down there was it.
Back to get me. Hell if I know.
I started to panic as it lifted me.
Its grip was the coldest thing I've ever felt.
I started to Yelp in pain as it inspected me.
A voice began to slowly creep out from that thing.
It was completely unnatural. It sounded like radiostatic, but
I could still understand it. You, you are the one who usurped
me that phrase. I can't explain it, but the way
it said it almost seemed sad. I started to panic as that
object that resided in that thing began to glow before
anything happened further. I heard footsteps above.
The events that happened after were all so quick.
The ceiling began to cave in as five men in heavy looking suits
dropped down. They proceeded to fire something
at that entity. It let out a raspy scream as it
began to fade, the object residing in its torso finally
hitting the ground. I fell to the ground in a blur.
I passed out once more from stress and panic.
Everything was a blur. Afterward, I woke up once more.
This time I was restrained upwards.
I was in a pure white room. I saw monitors and weird
instruments pressing into me. Was I being operated on?
Finally, after 5 minutes, 3 white coated men entered the
room. I recognized one of them.
It was Doctor Norman. He opened up right as he entered
the room. You've seen what this place is.
We can't let you leave it. But you encountered that object
first hand when you went down to the subglacial lake.
I assume you saw that black cube like anomaly and ended up here.
Am I correct? I sighed, finally opening up to
him. Yeah, that's right.
It was 3 geologists and I that went down.
I saw a shine in the distance and I approached it and it
flashed. I passed out and ended up here.
Doctor Norman wrote down a few things, nodding along.
Finally, he said the words that made me both happy and anxious
release him. The two other coated men came
over and undid my restraints. I fell down, unable to walk, but
I was able to pull myself up, leaning over a monitor.
Why am I here? What was that thing, Doctor?
Norman sighed and gestured for me to come.
I gritted my teeth as I slightly shouted at him.
I can't walk. Dr. Norman finally gestured to
one of the men to go grab something.
He came back in a minute later with a wheelchair.
I sat down. Finally able to rest.
I began to wheel myself out the door as the white coated men
followed. Doctor Norman began to explain
what was happening. The reason you can't walk is due
to stress induced paralysis. Usually when a traumatic event
happens, your body weakens. In your case, you have passed
out far too many times, losing oxygen to the brain.
It's nothing serious. You will likely regain the
ability to walk soon. I sighed in relief.
Hearing this, I could feel a massive grin forming on my face.
We reached a massive white hallway.
There were massive glass windows indicating rooms.
I wheeled past some and saw people in medical beds.
Some were conscious, some were asleep, but some were bandaged
up. I assume they were victims of
the attack I had experienced prior.
I asked the burning question as we slowly traverse the halls.
What was that thing I saw? Why did it let me live, Doctor?
Norman sighed, avoiding the question.
I started to feel more anxious as we approach the end of the
hall. Bring him to sector apnes Nova.
Dr. Norman spoke to the men. As he walked off.
One of the men began to speak. Hello, I'm Nurse Alexander.
I will be your primary caretaker as of now.
We are currently bringing you to a new sector for transfer.
Any questions? I shook my head as the clanking
of metal echoed through the halls.
A massive metal door opened in the wall.
What was strange was the door had been hidden like it had no
visible way of being opened on the side we were facing and it
seemed to be built into the wall.
I started to panic. Was I about to end up in a
prison? Was I going to be tortured?
Hell if I know, but I was going to find out.
As we slowly approach through this new sector, the sound of
electrical tools began to echo throughout.
I saw a small window up ahead and frantically wheeled up to
it. Inside, I saw a man.
He was covered in a black gown and had a bag over his head.
Another man who stood in the room was gurgling in pain.
This was torture. What the hell?
I yelled as I finally found the strength to stand.
I immediately turned to Alexander, sending a fist right
to his jaw as I made the connection.
I heard stomping come my way as someone yelled.
Get on the ground now. It was another one of those
heavily armed guards. He had a strange weapon pointing
right at my head. I put my hands up and he
approached me, putting one of those black bags over my head.
I started to plead. Please no, stop.
I'm sorry, but it was too late. I felt myself get dragged into
one of those rooms where that man was yelling.
I felt myself get put onto a table and tied down.
Finally the bag was removed and I saw a man in a black robe with
a face mask. He was holding what seemed to be
a sharp object, but I couldn't be sure.
As he began to turn me on my back, I felt my body quiver as
the sharp object was put to my back.
He started to carve something into it.
I screamed in agony begging him to stop.
I thought I was going to be done for.
After around 2 minutes of crying, screaming and begging,
he stopped and stood me up. I couldn't fight back.
I was simply too weak. He brought me over to a mirror
resting in the room and forced me to turn around.
He had carved a symbol into my back.
It had the initials and and had a circle surrounding it.
I had this now permanent scar sitting on my back and I didn't
even know what it meant. However, I started to connect
the dots and stood for Apnes Nova.
They must have been putting me into their organization instead
of offing me. I felt slight relief, but the
pain was still unbearable. Finally, he put some sort of
clear liquid on the wound and a sharp pain filled my body.
I fell to my knees screaming. It was horrific.
The man in the robe lifted me and brought me out of the room.
The liquid was still burning my horrific wound, but the pain was
starting to fade slightly. I was brought again into another
white room. However, there were desks and
computers displayed. It took a moment for me to
realize what it was. It was an observatory.
People in white coats entered the room and started to work on
the computers. A massive screen started to come
out from the ceiling. I started to investigate it.
All I saw was a trail of dust. I realized we were getting an
aerial view from what I could assume was a fighter jet
following something. Finally, something came into
view. It was a house, a plain house,
like something straight out of the countryside, but it was
straight up in the middle of nowhere.
Three men entered the room. They were armed as well.
They began to approach me. Finally, one stuck their hand
out to shake mine. I'm Lieutenant Salvador.
I will be assisting you on your first anomaly interference.
You likely just came out of the branding process.
Don't worry, The pain fades quickly.
We will be bringing you to the locker room to get your gear.
Rage boiled inside of me as I slapped his hand away.
What the hell do you mean? Anomaly interference.
I don't want part in this. I want to go home.
He clicked his fingers and the two men dragged me out of the
room, bringing me outside. They finally let me go as
Lieutenant Salvador approached me.
If you don't cooperate, then, well, termination will be key.
I shook my head. Please, please don't take me.
I swear I won't say a word about this.
We can't take that risk. Just follow us.
We assure you this isn't as bad as you would think it is.
I tried to step away, but they grabbed me, bringing me with
them. As I followed along, more armed
guards became visible. We must have been entering the
Armory. I could hear the sounds of
weapons being loaded as I got closer.
Finally, we entered. The scent of sweat and grit
filled the air. It reminded me of a men's locker
room. I was shoved in front of a
locker and told to grab what was in it and put it on.
When I opened the locker, I saw a black military uniform, a
handgun, and a small machine gun.
It's crazy how quickly I went from being in a hospital bed to
being a part of this massive organization so quickly.
It felt surreal. Holding a gun.
I wasn't getting any training unless this mission was the
training. Looking back, it makes sense.
After getting fully dressed, I was escorted out and brought to
a room. What sat there was a seat with a
massive device hanging overhead. It looked like some form of
execution device. I sat down and my hands were
restrained. The device then started to beep
as it moved around. My hands were then forced to
face palm up as the device went above them.
I watched as a red light flashed.
Small lasers started to cover my fingertips.
They were burning my fingerprints off.
What the hell was this? The pain was agonizing.
I had to hold in screams as my fingerprints were eventually
wiped. I sighed in exhaustion as the
restraints released. I was brought back up and
escorted through the white halls of Apnes Nova.
Many armed guards joined the escort as we finally entered a
military hangar. I finally got a look outside.
We were still in Antarctica. I was honestly surprised.
It was quite warm in the facility.
A man in a beret and military uniform came out of a massive
plane and stood facing us. He now began speaking to all new
recruits. I am Captain Diaz.
You are currently on a mission to investigate the anomaly VS65.
You will be getting orders from your group leaders.
We have four groups as of now. DB, Omega, and Epsilon.
Boarding begins. ETA 5 minutes.
You may take time to prepare and question.
Good luck, soldiers. I nodded, feeling slightly more
comfortable. In good hands.
All these heavily armed guards around me assured me I was safe.
But after seeing what that thing did in that medical Bay, God, I
just couldn't shake off a feeling of sour and sad.
As I stood there, one of the soldiers approached me.
Hey, my name is Nolan. I was told it's your first
mission. Don't worry, man, my first
mission was fun. I'll make sure to help you out
if you need it. I nodded as I put on a warm
smile. Thanks, man.
I've been pretty nervous about it.
Ah, no problem, you'll be fine, he remarked.
He Pats my shoulder, reassuring me.
It felt good having a friend in this.
Just as I was about to say something, Sirens went off,
signaling takeoff. Everyone boarded and we went
with our respective groups. I was a part of Omega.
We sat down and our group leaders started to explain this
anomaly we would be dealing with.
VS65 is a hostile anomaly located in a redacted remote
area of Nevada. We will be approaching it and
investigating it. The flight is expected to last
three hours, so get comfortable. People started to chat among
themselves. As I sat back, the feeling of
sleepiness began to overtake me as I dozed off the sound of
rubber scraping along. Something rough awoke me.
We must have landed. We were instructed to hop out in
a single file line and await orders.
And so that's what we did. As I stepped out, the hot
landscape of Nevada overtook me. Sweat began to form under my
suit, but I ignored it. In the distance I could see that
house. It had an ominous aura just
looking at it. I began to sweat harder as our
group leader spoke. We will be one of two groups
entering the anomaly VS65. We will be assisted along with
Epsilon. I had no clue what I was getting
into. One of the group leaders came by
with a duffel bag and handed each of us a device.
It looked like a camera, However, it was white and
covered in a curved plastic shell on each side.
What is this? I remarked.
He spoke back. That is a mono elocator.
It's a single lens device used to scan through walls.
If an anomaly is detected, we use them to identify its
position. I understood, but at the same
time I was confused. I shook it off, shrugging as we
began to approach the house. Each step made me feel sick as
we finally reached the door. All ten of our group members
lined up at the door as our two largest guards proceeded to bust
down the door. The splintering of wood and
clanking of metal echoed in the house as we entered it.
I don't know how to explain it. The house was simply impossible.
The interior was way too clean, but that wasn't what made it
weird. It was too large for the
outside, like when we walked in. It reminded me of a mansion
while the outside was a single story Hut, not to mention there
was a second floor. I felt physically ill as we
began to investigate. I stood with Nolan as we looked
around. Epsilon followed along with us
as we cleared each room. Nolan and I went up the 2nd
floor stairs and that's when I heard it.
It sounded like something metal hitting the floor over and over.
That's when I pulled out my Mono Elocator.
I didn't know how it operated, but I gave it a go and
surprisingly it worked. I could see through the walls
and what I saw. God, even for a second it felt
like it fried my brain. I saw rooms, small rooms.
However, inside those rooms sat another room.
This cascaded endlessly. I started to hyperventilate, but
I just couldn't keep my eyes off this anomaly, this infinite
series of rooms. Then I noticed someone inside
them. It was me.
I just sat there in those rooms, standing perfectly still.
I let out a gasp. Those things me turn to look
right at me. I immediately drop the device as
I backed away. What the hell was this?
Was it a nightmare? I started to vomit as Nolan came
over. Don't don't look, it's me.
He looked confused as he picked up the device.
No, I screamed at him. He spoke, but nothing came out.
I realized I couldn't hear anything.
I felt something wet run down my nose.
It was blood. Nolan proceeded to use the mono
allocator and he immediately started to scream.
He threw the device away. It was chilling seeing him
scream and no sound came out. I started to feel rumbling as I
looked above us. The ceiling started to crack as
something massive broke through. It was a hand.
The ceiling opened up and an eye looked through.
I recognized it. It was my eye.
That thing started to rip the ceiling apart as both Nolan and
I screamed in terror. I felt stomping as Epsilon and
the rest of our group approached.
They were saying things, but we couldn't hear them.
They didn't seem scared. I realized they couldn't see
what we were seeing. Finally, I shouted something
above us. They all murmured among each
other as they picked us up. They brought us out.
But that was when the scariest thing I have ever experienced as
a part of this organization happened to me.
When we left the house. I couldn't see the sky.
It was pure black, no stars or anything.
Very slowly, something came into view.
It was a white light. It came right in front of me and
said 4 words that frightened me so bad I fell into a deep coma.
Afterward, it said Apnes Nova usurps us.
That's when I realized what this organization was.
These were experiments. None of this was real.
I was simply being forced through this.
Nolan wasn't real. Doctor Norman wasn't real.
Hell, I doubt even I was real at that moment and the way I knew,
because I watched that light phase through the simulated
universe I had been put in. I watched it literally fly
through the fabrics of this horror I was put through.
I saw the lines of binary code display themselves as it came to
say that. To me, this was all an
experiment. Why me?
Why? They realized that I had figured
it out and took me off the device immediately.
When I finally woke up, years had passed.
It wasn't 2012 anymore. It was 2019.
I had suffered for seven years in a matter of half a day.
I don't know what's real even now.
I've worked at Apnes Nova. Ever since then, I've put people
into the same device I was put through that day.
I've seen people who were kidnapped like I was to be put
through this. None of what you experience is
real. You could be experiencing the
Apnes Nova effect right now and you wouldn't know.
And As for those anomalies, those are real.
I've dealt with them time and time again.
The Nevada House Effect is the code name for a simulated
universe in this facility. My family is gone now.
They know I've been revealing these things and have decided to
take the spiteful direction to enforce my silence.
But I choose not to. Apnes Nova usurps us.
I'd always been drawn to history, to stories etched in
time, like the grooves in an old record.
The apartment nestled in a building that had seen more
decades than I had promised me that, A living, breathing piece
of the past, a secret, whispered in hushed tones.
It was old, It was tired, but it was mine.
The first time I walked through its doors, I could almost hear
the Symphony of life. It once hosted A tapestry of
time, spun out in creaking floorboards and weathered brick.
The excitement was palpable, like bubbles in my veins, A
childlike giddiness that took me back to days of yore, when a
cardboard box was a castle in a blanket and invisibility cloak.
The days were a whirlwind of moving boxes and adjusting to
new sounds, the hum of the refrigerator, the whisper of the
wind through the slightly ajar window, an orchestra of newness
that was slowly becoming familiar.
But as night fell in, the city outside grew quiet.
Something shifted. A cold, prickling sensation
spread down my spine like icy fingers dancing on my skin.
My breath seemed louder, echoing off the silent walls, and the
apartment, which seems so full of life in the sunlight, turned
into a different beast in the shroud of darkness.
It was the bathroom that first made my heart stutter.
I remember the flickering light overhead, casting long,
distorted shadows. The mirror, foggy from the steam
of the hot shower, reflected a world that felt slightly off
kilter. And then I saw it in the mirror,
A figure as ethereal as smoke loomed behind me, a shapeless
shadow woven from the threads of the night itself.
My heart pounded, an echo of fear against the stark silence
of the apartment. I spun around, half expecting to
see a stranger in my bathroom, a faceless intruder.
But there was nothing, just the bathroom tiles dripping with
condensation and my reflection staring back at me.
Wide eyed and ashen faced, I forced to laugh, chalking it up
to fatigue. A trick of the light, maybe, but
the laugh came out hollow, like a drum with a hole, the echo of
unease tainting the forced humor.
I turned off the light, the darkness of the bathroom
swallowing the remnants of the figure.
I crawled into my bed that night, pulling the covers up to
my chin, my heart still echoing the rhythm of fear.
In the hollow cavern of my chest, I willed sleep to take
over, hoping the morning light would bring back the comforting
Symphony of the apartment. But as I closed my eyes, the
darkness behind my lids was filled with the shadow in the
mirror. The whispering dread that curled
around my heart promised me that this was just the beginning.
Something had awoken in the apartment, something that had
lain dormant in the heart of the building, waiting, watching.
And it had seen me. And so, in my new home, nestled
in a sea of forgotten memories, my life took an ominous turn.
But what I didn't know then was just how deeply the shadow from
the mirror would come to taint everything I held dear.
The days after my first encounter with the shadow passed
in a haze of fear and forced denial.
The whispering dread had now grown into a deafening roar.
I dismissed it as the stress of the move, the unfamiliar
surroundings playing tricks on my mind.
But the specter in the bathroom mirror was no figment of an
overactive imagination. It was as real as the chill that
descended upon my apartment each night, as tangible as the icy
tendrils that crawled under my skin, sending shivers down my
spine. Every fleeting glimpse of
movement in my peripheral vision brought with it a chill of
apprehension, A tightening knot in my stomach that refused to
loosen the shadows. They moved when they had no
right to, creeping and crawling at the edges of my vision, but
whenever I turned to face them, they'd retreat into the safety
of the corners, lurk within the dim light thrown by my solitary
lamp. One night sleep a distant
memory. I decided to face my fears, to
confront the shadows that toyed with my sanity.
Armed with a flashlight, I turned my apartment into a
battlefield. Each room I entered, every inch
of space I illuminated, became my domain, claimed from the
entity that had infected my sanctuary.
But the deeper I delved, the more unsettling the shadows
became. They weren't just figments
dancing in the corners of my eyes.
They were etched into the very walls of the apartment.
Strange symbols that my flashlight revealed, symbols
that crawled under my skin, symbols that whispered in
languages I could not understand, and the smell and
acrid, sour scent like burnt sugar and decay clung to the
back of my throat. It was the smell of time, of
dust, of the old and forgotten things best left undisturbed.
It invaded my senses, a constant reminder of the dark presence in
my home. It was then I returned to the
epicenter of my dread the bathroom.
The mirror hung above the sink, reflecting the muted light in a
mockery of normalcy. I could almost laugh were it not
for the pounding heartbeat that threatened to shatter the
silence. I forced myself to look, to
confront the reflection that had taken on a life of its own.
The flashlight's beam landed on the mirror, throwing my tired,
fear stricken face into sharp relief.
And there it was, not behind me this time, but on me.
A grin stretched across my reflections face, a grin that
did not belong to me. Sinister and out of place, it
carved A ghastly curve on the face that should have been mine,
perverting it into a grotesque mask.
The shock sent me stumbling back, flashlight slipping from
my trembling fingers. But even in the darkness, the
sinister grin remained etched into my vision, a promise of
more to come. It was no longer confined to the
shadows, no longer a fleeting figure in the corners of my
eyes, it had claimed my reflection.
The battle I had hoped to win was already lost.
The shadow was no longer a specter in the mirror.
It was inside my home, inside me, and it was beginning to show
its true face. My heart pounded in my chest
like a hammer against an anvil, each beat echoing the terror
that had wrapped itself around me.
The grin on my reflection was a hollow mockery of joy, a
gruesome caricature that seemed to distort the very air around
it. But that wasn't the worst of it.
It was the eyes. My reflections, eyes once
mirroring my own fear, had changed.
They were voids, devoid of warmth of life.
They were black pits that seemed to swallow the light around
them, turning the world into a void as cold and desolate as the
moon's surface. In a moment of horror and
fascination, I reached out to touch the mirror, my hand
trembling, guided by a morbid curiosity.
I expected my fingers to meet the cold, solid surface of the
glass, but as I reached closer, my reflection mirrored my
movements, it's hand rising to meet mine.
It's fingers, a ghastly negative of my own, reached through the
barrier of glass and brushed against my skin.
The touch was colder than ice, and a shock of electricity ran
up my arm. I jerked my hand back, stumbling
away from the mirror, but it was too late.
The connection had been made from then on.
Things spiraled quickly, every reflective surface I passed, a
car mirror, a window, The shiny surface of a spoon offered a
glimpse of the entity. It was there, watching me,
mocking me. It had taken my image, wearing
it like a cloak, twisting it to its own nightmarish design.
It mimicked me every step, every gesture.
A silent puppet show that left me cold sleep became a vague
memory and unreachable luxury. The fear of closing my eyes, of
surrendering to the darkness, kept me awake.
Every blink was a mini blackout, a moment in which the entity
could reach out again, seize me, swallow me whole.
The once comforting haven of my apartment had turned into a
prison, the walls closing in on me.
The strange symbols on the walls pulsed with an unnatural energy,
a constant reminder of the entity's presence.
The acrid smell was stronger now, a scent of malevolence that
hung heavy in the air, But it was the mirror that became the
epicenter of my terror. I could feel it pulsating with a
dark energy, like a heart beating.
In time with the fear coursing through my veins.
It had transformed from a simple reflective surface into a
gateway to another, darker realm, a realm where my
monstrous doppelganger existed. As I stood in front of the
mirror once again, I realized I was not just up against an
entity from another realm. I was battling my own
reflection, my own fears, my own nightmares, all twisted into a
terrifying reality. The mirror had become a sinister
reminder of my worst fears come to life, and the entity a shadow
in the reflection, A grotesque mockery of my existence.
It's cold, ghostly fingers had reached out to me, blurring the
line between our worlds, making me question what was real and
what was merely a reflection in the grip of this unspeakable
horror. I reached out for help.
Paranormal experts, They called themselves people who dwelled in
the realms of the unexplainable, of ghosts and ghouls and spirits
that crossed the barriers of our world.
I clung on to their promise of salvation, desperate for the
nightmare to end. They warned me that mirrors were
more than simple reflective surfaces.
They were portals, gateways that allowed spirits to cross into
our realm. And the entity in my mirror was
no ordinary spirit. It was a malevolent force, a
parasitic shadow feeding off my fear.
Breaking the connection was nearly impossible, they said,
but there was a way, a dangerous and uncertain way, to trap the
entity back within the mirror, to seal it With incantations,
cymbals, and rituals older than the building I was living in, we
prepared for the ritual. The apartment, once filled with
the echo of life was now a battleground, a maze of chalk
drawn cymbals, burning candles, and the sharp Tang of sage.
That night was a blur of chance and pulsing energy.
The experts guided me through the ritual, their voices a
monotonous drone that seemed to echo from miles away.
As they chanted, I felt a deep shiver run through me.
The mirror trembled, the air thickened and the energy in the
room coalesced, throbbing like a living heart.
And there it was, my reflection, it's hollow eyes and that vile,
haunting grin staring back at me.
But as the incantations echoed around the room, the grin began
to fade, receding back into the darkness from which it had
emerged. Slowly, painfully, I felt the
icy grip of the entity loosen its hold.
On my reflection, my life started to wane.
The shadow was being drawn back, trapped within the confines of
the mirror. With one final surge of energy,
the room plunged into silence. The mirror was just a mirror
again, reflecting my wideeyed, exhausted face.
The relief was immediate. A heavy weight lifted from my
shoulders, but the fear lingered.
A phantom pain, a reminder of the battle that had raged within
the confines of my apartment. Within me, the paranormal
experts left, leaving behind a quiet that was almost deafening.
I was alone once again, alone with the mirror that had become
my tormentor, but the malevolent entity was gone, sealed within
the mirror. Victory tasted bitter, laced
with the lingering fear that it soaked into the very walls of my
apartment. The symbols remained reminders
of the otherworldly battle, and the acrid smell of the spirit
world lingered in the air. I had survived.
I had fought, battled an entity from another realm and emerged
victorious. But I was changed, marked by the
shadow that had tainted my reflection.
My life I had glimpsed into the void, into a darkness that lurks
beneath the surface of our world, and I was forever
scarred. The nightmare was over, but the
echo of fear remained. Life after the haunting was a
haunted life. Every mirror I passed, every
reflective surface I saw, was tainted with the memory of the
ghastly grin, the hollow eyes, the creeping shadows.
The entity was gone, sealed within the mirror, but its
echoes reverberated in the caverns of my mind, a haunting
lullaby that left me shaken. The mirrors of my apartment were
covered now, shrouded in thick cloth, as if in mourning.
I had hoped it would silence the echoes still, the trembling
fear. But the silence was as
unsettling as the shadows presence had been.
It was the fear of the unseen, the fear of the lurking dread
that lay just beyond the veil of reality.
Waiting, watching, biting. It's time to break free once
more. I knew it was out there.
The mirror had been a doorway, a breach in the barrier between
our worlds. And if one entity had found its
way through, what was stopping others?
I saw them sometimes in the quiet hours of the night,
shadows dancing at the edge of my vision.
Were they remnants of the entity, echoes of the haunting?
Or were they something else, something darker, waiting for
its chance to strike? Sleep was an elusive companion,
fear a constant one. My dreams, when they dared to
venture forth, were filled with twisted versions of my
reflection, echoes of the malevolent entity that had
infected my life. I awoke from these nightmares
gasping, the taste of fear sour in my mouth, the chilling touch
of the entity still palpable on my skin.
Despite it all, life went on, a bleak semblance of normalcy
creeping into my daily routine. The apartment was quiet, the
walls no longer pulsating with an unseen energy, the mirrors no
longer housing a spectral tenant.
But the scars of my battle remained.
They were etched deep within me, invisible marks that shaped my
existence. I carried them with me, a
constant reminder of the fear I had lived, the darkness I had
battled. One night the quiet was
unbearable. I uncovered one of the mirrors,
a desperate need for normalcy driving me.
My reflection stared back, a tired man, worn thin by fear.
There was no sinister grin, no hollow eyes, just me.
But as I stared into my own eyes, I felt a shiver of
recognition, a chilling familiarity.
The mirror seemed to pulse once, a faint echo of the sinister
energy it once held. My heart pounded in my chest,
the haunting dread washing over me, and then I saw it.
In the edge of the mirror. A shadow moved.
Not my shadow, but something else.
It was there for just a moment, a fleeting whisper of the
darkness, but it was enough. Enough to remind me that the
battle was far from over. The shadows were receding, but
they were still there, lurking in the corners, watching,
waiting, waiting for the day they would reclaim me for the
day they would break free once more.
The shadow in the reflection was gone, but its memory remained,
and I knew with a dreadful certainty that I would never be
free. The entity may have been
trapped, but the darkness, the real darkness was still out
there and it was only a matter of time before it returned Okay.
So this happened when I was 21. I'm currently 27.
Back then. I believe that I made a rookie
mistake, but have since learned my lesson and have taken
precautions so that this doesn't happen again.
I'm an avid mountain biker Ever since I was about 1314.
I've always loved riding on the trails.
It was good exercise, but I mostly like to just listen to
music and pedal. Never tried to time myself on a
particular trail or anything. All I really did was keep track
of my miles, so I remember this one day in particular.
It may sound a tad bit farfetched, so I welcome
skepticism with open arms. I'm simply trying to get this
off of my chest and hopefully it's a wake up call for anyone
that was as trusting as I was. So I decided to go on a day ride
at this one spot. I had been there before but it
wasn't one of my go to trails so I wasn't super familiar with it.
I was familiar enough with it though to where I would be okay
going down the trails I had done in the past.
So upon getting there I was getting my pack ready.
I met this one girl that was doing the same.
We started talking and hit it off pretty well at the time.
She honestly seemed like someone I could be friends with.
She introduced me to her boyfriend who was also a
mountain biker. Once again, no red flags, very
friendly. They seem to have a very healthy
relationship. They both seem to be about my
age, ballpark, give or take. They asked me if I wanted to
take a ride with them down their favorite trail.
I didn't see any harm in it. Plus I wanted to learn the area
better for potential future rides.
So the trail was one that I had never been on before.
The two of them were also faster than me.
Like a lot faster. I never backed down from a
challenge. I kept up, albeit probably being
about 10 feet behind them the whole time.
We stopped briefly to take a water break and I noticed that
the girl had strategically left her backpack open, like she
closed it, but then opened it back up a little bit.
Seemed harmless then, but makes more sense now.
Without any sort of warning and while I was taking a bathroom
break in the trees, the two of them started laughing and took
off. I was in a compromised position
so I had to hurry up and conclude my business to be able
to catch them. By the time I made it back to my
bike, they were both completely out of sight, not to mention
both of my tires had been slashed.
I was stranded. I sat down for about 10 minutes
to decide what I was going to do.
The sun was at peak capacity and I remember feeling extremely
lightheaded. Though I'm pretty sure this was
related to shock. I grabbed my bike and started
walking down the trail. After about 15 minutes of
walking, I came across a wire on the trail.
It was tied onto 2 smaller trees.
Had I been riding that could have easily slipped my neck, but
the fact that they went through the trouble of slashing my tires
made me question this. I hadn't seen them, so this may
or may not have been them, or they could have potentially left
it there to try and snare another rider.
I honestly don't know and don't much think about that part
anymore. The what it's makes the whole
thing more frustrating. Regardless, I use my Swiss Army
knife to remove the wire. I wasn't about to go any further
down the trail, so I pushed my bike in the opposite direction
that I came from. close to 6 miles later I made it back to my
car. There's a bike rental shop
nearby that I stopped at and asked them about the two.
I gave them a description of the two, but wasn't able to give
them enough to have them identified.
They offered to call the police, but after the day I had I just
wanted to go home. I do regret this because over
the years I had always wondered if they did this to anyone else.
I did feel a level of guilt over this.
I have never been back to that trail.
I'm still a mountain biker, but I quit going alone since then.
Thankfully, my husband is a fellow mountain biker and I
always have a buddy. Please stay safe everyone, and
don't always trust a pretty face.