A hallway that never ends. Picture this. Life is great. Ten years old. Ten years of your life have been on earth. Ten years. On my tenth birthday, I got the worst birthday gift. I fell asleep that night, the night of my tenth birthday. I had gotten great gifts, and I was exhausted. The moment I woke up, however, I was in a completely different place. Laying on the ground, I slowly gained consciousness. The room was gray with dim light, and by me was a crumpled sheet of paper. I opened it, and there were the rules. The list of rules that have kept me alive this long. Currently, I’m fourteen. Four years I have relied on these rules.
Before I read them off, this world is a never ending passageway. In the twisting hallways, there’s doors. Some are plain, and some have a golden plate with words etched into them. There’s six types of rooms, Plain Room, Medical Room, Supply Room, Kitchen, Bathroom, and Bedroom. The rooms are self explanatory. Plain rooms consist of a few drawers and tall filing cabinets found in the hallways.
Rule 1: When opening a door, knock three times. If there’s no knock, it’s safe to enter. If you hear a knock back, do not open that door.
Rule 2: When you have an open wound, which will happen a lot, wrap the wound up. The scent of blood attracts the creatures, and you do not want to meet them.
Rule 3: Do not sleep in the hallways.
Rule 4: Before going to sleep, take the amulet you have been given and set it on your chest. Also before sleep, make a ring of salt around your sleeping area.
Rule 5: If you hear knocking on your door, do not answer. If the knocking continues for more than fifteen minutes, see Rule 14.
Rule 6: Only eat in the rooms. Do not eat in the hallways.
Rule 7: You can read all the files you want from the tall filing cabinets located in the hallways. If you see a file with the words “Hide” in red, put the file back exactly as you found, close your eyes, and count to ten. Then you can continue on.
Rule 8: Each time you fall asleep, the hallway outside of you will completely change the rooms by you and change the entire layout of the hallways. If the hallway is the exact same as it was before you went to sleep, shut the door and sprinkle salt by it. Wait it out and go back to sleep. By the next sleep, it should be changed. In the rare instance it is not, repeat the same steps. When it is the same as before sleep, do not leave your room under any circumstances.
Rule 9: If you hear howling, run into the nearest room and lock the door. You don’t have to follow Rule 1 during this circumstance. Follow the next steps strictly. After locking the door, sit against the door and count to 60. After that, sprinkle salt by the door. Then, do anything you’d like, but do not say anything. After you go to sleep and wake up again, it will be gone.
Rule 10: Do not stay in the hallways too long. The longer you stay, the more chance of Rule 9, Rule 7, and Rule 14 occurring in the hallway, and more chance of Rule 1, Rule 5, Rule 14, and Rule 8 occurring while in the rooms.
Rule 11: Do not stay in a room for more than 5 sleeps.
Rule 12: If you hear loud pounding outside your door, do all the steps in Rule 4 and stay in the salt circle, with your eyes closed and an amulet on your chest, until it stops.
Rule 13: Do not scream under any circumstances. Screaming makes them hear you.
Rule 14: This is the most dangerous incident, follow all the steps with care. There are a few instances this can happen 1. If you hear knocking on your door for over fifteen minutes. 2. If you hear scratching on your door. 3. If the lights flicker. What you will do is barricade the door. If you’re in the hallway, get to the nearest room as quickly as possible, discard Rule 1. You have thirty seconds to complete the following. Cut open your hand or some body part, and get all the blood possible. Use your blood to write the word “Mercy” on the wall. After doing this, sit face to the wall and count to 20, with your eyes shut. Do not leave your room until after your next sleep.
Tips: Bring the following items around with you. Bag of salt, pocket knife, Amulet, Sleeping Bag, Food, Basic Medical Supplies.
Those rules I’ve followed for four years. At first I thought they sounded crazy but soon learned they were the only way of survival. I’ve drilled them into my brain. I don’t need the list anymore, but stil, carry it around with me. This world is not for the weak, not for the faint of heart, and not for the stupid. You have to be quick witted, tough, and smart. That’s what can save your life. Time here is judged based on your sleep. And yeah, that’s it.
Right now I stumble along the hallway, looking for the gold plate on the door reading “Medical Room.” I need to restock my bandages, since I’m low. The days are turning into some disgusting slop. I don’t know what’s the point in surviving. I’m probably never going to find my way out. I crack my fingers in anticipation. The dim light in the hallway makes everything seem faded. A golden plate sits on the door by me, reading “Medical Room.” Perfect, I was worried that I would be in the hallways for too long. I knock three times, to which there is no response, so I open the door. I see counters of supplies. A first aid kit sits on the wall. The red cross shining a hazy red light. I loot the cabinets for bandages. After collecting all of them, I realize my tiredness and decide to go to bed. I check outside and make note of the hallways appearance. I quickly prepare for bed, grabbing the salt and pouring it into a circle around where I had laid out my sleeping bag. Then I grabbed my amulet and wore its chain around my neck. I layed down and fell into a slumber.
The next morning I woke up feeling rested enough. Could’ve slept better, though. I packed up and headed out the door. Right when I opened the door, however, my heart fell. It was the exact same layout as before I went to sleep. I shut the door and obeyed Rule 8’s procedure. The day dragged on as I read one of the books I had backed in my bag. I was just trying to pass the time. My plan for today was to collect more salt, since I am low, but I guess that’s not happening. The book was decent. I found them in either the Bedroom or the Supply Room. The filing cabinets only have files. I let out a sigh, tiredness filling me as the day went on. I decided to hit the sack early. Preparing my bed as usual, I completed the nighttime steps. I fell back to sleep and woke up again the next morning.
I grumbled to myself before packing up. The days when the hallway hadn’t changed are boring. I do nothing other than sit around and read. The hallway has changed, so luckily I can go on the hunt for salt. I walk out, reading the rooms that have a golden sign on them. All I found was a bedroom and a bathroom, which I needed neither of. After about thirty minutes, I found a Kitchen. I walked in and made myself a meal as well as collecting the needed salt. The day went on and I left the room, in search of a bedroom. After about fifteen minutes of searching, I found myself a cozy bedroom. I knocked on the door three times before opening the door, since there had been no knock back. The bed was small. Dark blue sheets were strewn in a messy manner across the bed. A beat up pillow sat on top of it. Dressers sat against the other wall, and a beat up faded gray and red rug was laid out near the bed.
“Better than nothing,” I muttered to myself. Completing the nightly ritual, I poured salt around the bed. I then wore the amulet and fell asleep on the bed.
Part two sooner or later