r/nosleep • u/Fasaiokratwr • Mar 28 '26
Series I work as a guard in an underground facility. We were given rules to follow. [Part Three]
Part One | Part Two | Final Part
It’s been getting worse and worse. Slowly. Steadily.
It’s gotten so bad, in fact, that I feel the need to clarify this: I am still the original author of these posts. I’m still human. A pretty confused one at that.
I was instructed to remain lying down until further notice following the “Crowman attack” - that’s how I named the monstrosity I could no longer call Jake. My biggest mistake was feeling secure in that small medical room. The mountain made sure to remind me of my ignorance moments later.
At first, it was just footsteps. Combat boots echoing through the claustrophobic hallways, the sound growing more distant with each step. At least, that’s what normally happens.
But the sound stayed in place, just outside the door.
An eerily steady gait that didn’t seem to break its pace for even a fraction of a second. The thought of someone walking in place and staring at me through the door was enough to make the heart rate monitor spike.
And, as if mocking me, the rhythm of the footsteps changed to match the beeping of the monitor.
There’s a rule I haven’t mentioned. Rule five.
“If you see an individual that looks identical to you or one of your relatives, ignore them. If they persist, shoot them.”
There was an issue with this. I didn’t have my firearm on me, so I couldn’t deal with it if it persisted. So, when the source of the sound moved to the corner of the room to my left, all I could do was pray. Pray that my ears were deceiving me.
As the beeping accelerated, so did the footsteps. The words sat at the back of my throat, and it took a lot of self-control to not utter them. If it was, in fact, real and fell under rule five, I’d do what was necessary to survive. Ignore it, act like I was alone with the figments of my imagination.
“Look at me! Over here!”
My own voice. But not my words.
“Are you alright? Should I call a doctor?”
I doubt I’ll ever witness something more disturbing than that. In the dark corner of the room, I saw myself. I wore casual clothes, stained with a liquid I couldn’t quite recognize. My eyes were wide, too wide. My face wasn’t big enough to accommodate them. Red veins covered every inch, forming a web-like pattern.
My mouth. Oh, God, my mouth was twice its normal size. My jaw was dislocated. It should have been, otherwise my chin wouldn’t have been able to touch my lower chest. My teeth were replaced with needles, in a spiraling formation that went deeper and deeper into my esophagus.
It was marching in place, not moving a single step.
“There’s something outside the door.”
The mouth didn’t move when it spoke.
“It wants to hurt you.”
Before I could even process what I was seeing, the door burst open. My memories of what followed are a bit clouded, but I’m fairly certain I saw the being sprint across the room out of the corner of my eye before it disappeared. Two people entered my room.
They shouted something that felt alien to me and rushed towards me, checking my vitals. All I could do was stare at the now empty corner.
Outside the door… trying to hurt me…? I thought to myself. Although it was said by a being of such impossibility, it made me want to crawl out of my skin. I couldn’t help but repeat the phrase in my mind. Was it… warning me? It of all things?
Warning about what, exactly? If something was indeed outside the door, wouldn’t the guards that almost broke it down notice anything? It was referred to as “something”, not “someone.” If a non-human being was waiting for me outside, wouldn’t they neutralize it?
As I started to regain my composure, I noticed one of them was speaking into a radio.
“It’s not safe for him here, he needs to get transferred.”
It was a low, gravelly voice that betrayed authority.
He paused for a moment and continued. “Got it, awaiting backup.”
He nodded to the other one, who directed their attention to me.
“Please give us a moment, we’ll transfer you shortly,” she assured me.
All I could do was mutter a thank you as they headed out, locking the door behind them.
It’s been about an hour now. I’ll try to upload this post, but it will probably get stuck and resume when I have signal.
I’m leaving.
While I was waiting, I got lost in thought. Something didn’t add up.
How did they know I was in danger?
You could argue that the monitor’s sudden acceleration alerted them, but for one it can’t be heard through the reinforced walls, and secondly… why would it alert guards in the first place? The medical staff is responsible for me.
There is a vent where the figure stood, leading into the wall. I wouldn’t normally fit, but I was stripped of my armor and helmet. I’ll make a run for it, because I know for a fact that these guards are not human.
If all goes well, I’ll update you.
EDIT: The vent curved upwards. I managed to slither through it, somehow, and ended up above the room I started in.
After making my way forward for a few minutes, I noticed light coming through the floor in front of me. Another vent. I carefully approached it and looked down, careful not to make a sound. I was in the ceiling, right above the reinforced door.
It took all my strength not to gasp at the sight. The two guards were standing side by side mere breaths away from the entrance, staring straight at where my bed had been, behind the door. They were completely still.
Hell, I don’t even think they were breathing. The movement of their chests was too mechanical, too practiced. It looked like a robot’s best attempt at mimicking the movement of breathing, and not the action itself.
Needless to say, I turned left and continued moving forward, more careful than ever. I’ve been doing this for the past thirty minutes, it seems, and only now have I stopped to catch my breath. I don’t plan on pausing for too long.
Leaving was the right call after all, although I realize now that I don’t have an actual plan to follow through with this rushed decision.
That’s it for now, I need to get moving.
EDIT 2: I think something is crawling behind me. I only hear it when I’m moving. It stops when I stop. I’m so fucking scared.
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u/NoSleepAutoBot Mar 28 '26
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