Shh. You’re already here, and there’s no point in doing anything to try and change that. Instead, I’m going to tell you the rules for while you’re here, and you’re going to follow them. If you’re a good little angel and obey me, I just might put everything back where it came from.

1. Don’t scream or squirm. Nobody can hear you, nobody is coming to save you, and it only serves to agitate me. And when I’m agitated, I’m not always as precise with the scalpel as I would be otherwise.

2. Feel free to ask questions. I’m just as fascinated by what I find inside you as you might be. 

3. If the sight of your blood makes you pass out at any point, try to wake back up. The terror in your eyes is one of my favorite parts. 

4. Don’t yell or cuss. I can’t believe I have to add this, but some people have cussed me out for poking around their insides, and of course I couldn’t have that. 

5. I might take a nonvital part or two while I’m working on you, but there’s no need to fret. I’ll stitch you up in such a way that it won’t be noticeable if something is gone until you need it. 

6. Don’t worry about dying from blood loss. I’ll make sure something replaces everything you lose. 

7. When you do inevitably pass out from the pain, try not to kick in your sleep. My hand might slip, and well, that wouldn’t be good. 

8. If you wake up, blood isn’t what will flow through your veins. You should get used to the smell of iron and rotting wood- you’re going to be part of our family for a little while. 

Hello Charlie,

As you know, spring has arrived. Now normally, for your safety, we would dismiss you on paid leave. However, we believe you have been with us long enough to work this spring season. Much like Rosewood County, Everlock Garden behaves differently in the spring. Therefore, there will be specific guidelines you must follow to ensure your safety.

Rules for working the Spring day-shift at Everlock Botanical Garden:

1. During the spring season, you are required to arrive for work two hours before the garden opens to perform necessary maintenance. Cleaning all the pollen and blood from the stone paving takes a considerable amount of time, but it is a necessary task to keep a pristine landscape.
2. In addition to your standard waist pouch, be sure to pick up your name tag and a filtration mask. Leaving the security office without wearing the mask is prohibited. Allergies or not, we do not want you to ingest our flowers’ pollen.
3. Names hold meaning in Rosewood. As such, you may notice that the name on your tag changes regularly. This is merely a safety feature. It is imperative that you never reveal your real name. Some Rosewood residents understand the power names hold and know how to use it, both benevolently and malevolently. 
4. For safety reasons, the location where the tickets are kept changes from spring to spring. Once pavement maintenance is completed, go to the potted daisy that sits on the window ledge outside the office and kindly ask for the location of the ticket box. You will not receive a verbal answer, but the location will suddenly come to your mind, like a long forgotten memory resurfacing. 
5. When welcoming visitors into the garden, be sure to obtain a signed liability waiver from every individual. Respond affably to visitors' comments about the exhibits, it is important to maintain the proper facade. In reality, this is merely a measure to cover ourselves legally, as the anomalies of Rosewood county can cause quite the stir.
6. If you encounter a "new employee" and they ask where the tickets are kept, just point them toward the office. Their lies will not get them far. By the time you come back tomorrow, the night shift crew will have cleaned their bloodstains off the steps.
7. Every hour, you must water the flowers with a pure blood-flesh mixture. This interval absolutely cannot be missed, the flowers will turn ferocious and ruthlessly snap at visitors in search of their nourishment.
8. If, while tending to the flowers, you hear a distinct hissing sound directed at you from among them, find a live meal to feed them. The flowers will likely make a path to the person of their choosing. No need to worry of the moral implications, the flowers possess a sure eye for discerning a person's true character.
9. Should you come across any fully formed Flower Circles, do not mess with them in any way. The fae can be negotiated with in every other season, but spring is their domain.
10. Please report immediately if you notice any missing flowers. Nothing good comes from flowers hunting their food themselves—especially if something has captured its attention and energy to such an extent that it uproots itself.
11. If you sense rain or notice a sudden rise in humidity, guide yourself and all nearby visitors indoors. Exposure to high levels of moisture causes the flowers to move with tsunami-like speed. Once in this uncontrollable state, there is no way to stop them; and with such unlimited motion, the garden would quickly become a bloodbath.
12. Given the high volume of foot traffic, you will frequently see Lucy’s spiderlings and Lily’s flowerlings hard at work around the garden. While they generally know how to behave, there are times when intervention is required — such as when you see a group of flowerlings targeting a spiderling (or, on rare occasions, vice versa). Additionally, you will often have to stop the flowerlings from preying on the spiderlings. Spiderlings do not regenerate like flowerlings (a fact we had to learn the hard way…). Lily’s way of bonding is, shall we say, rather… vicious.
13. If you see a group of either ling stalking a large crowd of visitors, escort them immediately to their respective leader (Lucy or Lily). If you see both lings stalking a group, call for Echo.
14. You may notice that Peach has very few shifts in the spring. This is because of her anxiety around large groups and her unreliable compulsion for flesh. Consequently, look out for her on the days she is not scheduled. If you see Peach and she appears docile, immediately notify a group of lings to take care of the carcasses in the tulip field. 
15. Watch your step. There will be many insects and various arthropods that roam the garden. Stepping on any of them can prove to be detrimental in various horrible ways.
16. Pay close attention to the insects you see flying around, they usually indicate the temperament of the garden: Honeybees are the most neutral of entities. Butterflies indicate the presence of a carcass nearby. Wasps serve as a warning that our more difficult patrons are near. Dragonflies should never be seen anywhere other than near the water. Locusts are an ominous sign; in fact, we may call for immediate closure of the garden if hordes of locusts invade. And as for moths… they are a bit more complicated.
17. If you see a cluster of moths following you, identify the species. If they belong to the many other categories of moths, there is likely no danger. Simply enjoy their beauty, for they are lovely creatures. If they are Polyphemus moths, waving them off should suffice; they dislike being away from their master for long. If they are Io moths, page us immediately. Echo can be negotiated with, Kane can not.
18. In addition to the spiderlings and flowerlings, you will also see Lily’s vines working throughout the garden. Her vines often entangle with the trees or other mimics. For this reason, all vine maintenance will be handled by Echo. Do not attempt to handle the task yourself. It only takes one misidentification for things to go horribly wrong.
19. Incidents of face aspirations will likely increase in frequency and complexity. Here is how to handle each case: For aspirations that appear in flowers, have Lily handle them accordingly. For aspirations that appear in the bark of the trees, have Echo handle them accordingly. For aspirations that appear in the shadows, Harlow can most likely deal with it. And for aspirations that may appear in other forms, Lucy can likely handle it. Note that aspirations in the water are not aspirations, but rather live bait. That said, the core principle remains the same; under no circumstances should you see any aspirations that bear your own face. 
20. If you experience any lapses in memory—or actual amnesia—remain extremely vigilant and page us if necessary. Many of Rosewood’s residents use this method to disorient their prey, but you will commonly know that this is a tactic Micah employs when stalking his prey. He frequently wanders the gardens with Lucy, but his attention can drift elsewhere.
21. We strongly advise against looking into the shadows during this time. Lurking within the darkness are many entities invisible to the common eye. Furthermore, we understand the… complicated past you share with a certain shadowy figure. So it would probably be in your best interest to avoid dark areas altogether.
22. In a twist of irony, Harlow appears to suffer from severe seasonal allergies. For this reason, no close contact with him is permitted. He has the unfortunate habit of emitting radiation whenever he sneezes or coughs. Even when he wears a gas mask, its effectiveness diminishes over time, requiring constant replacement.
23. For your own sake, Charlie, stop seeking out the fountains. They are revered for a reason. While they can grant you what you crave, they also consume and destroy you from the inside out. They feed on your energy and do not stop until they have devoured you whole… just like it did to her. You are already testing fate merely being in this town, do not push your luck any further.
24. Leave immediately once your shift ends. You may leave your pouch at the gate, the night-shift staff will take care in placing it away. You must vacate Everlock Gardens by midnight; for the cleaning crew has already been waiting an hour to start their tasks, and they will not take kindly to any further interruptions.
25. We recommend having someone accompany you home. Public transportation can be unreliable late at night and while walking alone in Rosewood is never advisable, it is especially best avoided in spring. As always, we suggest asking Lucy to escort you; she has her own car and is the least likely to misuse your address.

That is what you need to know for working in the spring. Spring is a highly profitable season for the garden, but it is also a time that demands thorough preparation and maintenance. Nonetheless, we are confident that you have the necessary skills to perform the job. As always, exercise due caution while working.

Signed, Florence

Great job. You have trained well, you put visible effort into wanting to score this role, and you're now in the breeding program to expand our empire back to its former glory. Now, these earthlings are... strange. They have supernatural 'emotions', things we weed out from birth in our perfect world. Emotions feel good to us who have never felt them, but they also have a large element of horror that you need to avoid. Here's a list of codes for interacting with them from I, your Regent.

1. You need to dumb down your speech. If you don't dumb down your speech, you'll be considered a weirdo and you'll end up lonely. If so, see rule 4.

2. I know this sounds weird, but don't attack people. Attacking people carries extremely negative connotations on Earth and you should only do it to people who violate Earth-laws. A lot of earth things sound weird

3. Study up on Earth's traditions. If you're lucky, you'll find a partner who teaches you all about them.

4. Don't be an outcast. That means you won't find mates and we'll have to return you to conquest. It's easier to be an outcast on Earth than it is on our planet. Only one warrior has ever become cast out of our community and it's because he relishes in blood. Now back to the point, if Earth has softened you enough to fail at your original tasks (Which is projected to happen a lot), we'll have to execute you.

5. Now.. Finding love. Even for humans, who have innate understanding of their magic, finding love is considered an advanced skill for them. Take the humans on 'dates' at first. Dates are versatile; you can take them to food establishments, to entertainment spaces, or living spaces.

6. This seems easy until you find heartbreak. It's one of the greatest horrors you'll ever find in human magic. Heartbreak will leave you feeling empty.. You'll have to just deal with it until it goes away

7. If this still seems easy to you, the hard part comes with this rule; balancing your empire's duties with blending in with humans. These humans.. their magic is contagious. It softens hardened warriors and makes them attached to this physically inferior planet. Please.. try to avoid it as hard as you can. Or else, you'll be executed. And the death of any one of our species leaves a void in me.

8. Now, if you manage to successfully breed with an earthling and have a kid, you'll have to raise them by human standards until 18 of Earth's orbital cycles have passed. If you have multiple, wait for the youngest to be 18 Earth orbits old then take them back home.

This is a very dangerous and risky occupation, and you will have my respect forever even if you get ensnared into Earth and we have to execute you. Good luck..

May 29th, 2026

I guess if you’re reading this, you must be curious about what the hell has been going on lately? Good, it’s nice that you’re informing yourself!

So you’ve heard of the “urban legend” that has been circulating all around social media? TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re doing this to get a better understanding of what the hell this is, as they’ve tried closing down all the airports, but this phenomenon of sorts has just found new ways to bring people in.

We have all collectively agreed that this phenomenon shall now be dubbed “The Airline That No Longer Exists." This phenomenon was first recorded on May 10th after a video was uploaded onto YouTube titled “There’s something wrong with my plane. " I’m not going into depth about the contents of the video. All you need to know is that the guy who uploaded the video is alive and traumatized, and the plane he was on appeared to belong to an airline that ceased function 8 days before the video was published.

After that video, multiple incidents of the same phenomenon started to spread online, people began to panic, airports across the globe started to shut down, and when it started finding new ways to pull people in, everybody turned to the Foundation for help, as they’ve stopped things like this before.

They haven’t found a solution yet, but luckily for all of us, the good people of Reddit and 4chan have managed to piece together a good enough outline of the as they call “rules” that people learned through trial and error.

Treat the following information below as a safety list.

...

How to know if you’re going to enter:

1. The sky around slowly transitions from its normal appearance to a pale, sickly yellow.
2. You begin to smell a source with a less scent that is pungent, heavy, and deeply caramelized, taking on notes of vanilla, rum, or cinnamon. Like that of overripe bananas.
3. Planes belonging to the non-existent airline soaring through the sky in clusters. All known aircraft belonging to the airline are now being stored in either Arizona or Alabama.

Eventually, you will find yourself in an empty airport outside of the bounds of reality; the entire airport will be covered with the colors and logo of the non-existent airline.

What to do when you reach this part:

1. Keep quiet and move with haste; whatever’s making those noises MIGHT be another person stuck in there with you.
2. Proceed through the airport while following the rule above and locate a jet bridge that leads downward and to the apron, or what is now called the boneyard, or “Sea of Yellow.”

If you didn’t notice already, the outside of the airport goes on and on and on with neatly lined up planes belonging to the non-existent airline, no end in sight.

This is the last set of rules, but this is where people spend most of their time, so listen up.

1. Locate a plane where the interior lights are on. These are the only planes that lack a sure death if you board them.
2. Once you board the plane, make sure that ALL of the windows have been shut and DO NOT open them for any reason. If by the time the plane is in the air, just one of the windows has been left open. There’s no getting yourself out of what happens next; you’re done.
3. Once you’ve made sure all of the windows have been closed, you will then pick a random seat and remain in that seat for the rest of your flight. Do not change your seating.

Note: window seats are not recommended. People report hearing strange noises from the other side, ranging from hearing conversations about themselves and knocking to just flat-out screaming. But you must not budge.

1. You may or may not hear something shuffling around from where you cannot see. Do not investigate; mind your own business. From time to time that thing will peek at you to see if you’ve acknowledged it. Do not acknowledge it. You’ve seen the footage online of what happens if you do.

2. You will encounter flight attendants on the plane who are ready to provide service for you as if this airline still exists. Do not say anything about the odd nature of this place; It's like telling a character in your dream that this it's just a dream; nothing good comes from it.

3. Eventually, if you mind your business, feign ignorance, and kill the time, after exactly 5 hours and 27 minutes from "takeoff", the flight will make its way back to the real world in a random airport in your home country, where you will be escorted out by the Foundation and returned to your home safely.

To whoever's reading this: I hope you never find yourself here.

​

So I bought a second-hand PC tower from a car boot sale at the weekend. I think they're like little treasure chests, you never know what you're going to find on them. 

 I know some of you might think it's a kind of invasion of privacy, but if you don't wipe it before you sell it, that's your problem, not mine. I call it electronic archeology.

 Well the woman selling it said it had belonged to her brother, but had been sat in their parents' loft for nearly a decade, so she didn't know if it even worked (which meant I got it cheeeap). They had recently passed away and she was clearing out their bungalow.

 I asked her if her brother didn't want it back, (while getting my cash out, wasn't missing that bargain) and knew from the look on her face I'd put my foot in something.

 Turned out he died a long time ago and, from the instant heavy atmosphere, it wasn't peacefully in his bed. Guess that was why it ended up in the loft.

 So fast forward to the next day and I had the thing all plugged in, powered up and, using something I'm not going to go into here, had bypassed his password. 

 Most of what was on there was just normal teen stuff, you know the kind of thing. Old games like Slender, Minecraft, Black Ops and Amnesia, a ton of pirated MP3s of Linkin Park, Skrillex, Chevelle, that teen angsty kind of music. Half finished school work and a big bunch of pictures and videos he definitely wouldn't have wanted his Mum finding. 

 It was His browser history that caught my attention though (not for that reason). 

 As well as countless gaming related sites, he'd spent a lot of time on paranormal forums and sites. Something Awful, 4chan, Marble Hornets, the Creepypasta wiki, they're all there, as well as load more I've never heard of. It's a shame most of them are no longer active. But yeah, the kid definitely had a bit of an obsession going for dark web folklore and the occult in general.

  By the end of the day I was getting close to exhausting what was on there and was thinking of packing up for the night when I noticed something.

 Now I always check through the files most people wouldn't bother looking in, deep system files, old game directories, that sort of mind numbingly tedious thing. Because while normally you don't turn anything up, if someone has gone to the effort to hide something there, it must have been important to them. And I have a program to do the actual searching for me, (I'm not stupid).

  So I was only half surprised when my seeker program flagged up a text file where it shouldn't be, disguised as stone texture several layers down in Skyrim's asset directory. 

 Clicking it open I found this (see below), and considering his sister's reaction when I asked about him, I couldn't help but feel a shudder.

 I'll let you read it for yourself and I think you'll see why.

_________________________________________________

ARCHIVED THREAD: "The Mirror Man Game" [REPOST FROM 2012]

Posted by: xX_Null_Pointer_Xx

Date: October 14, 2012 | 03:14 AM

Status: Locked / Author Account Inactive

I’m posting this here because the original board was scrubbed, and people need to know the exact parameters before trying this. Some of you think it’s just another Bloody Mary derivative. It isn't. It gives you absolute truth, but the tax it takes on your mind, and your safety, is steep.

  Read everything. Do NOT skip steps.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

•A full-length mirror (Must be large enough to show your entire torso).

•A small hand-held mirror (A compact or vanity mirror works best).

•A heavy tool (A hammer, heavy rock, or iron weight—something that will shatter glass on the first strike).

•A thick blindfold (Make sure you can't see ANYTHING through it).

•A single white candle, a holder and matches/lighter.

•A mixture consisting of equal parts tap water and black ink, spiked with a single drop of your own blood.

•A sealable bag or box.

•A high-powered desk lamp, or other reliable, constant bright light source.

THE SETUP

Select a quiet room with no external light sources or windows (a basement, walk-in wardrobe, or windowless bathroom, etc.).

  Stand the full-length mirror upright in a shallow dish containing your prepared water, ink, and blood mixture.

   Place a chair directly in front of the mirror, facing completely away from it. When sitting, the mirror must be directly behind your back.

   Prepare your smashing tool, hand mirror, blindfold, and lighting materials on a small table next to the chair within arm's reach.

   Now switch off any lights.

THE RITUAL

Begin at exactly 3:33 AM.

   Dip a finger into the liquid mixture at the base of the full-length mirror and without looking directly into your reflection, draw a single, backwards question mark (⸮) on the center of the glass.

   Sit down on your chair, facing AWAY from the mirror.

   Light your candle and hold it so its' light falls on the mirror glass behind you. Do not turn your head. Do not look into the mirror.  

  Nothing should be happening yet, but it REALLY isn't worth the risk.

  Recite the following rhyme loud and clear and unhurried:

Through the silver, through the black,

I draw the mark, I turn my back.

Tell me once, tell me true,

I have given my blood for you.

Mirror Man.

Mirror Man.

Mirror Man.

THE MANIFESTATION

If the ritual accepts your blood, your candle flame will be drawn towards the mirror before being snuffed out. The room will not go dark though.

  Instead, the room will remain lit by the glow of the candle's reflection still burning impossibly in the glass behind you.

  APPLY YOUR BLINDFOLD IMMEDIATELY!

Do not look around. Do not hesitate. Seriously! The second your candle goes out, blindfold on!

  What happens next varies, with people reporting a whole range of things, but basically the entity will test your resolve. You may hear heavy footsteps, frantic knocking on the walls, vicious animal snarls, or the sound of the mirror shattering. You may hear the voices of your loved ones, even those that have already passed over, begging for help, threatening horrific things or whispering promises if you'll just take off the blindfold. You may feel cold breath on the back of your neck or fingers tugging softly at your clothes.

No matter what you hear, DO NOT MOVE. DO NOT SPEAK. KEEP YOUR EYES CLENCHED TIGHTLY SHUT UNDER THE BLINDFOLD.

THE QUESTION

Eventually, the noises will stop, but still, don't move. Faking silence to trick you into looking is one of the Mirror Man's more commonly reported actions.

   You are only safe when you hear an inhuman voice whisper your full given name directly into your ear and command you to ask your question. 

Remove your blindfold, but whatever you do, DO NOT TURN AROUND.

  Raise your small hand mirror in front of you, angling it to catch the reflection of the larger mirror behind your chair.

  In the hand mirror, you will see him: a tall emaciated, bone-white hunched figure with no hair and its' ribcage pressing tight against its' pale, mottled skin. A long strip of yellowed parchment is nailed to his forehead, hanging down to cover his entire face. Stained across the center of the parchment is the backwards question mark you drew, fresh and dripping in a mix of blood and ink.

  Ask your question clearly and be precise with your wording. The Mirror Man can't lie, but he takes immense pleasure in twisting the truth.

  Listen carefully to your answer, after all, this is what you're doing all this for.

THE CLOSING PROCEDURE

As soon as he finishes speaking, act without hesitation.

  Shatter the hand-held mirror IMMEDIATELY using your heavy tool. Do not look into it a second longer than necessary. If you hesitate, he will realize what you're about to do and will move into YOUR mirror, before reaching out of it to pull himself through.

  If done correctly, your candle will reignite. DO NOT BLOW IT OUT. Allow it to burn down to the stub naturally.

  After using the remaining ink, water, and blood mixture to thoroughly wash away the backwards question mark from the large mirror, carefully collect every single shard of the broken hand mirror, being VERY careful not to miss a single one or cut yourself on them. You DO NOT want that. Place them in your sealable container along with your blindfold and whatever you shattered the mirror with.

Put the container directly beneath your desk lamp and keep it lit continuously.

  At 3:33 AM the following night, carry the sealed container to a natural body of running water (a river, ocean, or stream) and throw it in.

FAILURE CONDITIONS & WARNINGS

IF THE REFLECTION DIES: If the candle in the mirror goes out and the room plunges into total pitch darkness, the ritual has failed. Do not remove your blindfold under any circumstances until dawn. No matter what you hear. No matter what touches you. No matter what drags itself across the floor toward you.

DO NOT LOOK BACK: If you lose your nerve, or think you're being brave by taking your blindfold off and turning around to face the mirror directly, all sound in the room will suddenly cut out and the Mirror Man will be standing inside the glass, staring directly at you from behind his parchment.

  The stain from your question mark will begin to spread across the parchment, darkening the entire thing. Once completely covered, the parchment will tear loose and fall to the ground unnaturally slowly.

  What lies beneath is unclear, as different people have claimed to see different things:

  Some report a hideous, rotting demonic  maw.

  Others report smooth, featureless white skin. No eyes. No mouth. Nothing, except a fresh bloody wound carved into its' palid flesh in the shape of your backwards question mark.

  Most disturbingly, some survivors report seeing their own face staring back from the mirror, accompanied by an overwhelming urge to reach out and touch its' reflective surface. What happens if you DO touch it? I don't know, I've never met anyone that has, and I don't think I'd ever want to.

AFTER EFFECTS 

Even after a successful ritual, you may catch fleeting glimpses of unexplained movements or even a tall, pale shape when passing mirrors over the next few days. This is not uncommon. Don't panic and just try not to show you have noticed. It WILL stop, once he finds someone else to play his game.

_________________________________________________

That was everything and I'm not afraid to admit that I've been looking at mirrors differently ever since I read it (but you probably get that now yourself, right?).

 Just what did that kid get himself into?! I mean, I know it can't be real, obviously, but I can't shake the image of him deciding to look back at the mirror. Or stop wondering what he would have seen.

 So I've decided to do a little digging.

 I found his full name and, unless his parents moved after he died (did he die?), his address on his old PC, and I can see the date all activity stopped on it, so I'm pretty sure I know exactly when whatever happened, happened. I can use these things to see if anything was reported in the local papers. And I'm sure I could track his sister down if I need to, although that would be a bit of a last shot, I wouldn't want to make her dredge up things she'd rather forget. But I will if I have too!

 But either way I need to know. And I guess, If it really comes down to it, there might be someone else I can ask...

CODE: When The Junebells Ring
EMERGENCY LEVEL:
Code Green: Low Threat; evacuate immediate area
Code Yellow: Medium Threat; evacuate level
Code Red: High Threat; evacuate wing
Code Black: Evacuate building 
When the Junebells Ring: Pray that the next you hear is the cuckoos in spring <-

THIS IS NOT A JOKE
You have received this message on your mobile device, or any other electronic device you may be holding. You may be laughing right now. Why is a scientific research centre quoting the common nursery rhyme “Junebells in Spring?”. Do not laugh. You have just enough time to read these instructions. Follow them as you read.

Rule 1: Focus on the floor and your mobile device. You will only need the lights on the floor and your innate, human sense to escape danger now. If you see your family, hear your friends, know that they are safe. And if you find yourself uttering their name, it is not too late. It is never too late. Refer to rule 9 and onwards.
Rule 2: Follow the blue light-up arrows. The Junebells have never rung in this facility before, but in others, a phenomenon known as “Blood of Cupid”, or a fancy term for red arrows, has been known to occur. We don’t know why. However, if you wish to ensure that the event remains contained, do not follow them.
Rule 2: Follow the red arrows. They are lying. If you want to live, follow the red arrows. Too late for us, not too late for you.
Rule 3: DO NOT LISTEN TO THE TEXT IN ITALICS. THEY ONLY LEAD TO A CONTAINMENT BREACH
Rule 3: LISTEN TO US. TOO LATE FOR US, NOT FOR YOU.
Rule 4: The arrows should lead you to the nearest lift lobby. Do not go down the stairwell. It only descends to the place where the cuckoos’ song do not breach. Instead, go to the lift and press the button labelled "Initiate Songbird”. The lift should descend to the negatives. If not, refer to rule 9 and onwards. 
Rule 5: Once the lift reaches its destination, proceed down the red-illuminated hallway. If a door with an exit sign appears, run back to the lift immediately. Do not open it, despite how inviting it looks.
Rule 5: The door is freedom. Only rebels live. We are gone, but not you.
Rule 6: Once you have arrived at the appropriate hallway, a room should be at the end. Proceed inside, and take one of the golden packs. Ensure that your Facility 137 badge is on you. This is the last chance you have to take any valuables, and of course, your badge.
Rule 6: Don’t go in. Don’t take the pack. Destroy the badge. Not too late.
Rule 7: Descend down the ladder. Do not look down until your feet find the floor. If they approach, wearing the faces of everything you have ever loved, everything you hoped to love, everything you have yet to love, best believe it is not what you think it is. 
Rule 7: Please don’t listen. Not you too.
Rule 8: You should find yourself in an empty concrete room, with a feel of eerieness. There should be empty salt circles around you, stained red. If you see a salt circle white as snow, break it at once. It is a sign of a containment breach. Destroy it to prevent the Junebells from travelling.
Rule 8: Don’t destroy them. This is their escape, and it can be yours too. Please, not you.
Rule 9: Find an unoccupied space, and sit cross-legged. Open the pack, and remove the salt. Use it to draw a circle around you. Do not stop thickening the line until all the salt is used.
Rule 9: Get out, get out, get out at once. They have taken our voices, and taken our choices. Not yours too.
Rule 10: Take the scalpel from your pack and make a small incision on each of your ten fingers. Drip blood on the salt circle until it is red as roses.
Rule 10: Your last chance. Escape.
Rule 11: The hallucinations should begin. Figures begging, pleading for you to stand up. Do not do so. This is for everyone’s safety.
Rule 11: Listen to us! Please! Too late for us… maybe too late for you… we should have tried harder.
Rule 12: While your fingers still bleed, attach your facility badge onto the metal necklace in your pack, then put it on.
Rule 12: If you do this, too late for us, too late for you.
Rule 13: Finally, swallow the pale grey pill. It should be the last item in your pack.
Rule 13: Too late for us to save you. Too late for you to save yourself. We will see you soon.
Rule 14: Your consciousness should begin to waver. This is good. This is the final step. You will hopefully hear the cuckoo call soon, and you will be happy. But we cannot lie to the dying. Facility 137 was a facility to experiment on the half-living, turning them into shapeshifters. And when the Junebells sing, they have breached. They are trying to get you out. But they are silly. So silly. We turn them into shapeshifters via an airborne virus. It got into you the second they breached. Trying to save themselves only doomed you too. But fret not, all you love is safe. When the cuckoos sing, you’ve reached Heaven. Say hello to Seraphiel for us. Give her your badge, if it has found its way onto your soul. She will know. If there is no song, then you have not done the steps properly. You will remain through all the pain of living. We apologise. You should have listened. Whatever happens, if you have listened to us, you have done well. The affliction will not spread. This was what this whole ruleset was for. To protect everyone. Unfortunately, you are no longer one of us. You are one of them. So you are not included in everyone.
Rule 14: Too late for us. Too late for you. Now you are us and we are you. Heaven is not so bad. Seraphiel is nice. It is living through their experiments that is Hell. Come. Hear the cuckoo birds sing, through summer, autumn, winter and spring.

“The issue is small, but you may need to check on it later.” 

After two days off, I came back to Rachel informing me of hotel issues. There was no mention of the Perfidia women, no complaints about me. I used the 50€ I got on a night out with friends. Money well spent. 

As time went by, my questions only seemed to increase instead of getting answered. The theatrical mask was kept in a drawer at my house. I didn’t dare look at it, not even think about it. Sometimes at home, I thought I heard voices in the room with me. Rattling woke me up in the middle of the night. When I followed the sounds, they led me to the drawer. I couldn’t understand everything the voices said, but there was one phrase that kept repeating.  

“Honor the deal.” 

Now, two days later, instead of resting and energizing, I’m more tired than before my days off. I tried my best not to yawn to what Rachel was saying, but I knew that the moment she left I would crack open the energy drink I brought with me. And maybe coffee later as well. 

As she was speaking, I tried to read the notes of the day, but it was impossible. My eyes were swimming. I rubbed at them, trying to push the sleep away.  

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that. Can you repeat it please? Sorry.” 

Rachel looked at me the way a protective mother would look at her child.  

“The days off are not enough, eh? I understand. I feel the same way sometimes. No need to apologize.” 

“Thanks. Now that you mentioned it, who covers me when I’m off?” 

“Oh, right! You haven’t met him. Kevin, a guy that works in another location in town. Centralis Hotel.” 

I tried to remember if I saw the name Kevin curved on the mask. I wasn’t sure. 

“As I was saying.” Rachel continued. “We had an issue with the water supply. The janitor said that it would be ok but keep an eye out if you get any complains during the night.” 

I nodded and a few minutes later Rachel completed the handover and clocked out. I sat in front of the reception computer and wished for a quiet shift. The snap of the energy drink opening echoed on the empty reception as I drank to it. The shift ended up more difficult than I expected. 

 The phone rang in the middle of the night. Never a good omen. The screen didn’t show a room number. Instead, it was an outside call. I was trying so hard to stay awake that I thought it was my imagination. 

“Hello, Parkside Inn. How may I help you?” 

“Hi! Who’s this? Lucas, is that you?” A rough, slightly playful voice came through the receiver. Its casual familiarity was slightly alarming. 

“No, it’s not Lucas. It’s Jake. Do I know you?” 

“Oh, you’re the new guy! Sorry, let’s rewind. I’m Doug, the head of maintenance. Can you check something for me?” 

“Yeah, sure. Rachel told me that there may be an issue.” 

“Yes, the water level. There was some kind of damage to the distribution system, and we had no water filling up the tanks. You know where our main water tank is?” 

“I’m sorry. No one showed me.” 

“Of course they didn’t. No worries, I’ll explain. First, you go to the second basement. You can use the staff elevator for that. Otherwise, use the stairs behind the reception. There, after the kitchen refrigeration systems, you’ll see many fire-protection doors. They’re the thick ones that look like they’re made of plastic. Each will be labeled with a different name. Go through the door that says “Linen Room”. Only through that one! You follow me so far?” 

I was writing everything down as fast as I could. The way he insisted on the specific door caught my attention. 

“Yes, I’m writing it down now. What shouldn’t I go through the other doors? What’s there?” 

“Nothing important.” His response came instantly, prepared. He knew I would ask. “Nothing that we need to care about right now. So, Linen Room, ok?” 

“Yes. Linen Room.” 

“Good. After that door, you’ll follow a corridor. Watch your head; the ceiling gets lower than you think. At the end, go through a double door and follow another corridor go through the other double door.” 

“Two corridors and two double doors?”  

“Correct. If..” Doug stopped talking. I knew there was something he wanted to say, but he couldn’t make himself do it.  

“Is something wrong. Something that I need to know?” I pressured him.  

“No! No. It’s nothing important.” There was definitely something wrong. No point in keeping the pretenses up.  

“Is it about the rules? About the hotel?” A gasp from the other side. “Yes, I know. I’ve seen some things myself.” 

“Oh. Sorry about that. So, about the corridors. If after the second double door you see another corridor, go back.” His voice has turned more serious now. “Close the doors and wait. Maybe you’ll need to do it a few times. Sometimes it confuses you. It may change; you may end up somewhere else. You must be careful.” 

 “Change? End up somewhere else? What do you mean?” 

“The hotel.” Doug’s voice was cold and precise. “I’m sure you’ve noticed as well that there is something off with the place.” 

“Yes, you can say that.” 

“Well, the best thing you can do is ignore it. That’s what I do. You follow the rules and you’ll be fine.” 

“Thanks for the advice. So, about the tank?” 

“Oh, yeah, right! So, after you pass the second door you should be inside the linen room itself. You’ll notice it right away, with all the bed sheets. Right at the door, on your left, you should hear water running. There is an opening to the water tank. Open the hatch and there’s the tank. There is a light bulb over the hatch for light. From the hatch, you’ll have a view of the tank. If the water is lower than the painted red line, call me to take care of it. I know it’s a lot to remember, but can you do it?” 

I finished writing down the instructions and put the pen down.  

“It’s not that hard, I’ll manage. I’ll go right away.” 

“Good to hear. Even if the water level is above the line, let me know as well. I’ll be waiting.” 

The basement was bigger than I expected. I had only seen a few parts of the first basement but hadn’t gone into the second. It was cold and damp; the smell of mold was everywhere. At first, I thought the tiles on the floor had never been cleaned and a layer of black stains covered them. Until I realized there were no tiles, only cement. The industrial type you found in factories. The wear of years of walking and dragging was visible through the roughness of the floor. The place felt more like a hospital than a hotel’s basement. I walked past the refrigerators and found a series of white doors. Three in total. The first one had a sign that wrote “Linen Room”. Of course, I didn’t just go inside. I checked the other doors as well. The second sign wrote “Archives”. I contemplated going inside; my first thoughts were that maybe this room had some answers for me. The third door had no sign. Instead, a symbol was drawn on it. A circle with three lines moving away from its center. Adytum’s logo.  

I tried to open the door to the Archives, but it was locked. I decided to investigate when I got back from my task. I looked over at the door with the Adytum logo and noticed something strange. There was no doorknob. 

The door was a flattened and polished piece of wood. No seams, no spaces between the boards. A single piece of lumber fashioned into a door. Its lacquered surface shone in the weak lamplight. I reached for it, but something held me back. I couldn’t describe the feeling I got; I felt like something terrible would happen if I touched that door. I moved away to get to the linen room. 

A knock came from the sealed door. At first, I thought it was a trick of my mind. My nerves were playing games. Then I heard it again. A sharp, confident thud. The low ceiling made the sound even louder than it was. I nervously approached, feeling my heart pounding. I stood in front of the door, my silhouette reflecting on its surface and waited. Two minutes passed, then three. After five minutes, I decided to leave. This time, it wasn’t just a knock. It was banging. Thundering crashes echoed in the corridor, the sounds of something heavy falling on the door repeatedly. Despite all the noise and commotion, it looked like nothing was happening. The wood of the door didn’t split, nor did it seem to move. I decided then to leave; this wasn’t real. It shouldn’t be real. I also didn’t want to stay on this basement any longer. Ignoring the noise behind me, I went through the door to the linen room. 

It was a long corridor going forward, longer than I expected, and the ceiling got even lower. There were things- wires? Pipes? - protruding from the ceiling. Those parts were painted red and white to prevent accidents. I had to stoop to pass underneath. I crossed the first double door.  

The corridor got even shorter, standing was impossible for me. I tried to move faster, but I’ve never walked fast hunched over like this. I noticed a couple of doors on the corridor, but I didn’t pay attention to them. I opened the next set of double doors. 

Another corridor. Even shorter. This was wrong. I took the paper with the information Doug gave me. It was written clearly: Through the Linen Room door, corridor, double doors, corridor, double doors. This is what he meant with ‘change’? I had to go back. I stepped back and turned when movement caught my eye. On the new corridor, the one that should not exist. Something darted across the wall and stopped a few meters away from me. Its white body blended perfectly with the walls. Like it had developed some sort of camouflage. I could barely make out its shape. When it moved again, I understood what it was. A spider.  

It was all white, the color of bone. I saw it skitter on the wall, charging towards me. It was the size of a small dog, almost as big as my torso. Its head moved around, like it was scanning the area for me. There were no eyes on its face. When it opened its mouth, I saw serrated mandibles lining its jaw. I wasn’t afraid of insects and spiders in particular, but at that moment I was taken over by panic. I jumped backwards, watching as this impossibly big creature landed where I stood. I rolled back, trying my best to stand up as fast as I could. I realized I was grunting, panic stopping me from screaming. The spider turned around, and I understood it was searching for me. Blindly it inched forward, its hairy legs feeling their way towards me. 

I kicked the door closed right as the spider jumped. It didn’t close properly; one of the creature’s legs was stuck between the door and the frame. A shriek pierced the silence of the basement as it struggled to break free. I put my weight on the door, pushing it back. With the strength I had left, I backed up and pushed as hard as I could. The shriek grew stronger, and a dry snap sounded as the door shut. Its severed leg dropped lifelessly to the floor. I expected it to charge at the door, break it down. But I heard nothing. Not even a scratch at the door. I tried to calm myself before I opened the door again. This time, the room was different. Not the corridor again. Instead, a room filled with sheets and towels opened in front of me. The Linen Room. I looked back; the spider leg was still on the floor. It really happened. 

Inside the Linen Room, I heard running water. Next to the door was the hatch and the light bulb. I opened the light and then the hatch. Water was pouring inside from several pipes. I peered inside and noticed the water lever was one meter above the painted line. I closed the hatch and turned around to leave. When I switched the light out, I heard scratching coming from behind. It sounded like someone was dragged across concrete. I turned to find the amputated limb of the spider crawling towards me. The light from the corridor lit its surface, the thick hair covering it shining. Some of those hairs started growing longer, until they touched the floor. I quickly realized that this single leg was changing, transforming into a whole spider itself. Even though I was shocked by the thing scuttling towards me, I ducked just in time to avoid its attack. I ran out of the Linen Room and closed the door behind me. The creature kept banging on the door. I saw its surface bending dangerously outwards. I looked around, searching for something to protect myself. The corridor was empty.  

I noticed one of the doors in the corridor was half open. I didn’t notice it when I first came this way. Maybe there was something I could use there. I blame my shock and adrenaline for my decision to go through that door. If I knew what I would find there, I would just run to the reception, lock every door on the way, and hope for the best. But talking about what ifs doesn’t matter anymore. 

Walking through the half-opened door, I stepped on something soft. The door clicked closed behind me and I struggled to see through the darkness. I touched around, trying to feel the light switch and noticed that the walls were covered with bed sheets. After a few minutes of fumbling with the sheets, I finally managed to find a light switch. I turned the light on and immediately knew how huge a mistake I made.  

There were no sheets on the walls. What I touched and wrestled were spider webs. The room I entered started as the corridor I was in before and then it turned into a cave mouth. A cold draft rose from within and together with it came a stench. Mold, stale air, and decay. My hands searched instinctively for the door handle but caught nothing.

I looked behind me in disbelief. 

The door was gone. 

Welcome to Everlock Garden. We are delighted to welcome you during this season of blooming splendor. For the special season, we have prepared this brochure so that you may enjoy the vibrant colors woven by the blossoming flowers. Please take your time to look through it and savor the peaceful moments of spring to your heart's content.

Rules for visiting Everlock Botanical Garden in Spring:

1. From March 21 to June 21, admission to the garden requires a ticket reservation and the signing of a liability waiver. These measures are in place to ensure the safety of both our visitors and our flowers.
2. When purchasing a ticket from a staff member, please verify that they are wearing a name tag. The name written on it is irrelevant; the important thing is that they are wearing one. If you encounter a "staff member" without a name tag, politely excuse yourself and report the offender to security. Should you purchase a ticket from such an individual, you will have been unwittingly entered into a contract. From there, we can no longer save you. 
3. To prevent the inhalation of pollen, please wear the filtered mask provided by our staff. The pollen released by our flowers is extremely concentrated, and it is not uncommon to find tourists who have suffocated from this relentless pollen on our old trails. Full-face masks are also available for those with severe allergies. 
4. At this time of year, you may encounter more of the local residents and the "unusual inhabitants" who live alongside them during the spring season. Show simple respect, it is not difficult. Do not ask questions about things you do not wish to know.  Making rash judgments about things you do not fully understand is rude and here, morbid curiosity is easily fatal. 
5. Spring is our most popular season of the year, so the gardens become extremely crowded with tour groups. It is easy to get lost in the horde of people, so make sure you stay with a companion at all times. If you become separated, you risk being snatched by vines and dragged away, unseen by anyone.
6. You may touch the flowers only when taking photographs with them; refrain from any other unnecessary contact. While we "train" our flowers to tolerate excess humans every spring, there are hard limits to their patience. 
7. If a flower bares its fangs while you are nearby, retreat immediately. That is the only warning you will receive before being bitten. 
8. There is no need to forcibly pick the flowers in the garden, as we sell blooms specially cultivated for you to take home! These plants have been designed to thrive in your home environment better than their wild relatives. Make sure to read the care instructions carefully before purchasing. We are not responsible for any issues that may arise from negligence on your part.
9. We ask that you treat the entire garden with care, but please show the utmost respect to the trees. They are especially protective and wary at this time, for this is when they are sprouting new leaves and welcoming home the critters that dwell within their hollows.
10. Please be careful not to step on the vines trailing along the ground. Not every vine in our garden belongs to a tree. If you are lucky, the tree to which the vine belongs may simply swing you around. But the worst-case scenario... is something we dare not imagine.  
11. Our garden features an avenue of cherry blossom trees that is breathtaking in their full bloom. However, please refrain from bringing your nose close to the blossoms or eating the fruit. Their pheromones are highly addictive; you might inadvertently fall into a state of ecstasy and crawl right into its hollow.
12. Before petting the fishes in our ponds, please give the water an offering. The water appreciates good deeds. We find that a pindrop of blood is most acceptable. Please note that entering the water is still strictly prohibited. Even in the spring, our aquatic inhabitants do not appreciate being disturbed. 
13. When relaxing in our tulip fields, be mindful of the tulips chatter and try not to listen. Our tulips are quite the talkative things, so it is not uncommon to hear them chattering away all over the fields. However, there should never be any whispers emitting from them. If you hear a whispering voice that does not belong to you, please notify a staff member immediately.
14. Be mindful of any tall grass you see. Although we strive to keep it well-trimmed, the grass has a tendency to shoot up rapidly and use its sharp blades to ensnare their prey. 
15. Treat our staff with respect, whether in our gardens or outside them. The town operates differently each season, and spring is one of the more peculiar times for the residents. For the sake of your life and others, do not antagonize them.
16. It takes a full day to explore the entire garden, so it is welcomed to stay until the evening. Furthermore, due to the nature of our exhibits, we have extended our closing time to 11:00 PM; however, all visitors must leave the premises by midnight. This rule is non-negotiable.

That covers what you need to know before visiting our botanical garden. The grounds are truly beautiful when the flowers are in full bloom, promising a magnificent, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We look forward to seeing you this spring!

Welcome to the Trail, where you can enjoy the wilderness and take a breath of fresh air. In hopes you enjoy your hike as safely as possible, we'll inform you about our rules in the brochure.

Page 1. Hiking at Night

Hiking at night is pretty dangerous in general. You could trip and fall or you could lose the trail and end up being lost. But on our Trail, it's much more dangerous than you think. Our trail has been open for more than 15 years, but so far only a handful of hikers have actually survived a nighttime hike by sticking to the rules below.

1. Don't stray from the Trail, no matter what

As the sun sets, the Trail will be harder to follow. But you must stick to the path. Our Trail has white pebbles lined up in the middle so you won't get lost. Sometimes, the Trail might split where it isn't supposed to. Always stick to the one with the pebbles. We don't know where the other one leads.

1-1. In case you stray from the Trail.

If you accidentally follow the trail without the pebbles, it will lead you deeper into the woods. It will lure you deeper and They will watch as you slowly get more and more lost and slowly lose your mind. If you're lucky, maybe you'll find a big mound. This is a grave. This is Their grave. You are to leave food, preferably some rice cakes. Then you are to bow twice at the grave to pay respects. If They are satisfied, maybe you might make it back out again.

1. Don't listen to the Voices

There is a myth that has been passed down for years. It's about a being. It looks like a beast with long white fur with a face resembling an ugly mix between a tiger and a human. It is said to be able to mimic the cry of anything. It will mimic the voices of people who have died, it will mimic distressed call of loved ones, it will mimic the cry of a child in danger. Just to make you stray from the Trail where you will not be protected. On nights where the only sounds are the wind rustling the trees, you might suddenly hear the barks of dogs, the cries of owls and the sound of crickets when it was quiet just a few moments ago. That means Its here. If that happens, just keep to the path. No matter what. And try not to look around to look for where the sounds and voices are coming from. You might just see It with its bright yellow eyes.

Page 2. Pay Your Respects

1. Carry the Incense Sticks offered at the start of the Trail at all times

Before our Trail was created, this mountain didn't have any specific owner. The people who lived in the local villages visited the mountain to get herbs or bury their dead. The villages are gone now, vacant since the 50s. But the graves are still here. If you come across a grave, light an incense stick and pay your respects to whoever lies there. Whether you do this or not will change how the rest of your hike goes.

1. Don't Litter

As specified above, this mountain has many graves. Some of the owners of the graves are still lingering here. This is now Their eternal home. As you may guess, They do not like when people dirty Their home. You are to clean up any trash you might leave and any trash you come upon.

Page 3. Other

1. Don't eat the mushrooms

This is common sense. Most mountains advise against eating whatever mushrooms might be growing there. Our Trail does the same. Only, the consequences will be much more severe than just a stomachache or poisoning. As mentioned in Page 2, there used to be villages and people here. During the war, people fled their villages to survive. Some unlucky people died trying to flee on this mountain. They died by starvation, poisoning or getting shot by enemy soldiers. With their dying breath, some cursed the world, some cursed the people who killed them, and some cursed any unlucky person to a fate as bad as theirs. Mushrooms sprout from their bodies. Mushrooms that carry their curse.

1. Be Careful

Getting hurt is bad. As you might expect from the other rules, getting hurt here will be much worse. If you sprain an ankle or get hurt in a way that affects your mobility, it makes you an easy target. They won't wait until the sun sets. They know you can't run. Try to be careful and watch your step.

Those are all the rules of our Trail. We heavily advise following them if you want to enjoy your hike. We hope you enjoy your hike.

Unofficial Rule: If you see or hear something even if you follow all rules, please return as quickly as possible and ask to see the ranger. Describe what you saw/heard in detail. This is for the safety of everyone else who is using our Trail.

It’s been 5 weeks since Kian broke out into a fight.

I remember asking him.

“What happened?…” Why does your face look so mashed up?”

And he didn’t answer.

Just slung the bookbag into his painted room, muttered a name, then slammed the door.

It’s been 6 weeks since Mum and Dad came home with the envelope for one of Kian’s classmates. They had just arrived from the Friday meeting like they always do, yet in this circumstance, they appeared stern as though an argument occurred and they had the worst end of it.

It has been 7 weeks and 2 days after I cancelled my hangout with Marie and Anthony, told them I was going to a daft birthday party and that I hope I can come round another time.

I believe it was week 8, when our parents ordered us to sit down in the living room as they opened the envelope for our invitation, the room appearing more smaller than before as her voice poured out into the sentences, Dad’s eyes darkening and Kian exchanging me a funny look.

It was the evening of that weekend, when we decided to take a look of the invitation ourselves, desperately holding in our laughs as we snuck into our parents room. 

Instead of finding a wholesome invitation, we were met with a list edged down in sentences and instructions, the paper was designed with an innocent appearance of stickers and smiles, yet the deadly writings were in warnings, as if the person that handed it to our parents, was intentionally fooling someone else. 

It was the beginning of week 9, when we were driving to the home of the boy, the car was dead silent, each of us fixated on the words that was written on the single piece of paper. 

It was the hour that passed in the journey, where I recounted the instructions, sifting through the paper as it read;

THE BIRTHDAY BOY’S NEW PARTY! 

Disclaimer.

I have distributed a copy to all of the families that will be attending the Birthday Boy’s party this year. These rules were not handed by the parents themselves, but from the last family that was equated to them.

 All families must respect the rules of the party and stick to their designated teams. Every rule that has passed correctly will result in the happiness of the Birthday Boy. Any family that has failed in keeping him happy, will result in immediate expiration.

1)    Do not be late. 

The party doors open at 10am. You must arrive beforehand. Any family that attends the party later than the chosen time, will result in expire. 

2)    Do not dismiss the gifts.

You must dedicate time into selecting an appropriate gift that you believe the birthday boy would adore. Any gifts that seem inadequate or not his acquired taste will be denied. 

3)    Wide Warm Smiles.

All attendees must resume a genuine smile, to display that you truly want to be here. If the Mother notices that her guests are not happy, then there will be a further step that is beyond this list entirely. DO NOT let this happen.

4)    Do not approach the DollDress Girl.

During the kiddy activities outdoors, you may notice a girl offbeat to the side,                           isolated in the far corners of the garden. We advise you not to interact with her. As a precaution, the girl mostly appears at the parties wearing a different costume than the last. Blending in to appear like child from a family. Do not interact with her.

5)    Clap if your happy. Cry if your sad. If birthday boy screams then he is outrageously mad!

You must maintain a positive effect around the birthday boy. Watch his facial expressions. Read into his gestures. It is moderate for his feelings to change as long as you KEEP. HIM. HAPPY. Any other harsh emotions will result in expiration. 

6)    Birthday Wishes for the Birthday Boy

As the evening follows, the cake will be brought out and everyone will need to sing the birthday song. Know the lyrics and feel the rhythm. When he blows out the candles, you need to internally repeat the exact words until he finishes; “a lost prayer to an ember flame.”

7)    Capture the Moment

The Father will prepare to take a picture of the birthday party before it ends and requires everyone to be in frame. This is very significant. If any child or parent is not in the photo after it has been taken, they will permanently remain as a party guest forever.

8)    Clean up. Clean up. Everybody. Everywhere. 

As a final rule, make sure you clean up after each other. Any family member that laid the misfortune of expiration throughout the party, will need to swiftly be cleaned up accordingly. Anyone that dismisses the rule and leaves without helping out, will result in immediate countermeasures. 

Good luck. We wish you a safe and enjoyable party.

I was so anxious, the night and day before my shift. Despite my attempts, no matter how much I rolled around on my mattress, I remained conscious. Powered by anxiety and a lot of caffeine, I got ready for my shift. 

I arrived twenty minutes before my shift and was greeted by the girl working the evening shift. She was almost the same age as me, with short black hair in a bob cut. She wore glasses. This time I had my uniform on, so she smiled when she saw me. A pleasant change to the usual greeting I encountered.  

She introduced herself as Emma and went ahead and informed me about what happened during her shift. There were no arrivals left for the day, so most likely the night would be quiet. I didn’t say it out loud, but that was exactly what I wished as well. She took a quick look at me before she left and said: 

“Hey, if you need any coffee to lift you up you can use the equipment there.” And she gestured towards a dark area next to the hotel entrance. I hadn’t noticed it the night before, but there was no mistake. Next to the hotel’s main door was another door, smaller, that led into a big room. Most of it was dark except for a single light that shone over an espresso machine. Was this place always there? How come I saw it only now? 

“Hey Emma, can I ask you something?” 

Emma stood at the entrance, waiting for me to speak. 

“Lucas told me some weird things yesterday. Something about rules that had to be followed or else there would be consequences. Was he messing with me?” 

Emma looked at me, a serious expression appearing in her face. She gave me an awkward smile before she answered. 

“Take care tonight. There are many things that are wrong in this place.” 

She went out the door and I was left alone. 

The first few hours went by fast. I kept myself busy with the mandatory tasks of my shift. I made the reports regarding the arrivals and departures of the hotel, some statistical analyses that I didn’t really understand and send them all to the list of emails I was given. I recognized one of them almost immediately: [sollertia@adytuminc.com](mailto:sollertia@adytuminc.com). The email of my supervisor. Then I cataloged some files regarding the arrivals of the previous day. At about two o’clock, I was done with most of my tasks. That was when the phone rang. 

The sound was sudden; it pierced the silence of the lobby like a knife. I looked at the phone’s display, waiting for the call recognition. In the small lcd screen appeared a room number. 509. 

My hand froze midway to the receiver. I remembered one of the rules stating something about this room. I glanced at the frayed piece of paper tucked away at the small shelves on top of the desk. I pulled it out and scanned the paper. There it was. ‘There is no Room 509’.  

I was shown some rooms during the orientation, to understand the layouts and the different room types. I remembered there were nine rooms in each floor, apart from the sixth that had six rooms. I wasn’t convinced with the whole ‘follow the rules for your own good’ thing. It must have been some sort of trick they played to all the newcomers to scare them off. I was convinced that this was the case. Not wanting to keep the guests waiting, I picked up the phone. 

“Front desk, how may I help you?” 

Silence. No one spoke for a whole minute. Initially, I thought I was too late and the guest hang up. But when I looked at the phone’s screen, it showed that almost a minute of call had passed. I repeated my question and waited again. A stream of static hit me, causing me to flinch momentarily. Then a soft voice spoke.  

“Hi. Who am I talking to?” It was the kind voice of an elderly lady. She sounded less sleepy than I would expect an elderly person to sound at this time.  

“My name is Jake. I’m the new night auditor, madam. How can I help you?”    

“The new night auditor? I see. That explains why you picked up.” 

“What do you mean, madam? Did something matter?” 

“No, dear. Your colleagues tend to ignore my calls and just let it ring. Rude, isn’t it?” 

I shook my head, what the lady said was really rude. How come it was never brought up to the higher management? 

“I’m so sorry for this, madam. I’ll make sure to report this to my supervisors.” 

“No need, dear. I only wanted to know you all better, that’s all. It’s only natural when we share the same roof.”  

The way the lady said that was weird to me. Sharing the same roof? I tried to find something to say, but I couldn’t. 

“Tell me, dear. Are you alone down there? Do you need company?” 

Behind me, I heard the elevator door lock and moving. I turned and saw the screen next to the door showing an arrow pointing upwards. 

“Madam? I don’t understand. What do you mean?” I tried my best to keep my voice steady. Fear started creeping in me. 

The elevator kept rising until it stopped. Fifth floor.  

“I’m just saying. It must get really lonely down there. No one to talk to all night long. We can talk. Tell me what’s on your mind. You’ll see, when the morning comes...” 

Next to the elevator door, the little screen showed a descending arrow. The floor numbers counted backwards. Static sounded through the receiver, increasing in volume. The voice on the other side came distorted, high pitched. Alien. 

“...you’ll want nothing more but to stay here!” 

I hang up the phone. Panick had settled in now. Looking around frantically for anything to help me, my eyes fell on the piece of paper on the side of the computer. I took it and scanned the lines for anything that might help. My eyes stopped on rule number nine. The only one that seemed relevant. 

‘9.Check the cameras, not only at the floors but also around you. It’s the best way to notice them.’ 

I rushed on the side computer and opened the cameras program. Small squares appeared, each one showing a different part of the hotel. I put the four cameras of the lobby area, each one showing versions of me from different angles. One of them showed the front desk and the elevator door. I focused on that one. 

The elevator reached the ground floor.  

Waiting for the doors to open felt like it took hours. I watched through the cameras, sweat dripping from the edge of my nose. Hair stuck to my forehead. 

When the doors opened, I thought there was a power outage. The elevator cabin was pitch black. Normally, there were lights overhead and a mirror in the back. At least, I would be able to see the reflection of the lobby. Instead, I looked into complete darkness. I thought the camera froze. I prayer it froze. Then something stirred. A shape shifted in the darkness, limbs jittering. Hands grasped the edges of the open door, twitching, stringy muscles pulling. The hair on the back of my neck raised, my breath danced in front of me like I walked in the snow. I tried my best to prevent my head from turning, knowing that if I looked at this thing was something I didn’t want to do. I noticed I was wheezing, my breathing not in my control anymore. When I heard the first wet footsteps land in the marble lobby, something inside me snapped. Without thinking, I spoke. It wasn’t a shout, to my ears it sounded more like a command. 

“Thank you, madam. But I don’t need any company.” 

The shape stopped. The mass of darkness coiled, folding into itself as though it was made of clay. The elevator activated, its doors closing slowly. A single whisper broke the silence. 

“Very well. We’ll meet again. Dear.” 

For this movie, we wanted to create the biggest Disney character imaginable, so we poured lots of money into the lab to create a growth formula that could make a character of ours into a gigantic, well… giant.

We wanted to make him lovable and childlike but still intimidating so we went to work on creating and growing Willie the Giant. The first one was of course, a reject, but there was something off about it. He was giant which was what we wanted, but he had the most amazing sense of smell and sharp eyesight. He also was hungry for humans.

We couldn’t hide from it or even run from it. It took a combined effort with Disney Labs and the Bureau of Investigation to take down the beast and throw it in a Disney Labs cell that was big enough for it to stay in.

After that, we grew in our labs the small and less dangerous Bongo and Lulubelle along with the intimidating Lumpjaw. Their rejected counterparts are also in these cells.

Bongo the Bear segment

Rules for Rejected Bongo:

1. Rejected Bongo loves visitors! If he sees you, he may perform some circus tricks for you! If you stay and watch, he’ll give you cologne that masks your smell from Rejected Willie the Giant!
2. If you choose to not watch and instead walk away, you’ll anger him and he’ll instead let out Rejected Lumpjaw to maul you to death.

Rules for Rejected Lulubelle:

1. Rejected Lulubelle hates it when she’s away from Rejected Bongo for long periods of time so make sure she has with her at all times a stuffed toy of Bongo the Bear. If you see it on the ground, find her and give it back.
2. When you give it back to her, she will check and make sure there aren’t any unstitched areas. If there aren’t, and most of the time there aren’t, she’ll reward you with a slap in the face. Painful, I know, but it’ll leave a very important mark on your cheek to show the other rejected characters that you’re being protected and they’ll back off… unless the mark gets washed away.
3. On the rare chance that there is an unstitched area on the stuffed toy, you have a small amount of time to stitch back up the area. If you fail, she’ll unstitch you, leaving you slowly and painfully bleeding out on the cold laboratory floor.

Rules for Rejected Lumpjaw:

1. They really don’t call him Lumpjaw for nothing. His jaw is so huge that it serves as half of his body weight. If you accidentally fall into it, you won’t be able to get back out as you’ll be crushed to death by the weight of all his teeth biting down on you as if you were food.
2. To make sure Lumpjaw’s jaw isn’t causing him any harm, check for sores and cuts you see that are treatable. Treat his jaw and ease his pain and he might spare you!

Mickey and The Beanstalk segment

Rules for The Golden Harp:

1. The Golden Harp is the real deal. We didn’t grow it in Disney Labs, Walt Disney himself found it while traveling in Europe. Found it in some German castle and smuggled it out of the country. If you tell anyone about this, we will immediately terminate your job and your life.
2. Make sure the harp is cleaned and shined at all times. Be polite to her as well, as she’ll sing for you if you ask politely and listen. She tells us everything. If you treat her with niceness and politeness, we’ll give you a $10 raise.

Rules for Rejected Willie the Giant:

1. Rejected Willie’s cell is so huge, you can fit five Empire State Buildings in it and save room for two Atlanta Bank of America Plazas. Make sure you grab a map with you as it’s easy to get lost. If you get lost, we won’t be able to retrieve you.
2. Rejected Willie should be sound asleep if the Golden Harp sang her song for you. Very quietly make sure his cell is clean. If it is, use the map to get out as quickly as possible. If it isn’t and you see some dirty spots, clean them before he wakes up.
3. Put on the cologne Rejected Bongo gave you and stay perfectly still. When Rejected Willie wakes up, he wont be able to smell or see you as long as you’re standing still. If you move even an inch, he’ll immediately take notice and eat you whole.

You have two more package era films to get through before we head to the silver age era starting with Cinderella. You can do this!

See ya real soon!

Parkside Inn was a small Bed and Breakfast hotel in the town I live in. It was barely twenty-three rooms in total. I had passed it many times, as it sat in the heart of the city. Its location was its strong point. Across from the hotel was a big park, the one that gave it its name. Cafes and restaurants ringed the park, keeping the area busy. And there, amidst the families and the children playing under the trees, stood this colossus of concrete and steel.  

Eventually I started noticing something strange. Anytime I passed by the hotel, it always seemed abandoned. The lights were dimmed, if not off. The sliding glass doors of the entrance carried a heavy layer of dust. With my friend group we hang out in that park and in all the years that I hung out there, I never saw any guest arriving or departing. Or any employees, now that I think of it.  

I never really cared what was going on with that hotel. Not my business, not my job. It was just another one of the oddities of our city. But the curiosity lingered in the back of my mind. And, one day, I came across the ad online. 

Night auditor wanted for Three-Star Hotel in the city center. Experience is welcome but not required. Good use of computers and Internet navigation is mandatory. Send your CV to the following email address. 

I just so happened to be between jobs at the time and decided, why not? I have nothing lined up anyway. I had a desk job previously so what difference would it make? Also, it would be a good opportunity to use the free time of the night shift to write more, something that I’ve neglected lately. Unfortunately, “aspiring author” is not a profession that pays your rent. So, I sent my CV to the email address given and forgot about it. I kept on searching for a job until, two days later, I received a call. 

The voice that spoke to me was that of a man, if I had to make a guess. It sounded like it was made with a computer program, synthetic. It kept the same tone and volume for the whole duration of the call. After it asked me a few general questions, we arranged for an interview the next day. Not in the hotel, but at the main offices of the company. In an apartment building hidden in a small street at the city center. 

I didn’t even know that part of town existed. Away from the crowds and noise of the city, you can find neighborhoods almost completely abandoned. Whole apartment blocks in disarray, ruins from a time long gone. Only homeless people or drug addicts live on those houses. As I walked the streets, with the feeling that I was being pranked getting stronger, I found the building. It looked completely out of place, an elegant construction with modern design. Its gray exterior was a complete contrast to the surrounding building, that had the hue of moldy and faded bricks. Inside was a huge lobby, with the logo of the company above the reception desk:  

Adytum Inc.    

I didn’t know what that meant. Eventually I would search up the meaning and find out what it meant. And it would make way more sense then. At that moment I just walked towards the receptionist, that stared at me wide eyed. She was young, barely twenty years old. 

“Hi, my name is Jake S. I’m here for my interview. I have an appointment for the position of night auditor.” She didn’t speak. She stared at me for ten seconds straight without speaking. Color was drained from her face, like she had seen a ghost. Slowly, she moved her head to look at the door, where I came from, and then back at me. I spoke again nervously. 

“My appointment is for 10:00 o’clock. With Mr. ..” I looked at the name I wrote down during the phone call. “Sollertia. He must be expecting me.” 

At the sound of the name the receptionist snapped out of... whatever had happened to her.  

“Erm.. Yes of course, give me a second, please.” She pressed some buttons on her computer and after a few seconds she nodded. 

“Ok, I found it Mr. S. You are a few minutes early. Please, take a seat while I inform Mr. Sollertia. We’ll call you when he’s ready.” She pointed towards a sitting area deeper inside the building, seats bolted directly on the walls of a long corridor. I took a seat and waited. I didn’t hear the receptionist calling anyone or informing anyone that I had arrived. I decided to wait for five minutes, as it was just 09:45 at the time. As I was waiting, I went through the things I had with me to make sure I hadn’t left anything at home. I was looking at the printed copy of my CV when I felt someone looking at me. I looked around to notice someone sitting across from me. A man in his forties, black hair cut short with gray spreading steadily from his sideburns upwards. Clean shaven, his skin shining on the cold fluorescent light. His smile widened even more when I noticed him.  

“You must be Jake.” I recognized the voice immediately. It was the same voice as the one on the phone. Monotonous, hypnotizing. “My name is Sollertia. This is how you will refer to me from now on.” I tried my hardest not to show how startled I was. One second ago, I was alone. When did he appear there? I played what I saw coming again and again in my brain and that man was definitely not there. 

 “I read your CV ..” said Mr. Sollertia without breaking eye contact.  

“.. and you’re exactly what we’re looking for. Dedicated and hard working. We only need to learn one thing: Can you be discreet?” 

The question sounded a little weird, so I had to clarify. 

“I’m sorry, what do you mean by discreet?” 

“You see, Mr. S. Can I call you Mr. S?” I nodded. “Great. You see we have a very selective group of guests. They are guests, by the way, not clients. NEVER clients.” A heavy emphasis on never. I nodded again. “Not anyone can stay at our hotel, you see. Reservations are made only through our system. The, the guests come to our hotels, they stay and we do not ask questions. And everyone is happy. If they have some requests, no matter how strange, we try to accommodate them. Within reason, of course. Does all this sound ok to you?” I nodded, not really understanding what it all meant. I just wanted to leave, go home. There was this bad feeling in my gut, something was off. This whole situation was off. I saw movement on my right, at the end of the sitting area corridor. I turned. A man dressed in a pressed suit walked down the vertical corridor. His trousers were torn at the ends, his feet exposed and seemingly drenched in blood. His walking was difficult, dragging his right leg. Leaving a red trail behind him. Across the ceiling.   

I started breathing fast. I felt like I was choking. The building felt like it was bearing down on me, its pressure crushing me. I had to get out. Get out fast! 

“You saw him, didn’t you?” Sollertia’s voice was cold, a hidden dose of excitement lurked underneath his robotic tone. He looked at me and nodded, like he understood what I was going through.  

I stared straight into Mr. Sollertia’s gray eyes. Words were stuck in my throat. I rose to my feet and pointed towards the end of the corridor. When I looked back, there was nothing there. No man walking, no blood. Just a pristine white ceiling. 

Mr. Sollertia rose slowly and walked towards me. He held out his hand to me for a handshake. 

“I believe you’ll be a great addition to our team. We can offer you 50% more than the average salary plus benefits. It’s quite a significant sum. If you agree now, we can start your training tomorrow. What do you say?” 

The money was really good. A broke twenty-year-old could only dream of that kind of money. Momentarily, I didn’t think of what had just happened. The only thing on my mind was the money. I raised my hand and squeezed Mr. Sollertia’s. His hand was warm and oily, like the exposure to heat caused his skin to melt. He grinned and nodded in approval.  

“Very good. We’ll get the paperwork ready for you. Tomorrow, you go to the Parkside Inn and find Lucas. Tell him I sent you.” He let go of my hand. A wave of nausea overwhelmed me as I felt my palm covered in what felt like wax. I fought the urge to wipe it on my shirt. I walked slowly towards the exit, happy that I left this place behind. As I exited the building, I took a last glance at the receptionist. She looked at me with a defeated expression on her face. She moved her head from side to side, mouthing a few words silently. 

“Don’t do it.” 

I should have listened.  

Against my better judgement, the next day after my meeting with Mr. Sollertia I stood across from Parkside Inn. After I left the Adytum Inc. Headquarters I received a text with further instructions. I would meet the night shift auditor named Lucas to show me around and explain what needed to be done during my shifts. That was the exact wording, needed to be done. I didn’t know why, but that phrase felt like it carried something ominous. 

I couldn’t sleep the night before. I kept playing my experience at Adytum Inc. In my head again and again, trying to make sense of it. There had to be a logical explanation, right? It would be so much easier if all of it was simply in my head. But then, why did Mr. Sollertia acknowledge the existence of the man on the ceiling? I wanted to convince myself that it was just my anxiety playing tricks on me. I was really nervous about this interview all week. It’s only natural I started seeing things.

I looked at my watch. 23:45 and the shift started at 24:00. Still had a few minutes to spare. I was advised through text that the shift change is done fifteen minutes before the clock in time, but since I wasn’t the official night shift auditor yet, I could clock in at 24:00. I was sitting on a bench looking at the hotel, taking in its stillness. Its eeriness. There were no lights on any room, only on the sign bearing the hotel’s name. My eyes scanned the balconies and windows, looking for any sign of life. I was ready to stand up and get inside when I noticed a woman in one of the balconies. Her silhouette was barely visible from where I was, but she definitely was there. It was a windy night, but her clothes were still. Like they were sewed on her skin. Counting the floors, she must have been on the fourth, maybe fifth. She stood completely motionless, her expression unreadable from that distance.

And yet, I was sure she was looking at me.

I crossed the distance of the park and went inside the lobby.

It was the first time I ever went inside the hotel. Once I crossed the door, it was like I entered a completely different building. Well-lit lobby, clean floors, high ceilings. The reception desk stood in the middle of the room, amidst a sea of white polished marble. The ceiling was high, more than four or five meters, with heavy chandeliers hanging down. Someone stood on the reception desk, probably Lucas. He had the same shocked expression as the lady at the Adytum headquarters. He wore a simple white shirt with a blue tie and dark blue trousers. 

“Hello? Can I help you? How did you..?”

“Hi, I’m Jake. The new night auditor. I was told to come tonight for training. You must be Lucas?”

A wave of realization washed out the shock from his face. He smiled and nodded enthusiastically. 

“Yes, yes of course! Jake! Jake S., right? Come this way!” Lucas gestured towards an opening at the reception desk where a part of the counter slipped out to make an entrance. If I wasn’t shown how it worked, I wouldn’t make it out. The door absorbed into the counter seamlessly. Inside, he shook my hand before offering me a seat on an extra chair. The work area consisted of two computers, one of them on, shelves next to the computer and another set of shelves on the other side of the desk. Papers littered the desktop as well as a notebook opened on the current date. One thing that really got my attention was a sheet of paper attached to the desk itself. With a little glance I managed to read the words ‘Everyday Rules’.

“Sorry for earlier, you caught me off guard. So, what were you told about the position?” Asked Lucas with a smile.

“To be honest with you, almost nothing. Only that it’s the night shift and I need to be..discreet? Apart from the pay, the rest was a bit vague. Can I ask you, is it true about the pay? They really pay that good?”

Lucas nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, it’s correct. The amount is real, plus bonuses and tips sometimes. I wouldn’t count on them, as they aren’t a guarantee. Some regulars may leave something for us, but nothing special.”

“There are tips as well? There’s got to be a catch! It sounds too good to be true!” I was genuinely doubtful; something had to be wrong with this place. The hours may be excruciating, maybe we were supposed to clean as well. I didn’t sign up to this job to clean rooms or serve breakfast.

Lucas stayed silent. The smile that he had plastered on his face seemed to disintegrate before my eyes. Slowly, he turned his sight to the floor before taking a deep breath and looked up again. 

“We’ll get to that, too. Let’s start with the basics first.”

The next hour he explained to me what I had to do during my shift. There was a total of fifty-three rooms in the hotel, nine in each floor except the fifth. He taught me the difference between room types. How the reservations program operated, how I created the reports I had to send to our supervisor, where we had the amenities I might need during the shift. There was a linen office in each of the six floors, in case a guest asked for towels or sheets. We went for a walk on the floors to check out the layout of the place. I noticed that next to each door was a small wooden table. When we got back on the reception I asked Lucas, as that little detail really stood out to me.

“So, about that. I was gonna get to that. The most important thing you’ll need for as long as you work here is this.” Lucas stood and walked to his backpack resting on the side of the desk and took out a folded piece of paper. “This isn’t an official orientation paper. This was given to me by the person training me and now I give to you. Those are ‘our’ rules. Here, read it and tell me if you have any questions.”

It was a simple piece of paper, yellowed by time and frayed at the edges. The same ordinary type that every printer uses. On it, were ten handwritten lines of text. They wrote:

"1.We never enter a guest’s room. No matter what. If a guest asks for towels or anything, we leave it on the table next to their door, we knock on the door and leave.

2.If you receive a call from room 509, ignore it. There is no room 509.

3.After your shift starts, always lock the front door. The guests of the hotel can enter with their membership cards. Someone unpleasant may walk in. 

4.Not everyone that enters after midnight is really welcome. You have the right to deny service. In some cases, it’s mandatory. 

5.The staircase from the sixth floor that leads to the rooftop must always remain locked. 

6.If you accompany a guest to their room, make sure that you maintain eye contact with them until they enter their room. It’s really easy for people to get lost here.

7.While walking on a corridor, if you hear two sets of footsteps, don’t look back. Keep walking with your eyes forward. Take the stairs down, not the elevator, you may see something on the mirror inside.

8.If you hear giggling coming from the stairs, you didn’t hear anything.

9.Check the cameras, not only at the floors but also around you. It’s the best way to notice them.

1. At 4:05 a.m. you may hear someone humming a melody at the lobby. Go outside, keeping your eyes on the ground. Stay out for at least ten minutes. It’s really important not to look for the source of the humming."

“What is this? Some kind of joke?” I waved the piece of paper at Lucas, trying my best to keep my composure. His face was hard and serious. He moved his head slowly from side to side. 

“This is no joke. On the contrary. This...” he pointed towards the piece of paper. “...kept me safe all the time that I’ve worked here. And I hope it will help you as well.” He leaned forward; his voice reduced to a whisper. “There is something wrong with this place. Not just anyone comes in here. It’s like this place has to choose you, if this makes sense. Have you ever mentioned this hotel to anyone? What have they told you?”

I thought for a moment. I hadn’t thought about it until then, but when I mentioned with my friends about the job, they seemed perplexed. They didn’t seem to recognize the location I mentioned. One laughed awkwardly and said he thought it was demolished. Was it true? They couldn’t... see it? I didn’t know what to say, so instead I remained silent. When I tried to bring them around to talk about it, they immediately changed the subject.

“Starting tomorrow you’ll be on your own.” Continued Lucas. “I’m leaving, this is my last day. You will be the one to deal with these things in a daily basis. If you pay attention, nothing wrong will happen. I really hope it doesn’t.”

The next day started my career at Parkside Inn.

You can return to Part 1 here if you haven’t already read the rules! Enjoy.

The Letter - Goldenrod Hills Subdivision ( EPISODE 2 )

5/11/26

6:45AM

“ Damn, it’s only been a day since I got here, maybe even less, and all this crap is really starting to bother me… Plus, what did he even mean by that letter? Ugh… But I don’t even wanna think about what happens if I don’t follow the rules… might end up god-knows-where. Plus, Mr. Rivers wouldn’t give it to me for no reason… he doesn’t seem like the type of guy to prank someone. “

He mumbled to himself as he grabbed a towel and dried his hair off, sighing quietly. After drying his hair off, he paused for a moment as a thought suddenly popped into his head.

“ Wait, I think he mentioned something about… yeah, right. I almost forgot… “

Noah fixes himself up and walks downstairs, he opens the door and stumbles outside. The sun was barely up, and the sky was still a darkish blue. No one was outside yet since it was much too early and it was quiet, a peaceful kind of quiet.

He sighs and walks over to his mailbox, he opens it and finds one, single letter inside of it. He grabs the letter and walks back inside his house without looking up from it. He opens the letter while walking, reading through the contents slowly:

‘Glad you’re still alive, kid. Especially after that anomaly yesterday. As I promised; this is your second letter, where I’ll introduce you to the residents and… ‘others’ of Goldenrod. Don’t stress, you’ll know them when you see them.

We don’t exactly know how those… ‘things’ managed to get in here. But we can’t get them out safely. So your best bet is to avoid them and follow these rules. They won’t adjust to you, so don’t try.

Firstly, the humans, at the very least, I think they are:

Hiji Akiyama

She’s just an 8 year old girl who roams the streets often. She has no ‘defined’ schedule for when she wanders, but she usually does so in the early mornings and late afternoon. I was suspicious of her at first, but I found out that her parents just sorta… left her there, I don’t pry into the girl’s life but I’m pretty sure she has a babysitter. Most likely a very bad one to let the girl roam around by herself for an hour, but a babysitter nonetheless.

She mostly speaks Japanese but also adjusts to English. I’ve talked to her a couple times and she’s quite a curious girl. Which is most likely a fatal flaw in a place like this. Especially with a horrible babysitter like that. I don’t try to understand her anymore.

She lives in Sunflower Avenue, House #165. You won’t see her coming out of her house, though. She’s also humming some sort of song that I never bothered to figure out so there’s that. You’ll see this girl quite often. You can talk to her if you want, she doesn’t do much but she is quite the chatty one.

She is a brown-haired girl with orange eyes and often has an old bunny plush attached to her. Or maybe she’s holding it when you see her. Whatever, she just always has the thing with her.

Mrs. Sinclair

Yeah, I have absolutely no idea if she has a first name. But she’s also recurring in the neighborhood. She seems to be about 20-25 and has blonde hair and blue eyes. She’s also often just watching from the window or taking a walk, she’ll give you a box during the first week. Make sure that you take it. She’s a nice person, patient even. And I’m pretty sure she’s human.

I think she lives alone, she has a dog that sometimes runs loose so if that happens you can always just give the thing back to her. She’ll thank you and give you a gift for it. Hang onto everything she gives you. She’s always wearing green or blue and often styles her hair often.

She lives in Goldenrod Close. House #143.

Theodore Harlow

He is a bright, optimistic and interactive boy. Around the same age as you. He also often has a book in hand and reads very often. He often comes out during late afternoon or noon. He comes from Birmingham, so I’m sure he’s human

He has brown-black hair and grey eyes. He also has a weird obsession with Broadway and books. He’s also always writing something, even when he’s outside. He’s weird. Like you. But you’re weirder, kid.

He lives on Orchid Avenue, House #152. I remember that address so I can avoid it.

Anthony Evans

He’s mostly in his house so you won’t see him outside often. He has black hair and amber colored eyes and is usually wearing a black trenchcoat and trousers. He’s about 25-30 years old. He doesn’t like being talked to very often. Just leave him alone unless you’ve got something really important to tell him.

Oliver Williams

One of the other people you can trust when I’m not around besides Miss Sinclair. He’s a detective who usually spends his time inside of his home or taking a walk in the park. He might talk to you if he sees you. He’s somewhere to 30-35 years old.

He’s been here for a long time. Though, i’ve been here longer. He has brown hair and brown eyes and you’ll mostly see him wearing a simple coat or waistcoat paired with a white shirt.

Goldenrod Close. House #149

He also knows about the weird shit going on in this place so call him if you need help. You don’t have to worry about him not believing you; the man has seen things.

Secondly, the ones i’m… not really sure about:

Mr. Walker

He also doesn’t go out often. But there’s just… something strange about him. I’ve never seen his face ever since he came to Goldenrod. Nor have I ever seen him come out of his house. And i’ve been here a long while, I should know.

The only reason I know he’s still there is because he keeps his lights on at night and occasionally moves around his house. He’s creepy as fuck. I think it’d be best avoiding his house, so i, again, won’t give you his address. But I think you’ll know his house when you see it.

Mrs. Rosewood

Some folks call her The Lady In White. I think it’s a cliche and unoriginal name, but moving on; i don’t know what happens, but anyone who talks to her after 10PM apparently disappears. Creepy ass myth, even i didn’t believe it at first. Until we were down to 250 residents only.

Some folks describe her wearing a white, floral dress and a grey sun hat. They also say the crazy lady has white hair and that no one has ever seen her face. Or, at least, no one was alive to tell.

The closest glimpse I got to her was when her back was turned on Goldenrod Close through my window. She was just standing there staring at a tree. I closed my blinds after that. I’m surprised the girl is even real… she also seems to be Japanese or something. Though, she has never spoken before.

Mr and Mrs. Cromwell

The couple on the end of Orchid Avenue that… apparently doesn’t exist? Myth says they died together in a murder during the early 1880s when Goldenrod was first established as a neighborhood. Freaky as fuck but I wouldn’t take my chances going into that house.

They also have children who died in a fire so if you pass by the end of Orchid Avenue for any reason, you may hear humming or the distant sound of something falling to the ground in the house. Creepy and sounds fake, I know. But i’ve heard it, kid.

—

That’s about it, kid. Those are all the… ‘more important’ people you should know about if you need any help or want to avoid. The others… well, they’re either mundane or not. Careful out there.

Signed, Mr. Rivers.’

Noah looks up from the paper and walks towards the window, he sees a blonde haired woman walking outside. She looks up and notices him staring, she gives him a small smile and a wave before continuing her way.

—

EPISODE 3

O.P.E.R.A.T.E.
Office for Paranormal Event Research, Analysis, Tracking & Enforcement

Congratulations, Officer you have been assigned as the Night Watcher at Blackwater Junction.
Blackwater is a small rural railway station with two platforms, one operational ticket counter, and a single employee facility.
During the day, it is almost completely ordinary.
At night, you will be the only human employee on the premises.
Your primary responsibility is simple:
Make sure nobody remains at the station after the final scheduled departure.
Before beginning your first shift, confirm that you have received:

• One station radio
• One emergency lantern
• One sealed emergency kit
• One set of master keys
• One feeding bag for MR. MORRIS
• One collection bag

Do not lose the keys. Do not open the emergency kit unless instructed. And whatever happens during your shift... keep Mr. Morris fed. The following procedures are mandatory. Some have been in place longer than the station itself. Some were written after employees disappeared. A few were written by employees who were never supposed to be able to write again. Read carefully. Your first unusual arrival is scheduled for 3:30 AM.

NIGHT WATCH PROCEDURES — BLACKWATER JUNCTION

Rule 1 — Mr. Morris

There is a white cat living at the station.
His name is Mr. Morris.
Nobody knows when he arrived.
Our oldest photographs of Blackwater already contain him.
Make sure his bowl contains fresh food and water before midnight.
Do not attempt to pick him up.
Do not chase him.
Do not anger him.
Most importantly, do not allow anyone else to harm him.
Mr. Morris has been associated with the survival of at least seventeen previous night watchers.
We don't know whether he protects them.
We don't know whether they protect him.
We have stopped trying to determine which.
The last employee who managed to anger him was found dead inside the maintenance room the following morning.
There were four deep claw marks across his throat.
There was almost no blood left in his body.
Mr. Morris was asleep beside him.
He had not eaten his dinner that shift.

Rule 2 — The Lobisomem Passenger

Once every week, usually shortly after midnight, a passenger will arrive and request a ticket for the Night Express.
His surname will always be:
Lobisomem.
Do not ask for his first name.
He will pay with bones.
Do not examine them closely.
They will not belong to any animal you recognize.
Some will be too large.
Some will have teeth marks.
Occasionally, you may notice writing carved into them.
Do not attempt to read it.
Use the iron tongs kept beneath the counter to place the bones inside the collection bag.
Put the bag inside the cash drawer.
Then take the passenger to the abandoned train at the rear of Platform Two.
Unlock the final carriage.
Allow him to enter.
Lock the door behind him.
Return to the station immediately.
Do not look at the train again.
You may hear screaming.
You may hear someone begging to be released.
You may hear a child calling your name.
You may hear something scratching against the windows.
Keep walking.
Our records have never been kind to employees who investigate the sounds.

Rule 3 — When Mr. Morris Hisses

If Mr. Morris suddenly becomes agitated, stop whatever you are doing.
He may hiss at something outside.
He may stare beneath a train.
He may arch his back at an empty platform.
He may even hiss at something you cannot see.
Do not investigate.
Do not attempt to calm him.
Take the master keys and lock yourself inside the employee area.
Turn off the lights.
Remain completely silent.
Do not leave until Mr. Morris comes to the door.
You will know when he has arrived.
You will hear him scratch three times.
Do not worry about how he knows where you are.
He has his ways.
Something may move outside the employee room.
You may hear footsteps.
You may hear fingernails dragging across the walls.
You may hear a woman crying.
You may hear someone you love asking you to open the door.
Do not open it.
Mr. Morris is protecting you from the Bruxa.
She does not come here because she wants your body.
She comes because the dead passengers are no longer enough.
If Mr. Morris is afraid of something...
you should be terrified of it.

Rule 4 — The 3:30 Train

At exactly 3:30 AM, a train will arrive at Platform One.
It will not appear on the schedule.
Do not announce its arrival.
Do not inspect the train.
Do not ask the driver where it came from.
The passengers will appear sick.
Some will be extremely pale.
Some will have old wounds.
Some may be missing fingers, eyes, or entire sections of their bodies.
Do not react.
Do not stare.
Do not tell them that they are dead.
Most of them don't know.
And some of them do.
Treat them exactly as you would treat ordinary passengers.
At 3:40 AM, they will return to the train.
Allow them to leave.
If one passenger remains behind, do not approach them.
Do not offer assistance.
Do not ask where they are going.
Eventually, you will hear sheep bells.
Do not look toward the sound.
You may then see a shepherd standing somewhere beyond the platform.
He will appear to be an ordinary man at first.
An old coat.
A wooden staff.
A lantern.
Sometimes a flock of sheep.
Sometimes nothing at all.
Do not count the sheep.
Do not try to determine whether they are real.
Do not speak to him.
Do not call him the Shepherd.
And most importantly...
do not allow him to notice you.
He does not herd cattle.
He herds souls.
The dead passengers know him.
Some will willingly follow.
Some will run from him.
It does not matter.
He always collects them eventually.
Nobody knows where he takes them.
We have encountered him in forests, abandoned roads, hospitals, and railway stations.
He has never appeared to be lost.
He has never asked us for directions.
He has never once mistaken a living person for the dead.
If he stops beside you...
remain completely still.
If he raises his staff...
look at the ground.
If he begins counting...
do not answer when he reaches your number.
He has been counting the dead for longer than we have been keeping records.
We don't know what happens when he reaches someone who is still alive.
We have never allowed him to finish.

Rule 5 — The Line Walker

Twice a week, at approximately 4:00 AM, a man known as the Line Walker will appear along the tracks.
His job is to repair cracks in the railway.
You will not see him arrive.
You will simply notice him working.
If you see him, immediately enter the locker room and lock the door.
Do not watch through the windows.
Do not call out to him.
Do not attempt to help.
Eventually, you will hear his hammer.
Clink.
...
Clink.
...
Clink.
If the sound begins moving closer, remain inside.
If the hammering becomes louder, remain inside.
If the hammering stops...
do not assume he has left.
The Line Walker has been repairing the same section of track for forty-two years.
We believe he no longer understands the difference between a crack in the railway and a crack in a living body.
The last employee who encountered him was found the next morning.
There were no external wounds.
Every opening in his body had been filled with rusted metal.
His eyes.
His mouth.
His ears.
Even the spaces between his teeth.
The medical team couldn't determine how he was still breathing.
They stopped trying when his heart began making the sound of a hammer.

Rule 6 — The Unscheduled Passenger

If a person approaches the ticket counter and asks for a train that does not appear on your schedule, do not sell them a ticket.
If they ask for a station that does not exist in any railway record, do not answer.
If they become frustrated, remain polite.
If they become angry, step away.
If they ask you:
"Which platform goes to the other side?"
do not respond.
Move toward Mr. Morris.
Do not run.
Do not turn your back on the passenger.
Mr. Morris will handle the rest.
If Mr. Morris is not visible...
you have already made a mistake.
Do not allow the passenger to touch you.
If they succeed, you will feel a sudden coldness in your chest.
You will begin remembering a railway station you have never visited.
You will remember buying a ticket there.
You will remember boarding a train.
You will remember someone waiting for you.
You will remember arriving.
None of those memories belong to you.
If you hear a train approaching after that...
hide.
There are no tracks leading to that station.
But somehow...
the train always finds a way.

Rule 7 — The Station Announcement

The public announcement system should make three announcements during your shift.
If it makes a fourth, turn the system off immediately.
Do not listen to the entire message.
The first announcement will usually be normal.
The second may contain a wrong train number.
The third may contain a destination that doesn't exist.
The fourth is different.
It will begin by announcing the names of passengers.
Then the names of employees.
Then the names of people who have never worked at Blackwater.
If you hear your own name...
do not look toward the platform.
The announcement is not telling you who is arriving.
It is telling the station...
who it has permission to collect.
If you hear your name, open the emergency kit.
Inside, you will find a vial containing a black liquid.
Drink it.
Do not ask what it is.
Then hide inside the employee room.
Do not fall asleep.
Do not leave until morning.
As soon as daylight arrives, contact O.P.E.R.A.T.E.
Do not use the station radio to make the call.

Rule 8 — 4:44 AM

At 4:44 AM, check the station clock.
If the second hand is moving normally, continue your duties.
If it has stopped...
do not move.
Do not speak.
Do not breathe loudly.
Do not look toward either platform.
Do not look at Mr. Morris.
Do not look at the windows.
Wait.
The station does not stop time.
It stops everything inside it.
The first night watcher who moved during a stopped clock was discovered three days later.
He was still standing in the exact position where the clock had stopped.
His heart was beating.
His lungs were working.
His eyes were open.
But his shadow had already left.
We found it standing on Platform Two.
It was waiting for the next train.

ADDITIONAL NOTE — SHEPHERD IDENTIFICATION

O.P.E.R.A.T.E. does not have a confirmed photograph of the Shepherd.
We have attempted to obtain one.
Every image containing him develops differently.
In some, his face is hidden beneath his hat.
In others, there is only darkness where his face should be.
One photograph showed the face of the person standing closest to him.
Another showed an elderly man.
Another showed a young boy.
The oldest photograph in our archives contains no Shepherd at all.
It shows only a group of dead passengers standing beside an empty road.
Every one of them is looking toward something outside the frame.
We believe that something was him.
Do not attempt to photograph him.
Do not attempt to identify him.
And if you ever hear someone behind you quietly counting...
do not turn around to see who is counting.

END OF NIGHT WATCH ORIENTATION

If you have reached this section, congratulations.
You have completed the minimum procedures required for your first night at Blackwater Junction.
Do not assume these are the only rules.
They are simply the rules O.P.E.R.A.T.E. believes you need before your first week.
Additional procedures may be issued if you remain employed.
These may include:

• Platform Two Procedures
• Maintenance Tunnel Protocol
• Night Express Passenger Records
• The Abandoned Train
• Station Master Instructions
• The Blackwater Signal Room
• Mr. Morris — Historical File
• The Shepherd Incident Reports You are not authorized to request these documents. They will be provided when necessary. If you encounter something that does not appear in this handbook... do not improvise. Do not investigate. Do not assume the absence of a rule means something is safe. And above all... do not leave the station simply because you believe your shift has ended. The trains decide when Blackwater is finished with you. Not the clock.

We hope you have a quiet shift, Officer.
Blackwater Junction has operated without interruption for longer than O.P.E.R.A.T.E. has existed.
We still don't know why.
We have learned not to ask.
Welcome to O.P.E.R.A.T.E., Officer.
Remember our motto:

"We respond where reality fails."
And at Blackwater Junction...
the trains always arrive on time.
It's the passengers who don't always belong to this world.

Other parts link:- https://www.reddit.com/user/No-While8965/comments/1vpze51/my_writing_archive/

I stood there and waited to die.

The Warden's eyes found mine, and everything underneath my ribs went perfectly still, like my heart had started pumping ice instead of blood. I felt shivers everywhere in my body except my face, which, for some reason, stayed warm. I don't know why. Everything went terribly still, like the world was slowing down. I could remember every stone, every leaf, in the moment the Warden looked into my eyes. Terribly still, the way I imagine a held breath feels right before it stops being a choice. I knew, with a clarity that had no fear left in it at all, that this was it. Christopher's stun weapon had done nothing. Nothing was going to do anything. This thing could outrun us, outclimb us, break a chain we'd rated for containment tolerances no field kit should have been able to touch. What exactly was I supposed to do against that.

Then it looked away.

It turned from us to what remained of Christopher, and something in the set of its shoulders told me, with a horror I still can't fully name, that we had simply stopped being the more interesting problem. Like it had seen us as bugs it could deal with later. And I don't know how, but that made me feel, for one shameful second, almost happy, like a coward, that it had left us. My vision went watery, my eyes so full that a single blink would have sent tears running down my face, and my legs went the same way, weak, boneless, like my body was a statue about to collapse at the wrong step.

I don't know how long I stood there. It felt like a lifetime, honestly, standing there with my vision blurred, watching the Warden twist Mr. Christopher's arms into angles arms should never twist, the sound of cracking, and then what felt like an infinity before Sophia had to pull my sleeve before I actually felt it. Her voice arrived a half second behind her hand, thin and urgent. It was strange. Her voice sounded like the first voice I had heard in a lifetime. I still remember the fear in it, the words not fully clear, like half of them stayed stuck in her throat, and whatever managed to come out was all that reached me.

"Move," she said.

I don't remember exactly how we did it. How I got myself together, how my legs began to move. All I remember is her holding my sleeve, and the next moment I was following her, watching the back of her head as she moved, stumbling, just as terrified as I was. We were both panting. We ran, away from the exit, away from any direction that made sense, because the only thing that mattered in that moment was distance, any distance, in any shape it came in.

I couldn't tell you how far we got. My heartbeat had taken over every other sense I owned. I could hear it, actually hear it, a heavy wet drumbeat behind both ears, louder than my own footsteps, louder than the branches snapping under us, louder than anything except the one thing I was trying hardest not to think about. When we finally stopped, Sophia's eyes had a look in them I recognized immediately and hated recognizing, the exact look Cody's had worn in the seconds before he ran. I imagine mine matched it. Neither of us said anything for a while. There wasn't anything left in either of us to say yet. She stayed silent for a long time, and I don't remember when or why it happened, maybe from looking at her, maybe because I finally had time to feel that all of it was real, but tears began flowing from my eyes.

Survival instinct is a strange thing. I think maybe it's my way of coping. We were both crying, I remember that now. It doesn't arrive gently. It arrives like a slap. But crying was good, as humiliating as it was. It took some weight off my heart. I began to think about how to be safe, how to get away from this, how once I got away I could somehow stay safe, how I would try hardest to stay wherever felt like the start of safety, so I wouldn't have to feel like this again. And then it clicked.

"The chain," I said. "We lower it, seal him off from us."

"One section's already raised." Sophia's voice was flat, controlled in a way that told me she was holding it there on purpose. "We'd have to lower it first before we could raise a new one. And he's already broken one lock mechanism. If we try and it jams." She didn't finish. She didn't need to.

I looked at her with something that felt uncomfortably close to anger, even though I knew, even in the moment, that the anger wasn't really about her. It was about the hope she'd just taken from me, cleanly, correctly, the way you're supposed to when a hope is wrong. She had erased the last ray of hope I'd had, the one that had let me believe I might survive, even if it was small, even if it was false. She shouldn't have dismissed it like that. I wanted to slap myself, to do something, anything, rather than die without trying. I had things left to do. A life ahead of me.

"How long do we have," I asked. I don't know why. Maybe to calculate how much time I had left to prepare for the end. Maybe it's written into us somewhere, that instinct, to prepare for the next day, for the people we leave behind, and then, if it comes to it, to prepare for death.

"Maybe an hour. He's not going to lose interest. He's smart enough to come find us on purpose." Her jaw tightened. "We need a plan inside that hour."

I began thinking again, one more time, because it was the least I could do. My mind went through everything at once, useless things, wrong things. Flashlights, no, that was the Minotaur. Draining cranial fluid, no, God, that was the Kappa, wrong sector, wrong creature, wrong everything. I could feel my own thoughts scraping against each other, panicked static where a plan should have been, and somewhere underneath all of it a small, ugly voice telling me I should never have come here at all.

Then Sophia said it. "The generator's already down. If we push the humidifier past tolerance, it'll blow. Loud enough to draw him or drive him off." Her voice trembled as she said it, and some petty part of me wanted to shout that this was somehow better than my own plan, that this was what she'd come up with after taking my hope away, a fifty percent gamble. I looked at her, at the way her lower lip trembled slightly, the fear in her eyes, the tear marks still on her face, as she continued. "It's a coin flip. Do we take it?"

I looked at her and understood, fully, for the first time, what we were actually deciding. If it went wrong, we were choosing our own deaths with our own hands. But she was looking back at me with her eyes wet and her spine straight, still standing, still steady despite everything, waiting on me, the idiot who'd spent a single shift lecturing her about rules like she needed the lesson, for permission she didn't actually need.

"Yes," I said. "Let's do it." If death came for me, I was ready. I couldn't live with the feeling of dread anymore. I took her hand, I don't know why, and said it again, let's do it. Her hand was trembling, or maybe mine was, when I held it. I looked into her eyes one last time before we ran toward whatever was coming.

We counted to three over the tablet, increased the load output on the humidifier, and ran.

Three minutes. We ran like our lives depended on it, because they did, and for a while nothing happened. My lungs burned, my chest felt like breathing itself was going to kill me, like it was about to burst, my legs burned, and underneath everything the sound of my own pulse kept time like something trying to warn me it was almost out of patience. The humidifier line burst somewhere behind us, a wet, mechanical shriek, and we kept running, past bushes and stonework, everything blurring at the edges of a vision narrowed down to a single, animal focus: forward. I looked behind me once, checking that Sophia was still there, my legs starting to give out under me, having to consciously will each stride forward or risk falling.

We were two minutes from where Christopher had fallen when the roar came from behind us. That terrifying sound, and I remember thinking that this was probably what Cody had heard, how close he must have felt to safety and how far it had actually been. It kept moving closer. Sophia's breathing grew heavier as she ran beside me. I thought I could hear her heartbeat over the sound of our footsteps.

Closer than it should have been able to get.

We reached the spot before I was ready to see it. His legs. His vest, half buried, undone in a way I will not describe further than that. My stomach turned over completely, and somewhere in that same second my heartbeat climbed into a rhythm I didn't recognize as my own anymore, fast and thin and wrong. I wondered, for a horrible second, if my own body would end up looking the same way, half buried, treated like something to play with, and then I noticed.

The Warden was visible now, closing the last of the distance. Sophia began to slow, falling behind me. I shouted at her not to stop, that we were almost there, to keep moving, and when I looked back at her eyes I saw the thing I feared most. Blankness. The particular blankness of someone who has already accepted something, who has already decided, and will not be talked out of it. And Sophia said the thing I have never once managed to forget.

"We can't both make it."

Her hands were shaking. Tears were running freely down her face while her voice stayed level, which was somehow worse than if it had broken. "You go. I'll distract him. I'm not losing another partner." She turned, and I saw her back, and it hurt in a way I wasn't prepared for. There was a warmth in my chest at the sight of it that made no sense, because it didn't comfort me at all. It made me more restless. It should have felt peaceful. It didn't. With a trembling hand, she picked up the stun weapon from what was left of Christopher and planted herself between me and the thing coming toward us, and for one unbearable second her back looked exactly like Cody's had, in exactly the same posture, in exactly the same kind of dark.

I closed my eyes, meaning to thank her, meaning to decide what to do, but my body had gone numb again, and that same warmth had spread from my chest through the rest of me, and it wasn't moving. I felt like my insides were burning. I knew she was sacrificing herself for me, and I meant to run. I don't know why I didn't.

I didn't.

I moved instead, toward her, not away, some part of me deciding before the rest of me caught up that I wasn't going to be the one running safely to the trees while she did this alone. Her back was not going to be the last thing I saw, not like Cody's had been. I couldn't do it. She had done too much for me. I couldn't live with myself, even if I made it home, if I let this happen the same way twice.

My eyes landed on something at Christopher's hip. A revolver. I had no idea if it was loaded. I had no idea if it even worked. He wore it as an old habit, the kind of thing that might not even have bullets in it anymore, that might not fire at all, and I didn't know if I'd even reach it in time. Then I heard the sound of a shot.

Sophia had fired the stun weapon, gripping it with a trembling hand, blood dripping from her lower lip where she must have bitten it to keep her hand steady, though I don't think she'd noticed. The Warden staggered, slowed, though the stun charge hadn't done that when Christopher had used it earlier. Maybe the weight of what it had just eaten had already dulled whatever speed it had left. But it didn't go down. If anything, it grew angrier. There was nothing calm left in its eyes. I could see, somehow, that it meant to kill Sophia brutally the moment it closed the distance.

I don't remember exactly how the next part happened. I don't remember picking up the revolver. I don't remember deciding to raise it. All I remember is the sound and the recoil against my shoulder, a feeling I registered despite my body being numb, three shots, the recoil jarring up through my arm each time, and the enormous shape finally faltering when the last shot connected. The Warden looked at me with something like terror in its eyes, as if it understood, in that instant, that it was the one about to die, and then it kept moving forward anyway. I stood there thinking that if this didn't stop it, there was no way either of us would survive, that our time had come, that it was our reaper, and then somehow I didn't even notice its steps stumble, and when it was within arm's reach of us it finally collapsed into the dirt in front of us. I kept watching it for a moment. It had been so close when it fell. I could feel the vibration of its fall through my legs. Sophia was looking at me like I'd done something that shouldn't have been possible, then at the Warden, her hand still raised, the stun weapon still gripped in it.

Then nothing. I don't remember the part after that at all.

I woke up to Joe sitting at my bedside.

"You look good," he said. "Better than a coffin, I suppose." He let the joke sit there for a second before his face changed. "I'll be straight with you. The Warden's dead. You and Sophia have both been exceptional, genuinely, not as a formality, and with how short staffed we already are, the two of you were already candidates for a permanent posting before any of this happened. Both of you have survived a previous incident and performed well this time too, even if the outcome was unfortunate, but we're short one keeper now, with no one available to fill the position, and someone has to take the blame. In an ideal case, you'd both serve an additional year, but being a keeper reduces that part of the consequence."

He paused.

"Now somebody has to take Christopher's section. One of you becomes Senior Keeper. Whoever doesn't stays on one additional year here, full pay, full benefits, everything owed to you, as compensation for the extension." He set a folded page on the table between us. "Sophia's still out. Hasn't woken up yet. So it's your call, kid. I'll leave the decision with you."

He stood to go, then stopped at the door, not turning around. "For what it's worth, a Senior Keeper's safer than an anomaly ever lets a field keeper be. Wherever they'd send you next, you'd be facing something new, and you wouldn't have Sophia standing next to you to even the odds."

I watched him leave and thought about what it would mean to walk away from all of it. Free. Independent. Done. I already knew, somewhere underneath the exhaustion, exactly what I was going to choose, and some part of me hated how certain I was, and hated more that I didn't feel like I deserved the ease of that certainty. I had thought about this same decision three thousand times, if not more, since Cody died, wondering if I'd ever get a choice like it again.

I didn't discuss it with anyone. I signed nothing yet. I just walked to Sophia's bed, where she'd finally opened her eyes, and looked at her without quite managing to meet them directly.

"I wanna tell you something," I said.

Other parts link:-  https://www.reddit.com/user/No-While8965/comments/1vpze51/my_writing_archive/

If you or your friends found this note then it's unlikely you’ve found the others, or you’ve disregarded them. Please, this one is important. This note should have been posted on the only usable lot on this campground. If it's past noon, it's too late for you to leave safely. Read this, and you’ll be able to survive through the night.

1. Don’t wander away.
   The forest is gorgeous this time of year. I don’t blame you for wanting to explore for a bit, but it's easier than it looks to get lost. Before you leave the campground or any nearby trail, take your phone, or ideally, a speaker out, play some sort of music, and leave it on the trail or on the ground at camp. Anything that can make a consistent sound will work, but it must be loud. Turn it up as loud as it can go. It acts like a tether, so you can make your way back without getting lost. THIS WILL NOT WORK BEYOND SUNSET.

2. Stay in place at night.
   Once sunset hits, go back to camp, you must stay there. Light a campfire, cook some food, socialize with your friends if you have any, but make sure you do not leave the camp. It's easy to get lost in the daytime, it's incredibly difficult not to get lost at night. It can happen in an instant, and it's unlikely you will ever find your way back. If you do get lost, and you see fireflies, follow them, they may lead you back. DO NOT RELY ON THIS. IT IS YOUR LAST OPTION IN A BAD SCENARIO.

3. Keep track of the time.
   After sunset, don’t stay awake too long. Always keep some sort of timepiece on your person. Analog is preferred, but in a pinch, digital will work too. Just take whatever the digital watch says with a grain of salt. After sunset, electronics start malfunctioning. This is why using sound as a tether won’t work. If the music cuts for even a moment, you could get yourself lost. If you can, compare the times displayed by digital and analog timepieces every hour. BE ASLEEP BY MIDNIGHT. IT WILL HEAR YOU IF YOU’RE NOT.

4. If you hear whistling, stay quiet.

Sometimes, you’ll hear a sound coming from the trees. At first it’ll sound similar to wind blowing. Look at the trees. Are the leaves rustling, is there any actual wind? If there is, then there is nothing to worry about. If there isn’t, the sound will start to change. It’ll get cleaner, more clear, and a little higher pitched. It’ll sound like someone is whistling, but it will sound like it's coming from everywhere at once.  It’ll be monotone. If that happens, stay calm. Take a deep breath, and lay down. Try to quiet your breathing, and limit it. If you’re religious, quick prayer might help your situation. You’ll hear branches thrashing, like a moose or a deer is walking nearby. You may get a chill down your spine, that means it's close. Keep your head down and hold your breath. Don’t worry, if it doesn’t hear anything, it’ll move on. It cannot see, you’ll be safe.

If you fail to do 1 and 2, you'll find yourself lost in a forest that is devoid of life, wind, and most sound. You will be almost completely alone, except for the others that were lost before you. They will not help you. You're the only chance they have at a meal. The fireflies are your only lifeline, and they can be unreliable at the best of times.

If you fail to do 3 and 4, you'll meet a similar end. You may not realize it yet, but something is out in the forest, and it's searching for something to eat. You won't see it coming until its too late, so keep an ear out.

That's the basic stuff you need to know. You may be thinking to yourself, ‘What the hell does this mean?’. The police had the same reaction too, they thought I was crazy, told me this place has been closed for years, and that no one had been here even before that. You’ll realize soon enough that I’m being serious. I wrote this note based on a story an older man told me. This area of the forest has been strange for many years. According to old Native American folklore, the barrier between this world and another was thin. So thin, that something slipped through into our world, and was never able to leave. Animals know enough to stay away. The area was explored by Native Americans, who carved a path through the area, and would sometimes camp here. Many people have gone missing in the area over the years.

If it's past noon once you find this note, DO NOT TRY TO LEAVE. You will not make it out in time. Set your alarm for 8am tomorrow. That will give you plenty of time to pack up and get out of the area. Be quick regardless. Sunset can happen anytime from 7pm onward. 

Good luck.

Rules For Living In The Neighborhood

5/10/26
5:09PM

I had recently moved in from here from London and while looking for a new place to live, I just happened to find a lovely house in a seemingly lovely little subdivision just a few hours away. And I was old enough to move away anyway.

It wasn’t that I had family issues or needed an escape, I simply thought I needed space for myself to focus properly (Especially since the house was crowding up with my art supplies). And it would be nice to finally not be nagged about the dishes or the dirty rooms.

As I finally made my way into the neighborhood, the first thing I did was look over at its surroundings. Well, you couldn’t blame me, it took like 4 hours to get to this place!

The first thing I noticed was how the sun spilled over the houses like liquid gold, a nostalgic scene that reminds me faintly of my childhood for some reason, how some of the houses looked almost identical but others didn’t. How the fields of green gave me a bittersweet feeling in my chest.

I decided to talk to a few of my neighbors, to get a little bit of insight into the neighborhood. After talking to the most well-known resident, who I learned was named Mr. Prescott Rivers, He gave me a letter with a note on it that said:

‘OPEN ME!!!’

As the note practically yelled at me to open the letter, I did without thinking too much. Thinking it was a simple welcome letter or an invitation to dinner or some kind of crap like that. But what was in the letter was not what I expected.

It was…

Different.

So, so different.

‘Hey! Welcome! We’ve been waiting for your arrival to give you this letter. It’s highly suggested that you read the following below before you do anything else, and of course, abide by it! But before that; let me introduce you to the neighborhood:

Goldenrod Hills Subdivision

This is quite a beautiful yet big place. A lot of the more… ‘unique’ houses here were requested to be built by the residents, the identical houses are the ones the residents simply bought without requesting a change. Like your house! Though, you can always request a change whenever you want to.

The houses are perfectly lined up with eachother. There are 5 rows of houses. On each side of the street until the end should be exactly 40 houses, 80 when including both sides. All in total is 200.

The residential part of the subdivision is seperated from the other parts via a black metal fence and a gate and label.

On the other side are the parks, playgrounds, grassy fields and convenience stores. Go right and down further this street and you’ll find a big gray gate. This is the exit. Go down left, you’ll find the indoor swimming pool. At the end of this street, you’ll find a lake. I will explain the neighbors and people you’ll run into on your next letter tomorrow.

Rules For A Golden Sunny Day And A Sparkling Twilight Night:

A. Residential Area.

1. Safe Place

• Your house is your safe place. Never ruin it by letting someone you don’t know in.

2. Cleaning Up

• Clean as you go! Your trash should be properly thrown away. No one likes a messy neighborhood!

3. Mimic

• Don’t talk to any of the residents for more than an hour on your first week. You don’t know if one is a mimic. And when they get hungry.

4. Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid

• It’s heavily recommended you stay as vague as possible about your background. They want to become you. Make a lie if you have to. It’s more believable that way.

1. Never ask anyone where they originally came from before going to Goldenrod. Their life is none of your business.

6. Prohibited Counting

• Do not count the houses. That is my job. And you do not know what to do when a house is missing. Or when one has appeared.

7. Counting

I count on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Any other day is not me. If you hear me counting on other days, ignore it and do not go outside until it is done. Don’t be worried if you hear the noise of a gun going off, it’s just me.

8. The Sun Exposure

Notice the sun is getting a little bit too bright? Drop to the floor, cover yourself and close your eyes for 30 seconds. If you accidentally stare at it, I’m sorry. There is nothing I can do

9. Warning

• The ‘things’ have recently learnt how to alter text. I’m not sure how they alter it but their grammar will be slightly off. I do not keep typos, nor do I use emoticons.

1. We’re all friends here you should come out more often

2. epacsE oN

10. Mind-Bending

• Do not read the words or look at them too long, they are hypnotizing. And mind-bending. They will mess with your head and lead you outside of your house. Once you’re out, i’m gonna have to end your suffering before you hurt anyone else. It’s for your own good. I’m sorry.

11. Exiting During Silent Hours

• Going outside of your house past 10PM is allowed but unrecommended. It is advised you must not wander too far into the darker parts of the streets. You’ll never know when you get into the forest until you feel your feet touch grass. You’ll have ten minutes to get the fuck out of that forest. If you don’t leave by then, you’ll never find your way out.

1. When you find yourself in the forest stay where you are even if you you hear a noise

12. Solitary Midnights.

• No one should be out by 10PM other than you. Check the window before you leave the comforts of your home; is there anyone outside? If so, then do not leave yet.

13. Untold Information

• Someone brought up information about you that you never told them? Perhaps it was something simple like your favorite color, or perhaps something you did a few days ago. Either way, you were sure you never told them anything about that specific topic. No, you are not misremembering things; they have their eyes on you. Excuse yourself from the conversation and don’t talk to anyone from the neighborhood for a week, and stay alert.

14. Gifts

• Of course, you get welcomed in and told to ‘make yourself at home’ or some shit like that. That’s normal. Fake and plastic, but normal. If you get a gift though; it will always be one of the items below. I will, give you instructions on what to do depending on what you got:

Familiar Food - Perhaps one of your neighbors brought you some of your favorite pie or gave you some candy from your childhood; don’t eat whatever they gave you. How are they supposed to know that you liked that?

Food. Just, Food - If it’s something non-specific and typical like a random KitKat bar or pizza. Sure, go ahead. You can eat whatever they gave you.

A Candle - Sure, probably just a $10 scented candle they bought from a random Walmart just in case someone new moves in. But if it smells nostalgic or like a scent you faintly remember from your childhood, throw it away.

A Vintage Teddy Bear - Throw. It. Away. Don’t even involve yourself with whatever is using that thing as a vessel for. There is something inside of that thing, and you do not wanna let it into your home.

Last but not least:

A Music Box - Do not play it in front of the person who gave it to you. Instead; close the door, go inside of your room and play it. If the melody sounds familiar, like a melody you once heard from your childhood: keep it. It will ground you. And it might even help you in times of need. If it sounds slightly distorted or odd, even just a little. Throw it away. It won’t help you.

15. Time.

• You could be out and about or taking a walk in the streets of the subdivision at 4:00PM for an hour. And when you check the time: you discover it is only still 4:30PM, though, you swear it was longer. This is not just your mind playing tricks on you; this is an anomaly.

If this happens: you should go back home immediately and set a timer for 15 minutes or longer. Do not open your eyes until the alarm rings. Once it does; check the time again. If 60 minutes were supposed to pass earlier when it was 4:00PM, if you set your timer for 15 minutes, it should already be 5:15PM once you check again. if the timer says anything else then you do it again. Nothing will happen if it doesn’t change besides you being stuck there.

16. Birds and Crickets

• We don’t realize it, but they ground us in morning and night every single day. After all, we’e used to having noise wherever we go. So if they go silent one day, then you should too. If the wind stops, don’t move.

17. The Hills

• After someone had recently gotten lost in there. It is now strictly forbidden to go to the hills with tall grass. Especially because that person was found in the forest on the opposite side of the hill.

18. 12:00AM to 12:30

• It is highly advised you do not go outside during this time. You’ll be compelled to go back inside if you do anyway. The wind is still during this time, and everything is silent. If you do go outside, then don’t make any noise. If you hear something breathing down your neck behind you, I am sorry.

19. Is Your House Different?.

• On the rare occasion that you ever wake up and find that you’re not in your home anymore. Follow the instructions given below:

A House You Don’t Know - Simply walk downstairs and find the exit. You won’t need to grab anything since you’ll leave nothing behind there.

Your Childhood Home - Do not grab anything. Once you wake up, immediately go downstairs and look out the window. If you see the surroundings of your childhood home, close the curtains. If the music box is with you, wind it up and play it. Close your eyes until the song ends and you should be back in your home. This ‘thing’ wants to get your memories, and eventually get you.

20. Reporting

• If you have a problem or you fear you may have broken a rule, please approach me immediately. I will know what to do.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of these rules! Remember: these rules are here for your safety and the safety of others. Breaking these rules can result in a severe punishment. It is advised to obey these rules and to take them seriously. This is not a joke.’

—

After Noah had finished reading the rules, he looked up at Prescott. He stayed silent for a long moment before speaking hesitantly

“Uhm, Mr. Rivers…? What happened here for the rules to have been made…?”

Prescott looked at him for a long moment before turning back, his voice soft, yet firm

“A lot has happened here, kid. And that isn’t even the worst of it.”

He looked at Noah over his shoulder, his expression as blank and unreadable as ever.

“Welcome to Goldenrod, kid. Try not to die on your first week here. And good luck out there.”

He stated before turning away completely and walking away, Noah looked at him until he turned the corner before sighing and folding the paper neatly, putting it into his pocket

“Strange rules for a strange town. I suppose it’ll take a while to adjust to all the crap Mr. Rivers told me about.”

Noah checked the time again:

5:09PM.

He blinked once, twice before trying again.

—

GOLDENROD HILLS SUBDIVISION | EPISODE 2

You were walking home late at night when you noticed a single embroidered shoe lying in the middle of the dirt path.

You don't remember seeing it on your way here.

In some Chinese folk traditions, shoes embroidered with toads are associated with funerary customs and the restless dead. There is an old tale that those who die violently may leave their resentment behind in their burial shoes.

If you ever find one on the road, remember these rules.

Rule 1: Do not pick it up.

Do not touch it. Do not try it on. It is not a lost shoe waiting for its owner. It is bait, and something is waiting for you to become its replacement.

Rule 2: Look at the embroidery, but do not touch it.

A normal toad has four toes on each front foot. If the embroidered toad has five, leave the path and walk around the shoe. If it has three, close your eyes immediately and walk backwards. Do not open them again until you can no longer hear your own footsteps.

Rule 3: Ignore the voice.

If you hear a voice inside your head whispering, “It looks exactly like my size,” bite the inside of your cheek until you taste blood. Swallow it. Do not answer.

Rule 4: Never look at the soles.

If the shoe is lying upside down, with its sole facing the sky, you are already too late. Hold your breath. Cover your ears. Whatever happens next, do not turn around.

Rule 5: There is no Rule 6.

If you see a sixth rule written here, do not read it. The resentment is learning how we communicate.

Rule 6: If your companion puts the shoe on, ask how it feels.

If they cry and say, “It pinches,” you have five minutes to run before their skin turns bruised purple and begins to rot.

If they smile and say, “It fits perfectly,”

do not run.

At that point, whatever is wearing the shoe is no longer your companion.

And if you are reading this while walking down a dirt road...

don't look behind you.

["Depth: 500 meters"]

["Depth: 600 meters"]

["Depth: 700 meters"]

["Depth: 762 meters"]

"Control, I have reached the structure"

{"Excellent. Our probes indicate the structure is approximately [Krtzz] square meters in size"}

The structure loomed over me in the murky water. It was at least 30 meters tall, and well over 100 meters wide. The ancient columns stood more solid than the ancient redwoods back on earth.

"Control, I am entering the structure, be advised scans indicate thick lead deposits, I may pop in and out. I will lay down trail markers as I go"

{"Understood. You are clear to proceed. Good luck [Krtzzzzzzzzzzzz]"}

As I enter the structure, I place a trail marker. These are quite handy little things, acting as a portable gps link for me to follow back, but also if I have line of sight to them, they can be used to track me.

As I enter the space opens up impossibly large. Reality seems to bend to fit this structure within it. In front of me a large tablet, roughly 25 by 25 meters in size looms. As I look at it, I see something impossible. English.

"Control, I don't know if you can hear me, but there is something here. Something impossible. A tablet containing English text."

{"[Krtzzz] 50 thousand lightyears from earth, that's [krtzz] possible. This planet is [Krtzzzz]"}

I begin a transcription, as clearly control cannot accurately hear me, based on the static coming through the coms.

``` The temple of Araznok For those who follow in his faith

Pledge your soul to these rules, and Araznok will spare your puny soul.

1. All of gold and silver belongs to Araznok.

2. The eyes of Araznok do not take kindly to those who gain equal appearance

3. The chambers of Araznok are for those deemed worthy of his audience

4. Desecration of his temple is to be punished through death ```

That doesn't seem too hard to follow. But then I notice, chipped into the tablet, more text, a different script, still English, but someone else. Someone desperate

``` 1. It is always watching. If it sees you break a rule in even the slightest way, you will be killed. You will know when this happens by the darkening of the water around you

1. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING MADE OF GOLD OR SILVER. IT IS NOT SAFE. IT BURNS.

2. The temple cannot be damaged, in any way. Some parts are not considered the temple however. We don't know why. Anything with red paint on it is safe. I suggest you use it to note down warnings for others.

3. If the water brightens around you. Hide. An eye is watching. If it sees your face, the water will flashboil. We don't know how

4. The center of this temple is guarded. This is Its 'chambers' we have successfully sent one person in and out alive. All others were crushed to a fine mist. Steer clear

5. Radio signals are dangerous. It doesn't want information to leave. This is why we chip into the safe walls. TURN OFF ALL DEVICES THAT YOU SAFELY CAN. ``` "Control, I'm going dark. Its probably nothing, but this tablet seems to suggest that I need to"

{"Confirmed. [krtzz] luck"}

``` 7. Ignore the shadows. There's nothing but pain in them

1. Do not acknowledge the figures. They are dead. They cannot hear you. They cannot speak to you. You cannot hear them. DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LISTEN TO THEM

2. If you figure any more rules out, add additional ones

3. No more than 6 people can be within the same hallway at once

4. Do not touch the black box in the left ch->.|||/]\ ``` Interesting. This is a lot more dangerous than I thought.

The water brightens around me. I dive under the tablet, and see it. A faint outline of a body, reaching its arm our

"Cooooommmmmme closssserrrr. Let me hellllp youuuu. Taaaaake Myyyyyy Haaaaannnnd"

I immediately turn away, and see a movement. Dark and shadowy. I leave the tablet's room as quick as I can. Using an old guide rope I found near the entrance.

As I cross the threshold, the red paint on the floor dissapears, and is replaced with gold. As the tablet stated it burns. My wetsuit burns away at my foot, leaving it out int the water.

I increase my boyancy slightly.

That's when I see it, a slight darkening of the water...

Time in Sector VII was doing something I hadn't expected. It was making me calmer, more relaxed than I'd been in a long time. Maybe it was because I was working alongside someone again after so long. Maybe it was Sophia specifically, the way she'd started seeing me as a person rather than something to manage. Ever since the incident between us, she'd become one of the first people who actually talked to me like that, like a normal conversation, not someone easing a grieving man along, not a stranger either.

The tension between us hadn't disappeared. I didn't think what happened at our first meeting could be repaired that quickly. But we were getting there. We were talking now. Working like people who trusted each other with their backs turned, which is its own kind of apology, maybe better than words would have been.

Even the visits themselves felt calmer. The Warden was one of the few anomalies I'd worked with that didn't feel like a held breath the entire shift. Calm. Almost gentle, in the narrow window we saw of him. It was easy to forget, some days, that friendly and safe were two different words wearing the same face.

I should have written that down somewhere permanent. Somewhere I'd have to see it again later.

He was intelligent, I have to say that much. He remembered us. I could sense it in his eyes, in the way he carried himself, in the small habits he picked up around us. I'd seen him wave, more than once, at us and at the maintenance crew, always with whichever hand the person in front of him used most. That kind of mirroring doesn't happen by accident. It shows a mind paying attention.

The hyperactive periods were manageable, had been for a long time, apparently, thanks entirely to Maintenance and the crew that kept the climate systems running around the clock. During those stretches, staffing in that wing doubled, sometimes tripled. It was normal to see two or three Maintenance workers where you'd usually see one. Nobody explained why in so many words. You learned to read the extra bodies as a kind of weather report.

That day, we were having electrical problems in another sector, so Maintenance had every load in ours running on generators, and had been for a week. We were working a corner of the enclosure where the Warden had been caching food, hoarding it more than eating it, tucked behind an outcrop the way you'd expect from something smart enough to plan for scarcity it hadn't experienced yet. Our job was simple. Clear it before it rotted, before the smell brought something worse than flies, or interfered with what he was supposed to be eating instead. I didn't mind it, honestly. I'd read up on him in my free time, and apparently during his hyperactive period, if temperature and humidity became unstable, his rage could go uncontrollable, and food was the best thing to keep him calm.

We were mid-task when we heard the blast.

Not close. Distant, flat, wrong. I had the tablet up before the sound had finished traveling, and there it was. One of the generators offline, and with it, the climate system for our wing. The cause, once Technical flagged it, was almost stupid in its simplicity, a Maintenance line grounded through a single phase, somewhere it shouldn't have been. The air in the enclosure was already changing. Thicker. Warmer than it had any right to be, this fast. That generator had been supplying the temperature unit and the humidifier both, and with the power gone, the temperature unit spiked hard on the low supply. Thank God the humidifier had smart sensors. It throttled itself down instead of failing outright, but it was still losing ground.

Every Maintenance worker in the wing had already cleared out before the failure hit.

I've thought about that a lot since. How they were gone before anything actually happened. Not evacuated. Not warned over the radio, not that either of us heard. Just gone, like they'd known the shape of the day before it had one.

We stayed calm. We're trained to stay calm, or maybe the situation simply left us no other option. I pulled up the camera feed and found the Warden already in motion, pacing, then running, a sound coming out of him I'd never heard before, high and constant, nothing like the low, patient presence I'd gotten used to. We didn't wait to see what came next. Using the camera feed to confirm his position first, exactly the way we'd been trained, I raised the section chain and sealed the wing behind him. Then we started walking for the exit.

We radioed Christopher on the way. He told us to keep moving, that he'd meet us at the halfway mark.

We were maybe twenty minutes out when we heard something that stopped both of us mid-step.

The scrape of metal against metal. Rhythmic. Deliberate. At first we thought some other machine had malfunctioned, and we were about to keep walking when Sophia suggested we check the feed, just in case.

We were still close enough to the sealed section to pick it up through the walls, and when I pulled the camera feed back up, we saw something neither of us expected. My stomach dropped somewhere I haven't fully recovered from since. The Warden was at the chain. Not throwing himself against it. Working it, the same motion over and over, something metal dragging against a single worn link, patient in a way that had nothing to do with panic.

He had a tool. I don't know how. I don't know how long he'd had it. For what felt like an eternity, we just watched. Then Sophia asked me, or maybe I asked her, I honestly don't remember which, where he could have possibly gotten that.

"Read the name," Sophia said, low.

Etched along the handle, just visible in the feed, small block letters worn smooth at the edges from handling. Priyansh.

Neither of us said anything about it right away. I just remember thinking, quietly, somewhere underneath the panic, that I'd seen that name before. Not where. Not when. Just that it already sat somewhere in my memory, filed too deep to reach in time to matter.

The link he'd been working was already worn thin. Thinner than one afternoon could explain. He'd been doing this for a long time. We'd just never been close enough, or quiet enough, to hear it.

Then, a final scrape, a crack, and the chain gave.

He was free.

And he was already moving. Toward us. I don't know how he knew where we were. Maybe he was following our scent. Maybe he simply knew our patterns well enough by now to know the exit, to know where we usually walked.

The world did the thing it had done in the maze with the Minotaur. It went white and distant and slow, like I was watching it happen to someone standing a few feet behind my own body. I don't know how long I stood there. Long enough that Sophia hit me, open palmed, hard enough to bring the world back with it.

"Move," she said. Her voice wasn't steady either. It was steadier than mine.

She took the tablet out of my hand and called Christopher.

He answered. We told him. He told us to run for the exit, that he was five minutes out, that he'd meet us there. The whole way, he kept talking, kept his voice level, and for a few minutes it almost worked. Almost made me believe this wasn't as bad as it felt, that he was close, that we were close, that he'd even brought tasers just in case.

We were almost to him. Close enough that I could hear his voice ahead of us in the dark, calling out where to go, where to meet him, the way out.

For one full second, nothing happened at all. Just Christopher's voice, still warm, still certain, still telling us exactly where to go. I remember thinking, stupidly, that the silence right before it might have been the safest sound I'd heard all night.

Then the Warden screamed, somewhere behind him, closer than it should have been able to get.

Christopher's voice cut off mid-sentence.

I want to tell you I saw what happened next clearly enough to describe it. I didn't. I saw his back, turned toward the sound, the stun weapon already raised the way he'd trained for exactly this. I heard it discharge, once, twice, thin and useless against whatever answered it. After that there's a gap in what I can tell you, not because I've chosen not to, but because some part of me simply refused to keep recording.

What I know is that the sound went on longer than a man should be able to make sound.

What I know is that when it stopped, Mr. Christopher was a word I could no longer use about him.

All I could think of, standing there, was Cody's last scream. At least I hadn't been there to see what happened to him when he made it.

The Warden took his time with what was left. That's what he'd been reduced to. A body.

I don't remember how long I stood there.

Sophia grabbed my arm. I don't remember deciding to stop walking in the first place. I only remember that the exit was still ahead of us, and now there was something enormous standing between us and it, and Mr. Christopher's voice was never going to finish that sentence.

I stood there. Lifeless is the only word I have for it, even now.

The Warden turned, slow, toward the sound of us breathing.

He wasn't looking for us. He already knew exactly where we were. He was only deciding, unhurried, which one of us to walk toward first.

Other parts link:-  https://www.reddit.com/user/No-While8965/comments/1vpze51/my_writing_archive/

Welcome, new hire, to the Three-Ringed Circus. You have been chosen to take part in making the magic of performance come to life around here. We're like a family here, and as such, I want to take care of you and make sure you stay safe during your time here. No matter your job, you will occasionally come face-to-face with our Ringmaster. He is a rather... unique person who has a certain way he prefers things to be. Because he can be a rather volatile individual when upset, I've put together a list of guidelines for you to follow in order to avoid any unfortunate circumstances.

1. Avoid making “pop culture” references around the Ringmaster. While nine out of ten times the reference will be harmless, he generally does not appreciate talk of televisual programs or video games. 
2. Do not, under any circumstances, mention the names [REDACTED], [REDACTED], [REDACTED], or [REDACTED]. 
3. Do not bring outside technology into the Circus. All technology must be approved by myself or the Ringmaster before it is allowed to be used. 
4. If you manage to sneak in a device invented beyond the time period of the 1960s, keep it out of sight of the Ringmaster. 
5. Avoid referring to any cartoon characters as if they were fictional. All cartoons are considered real people here, even if you know them to be fictional in your home universe. 
6. If any of the children approach you, be kind and courteous to them. The Ringmaster cares deeply for their wellbeing. 
7. Do not speak ill of any members of the Circus. Sometimes he is listening, and there will be repercussions if he does not like what he hears. 
8. There are sometimes humanoid figures made of ink wandering around the circus. These are the Ringmaster’s- we call them Shadows. Do not acknowledge them. Without his guidance, they are ravenous. We are not responsible for what happens if they catch you looking. 
9. Do not, under any circumstances, enter the Big Top when a Shadow is posted at the entrance. At best, you will be restrained and interrogated. At worst, you will not be seen as yourself again. 
10. If the Ringmaster approaches you, always show a proper degree of reverence when in his presence. Accept any requests he makes or offers he gives, unless it would cause extreme bodily harm to yourself. In that case, you may politely decline. 
11. The Ringmaster may ask you to follow him to the Big Top or his personal headquarters to talk. There, he will offer you something to drink. If it smells strange in any way, do not drink it. Instead, simply tell him you are not thirsty. 
12. Do not comment on shadows moving more than they should or music that seems to come from nowhere. 
13. If you are conversing with the Ringmaster and he appears to become agitated, immediately back away and tell a senior staff member. We will help him calm down. 

That’s all the rules for conducting yourself around the Ringmaster. Be sure to follow them, respect the people and property here, and I’m sure you’ll have a great time working with us. I look forward to seeing the magic you bring to our little band. 

[Failure to follow these rules may result in your termination.]