Where The Nightmares Are

Where the Nightmares Are

         Time seemed to move in slow motion as Isaac waited for the elevator to reach its destination. He looked at the button he pushed to see what floor he was heading to. When he pressed the button, he was panicking too much to notice what floor he was going to when he pressed the button. The lit up button led notified the elevator was on its way to floor fourteen.
         The elevator music played as gracefully as it did when he was in it before. After what he just experienced, it gave him chills to listen to it. He quickly began trying to think about his next plan. Once again, his plans would be changing. He had to find a way to escape the hotel. Thankfully, he was away from the pool monster so he could hopefully have a new start. He would only have to hope there was no monster waiting for him when the elevator door opened. After that, finding a new way out of the hotel could be easier if he was cautious enough.
         The elevator ringed and the doors slowly opened. Isaac's heart raced as it sluggishly opened. Once they were opened, Isaac was relieved to see nothing in front of him. He cautiously peaked his head out of the elevator, looking both left and right down the hallways. Nothing was there, and the hall looked completely still.
         Slowly, he stepped out of the elevator and stood still starring down the hall. He began contemplating his next action as the elevator doors closed. Suddenly, Isaac heard the sound of faint thumps. He quickly turned his attention to the hall ways, but saw nothing. The sound began getting heavier and louder and it sounded like stumbles followed the lowed the thumps. He turned towards the direction of the elevator and looked at a door next to it. The sound became even louder and sounded more ferocious.
         Isaac walked toward the door, while also pressing the elevator's button. The door had a small rectangle window on it for him to peer through. Once he looked through it, he realized it was the entrance to the stairs. He completely forgot about the possibility of stairs being present, but a horrifying fact hit him. Something was charging up the stairs.
         He snapped his head toward the elevator, pleading for it to quickly open and then snapped his head back towards the door's window. The thumps got even louder and more obnoxious. In Isaac's head, they were like the sound of a loud train coming closer, getting more loud and intense as they approached.
         He gave another glance back toward the elevator and then back at the window. Suddenly he saw black hair appear from the corner of the stairs, and within half a second the pool monster had revealed itself. It had followed him up the stairs, and it the same daring smile remained on its face as it slammed its arms against the steps to quickly levitate itself. Its legs pushed against the steps behind it to speed its movements. The bones in its arm seemed to bend as it pushed itself forward. Its Stomach and breasts flopped as it quickly jumped up the stairs, starring straight at Isaac with its dooming smile through the window.
         The elevator's ring, which now sounded glorious, went off and Isaac immediately ran into it and quickly pressed another random button. He heard the thumps get increasingly loud and then come to a brief halt. Suddenly the stair doors burst open, but the elevator began closing. Isaac saw the floor fly in view as the doors slowly shut. At first, Isaac almost felt secure the doors were going to close in time, when suddenly Isaac saw a thin grey hand wrap around the left door of the elevator. The hand seemed as if there was hardly any meat on it. The fingers were abnormally long and the nails looked long and broken. The Middle finger was partially twisted with its knuckle bone poking out nearly on top of the knuckle next to it.
         At first, Isaac did not realize what was going on when suddenly the monster thrushed itself in front of the elevator. The elevator did not automatically open when something interfered with doors so the right door continued to close. The creature put its other hand on the right door and began trying to push it back. Its smiled shot, as its jaw bone began twisting left and right while it started to scream. The fat on its chest began shaking as the monster's body shaked.
         "Fuck, fuck!" Isaac screamed backing up from it.
         Its scream became louder as the doors slowly began opening from its strength, but it was not trying to fully open the doors. It was just trying to open them enough to fit in the door, which it probably already could. Without thinking, Isaac backed up and then thrusted himself toward it raising his right leg. He yelled and used his foot to smash right into the monster's face, putting all of his strength into it.
         A loud yelp came from the monster, causing it to flinch, and the doors rapidly closed, smashing the monster's hands. Isaac felt a crash against his ankle, and a sharp crackling sound shot out. Immediate shock and pain flew through Isaac as he fell to the ground. Isaac did not know what just happened outside of feeling the insane pain where his foot should be. He looked at his right food and noticed it was missing. Blood dripped in large amounts, causing the elevator's carpet to soak. The only sounds that came from Isaac were short bursts of gasps for breath as he starred at his missing foot in shock.
         For a moment he began to get lost in shock, but soon realized he had no time to fall into shock. He was not going to die from this wound, according to Eerie; however, the immense pain made him doubt her propositions. Regardless, it did not matter, for he was not in any position to worry about it. The monster was more than likely after him, and he needed a plan to evade it. Missing a foot would complicate things, but it did not certify his defeat; however, could he still bleed out to unconsciousness? He needed to do something about the bleeding just in case.
         He starred at the elevator buttons to see which floor he was heading. He was heading to the twenty-third floor, and was almost there. He was sitting on the ground and could not stand up due to his foot, but he reached and pressed the button that led to the third floor. If the monster was still following him, this would give him time. Given it was dumb enough to relentlessly follow him wherever the elevator went, it would be nearly impossible for it to catch him if he kept doing this, but if it was smart enough to wait for him on a particular floor, he could be screwed. In that case, it would be a game of chance.
         Isaac took off his grey sweat shirt and threw it next to him, making sure it did not land on any blood. He then took of the white T-shirt that remained on him, tore it in half and then wrapped it around his foot. He let out a grunt from the sting that followed it and began crying.
         A ding went off, and the elevator doors began slowly opening. Isaac snapped his head toward the open doors with a face that was ugly from the horror and tears. For a few seconds he starred at the open space before the doors began closing again. Once they began closing, Isaac let out a large sniff and began tying the T-shirt around his foot.
         Once he finished Isaac put his hand on his face and cried, "God, please. Help me."
         The amount of stress made Isaac feel like his moods were swinging. The experience was traumatizing him. At one moment, he felt nothing but pure instinct to survive, but then suddenly he felt like giving up and crying.
         He lifted his wounded leg and starred at the T-shirt that was wrapped around his foot. He could see blood soaking it. For a few moments he cried and gasped for breath, but then turned his attention back to the elevator. He looked at the dial indicator at the top of the elevator doors to see what floor he was passing by on his way to the third floor. He was almost there, which meant he needed to press another button. He briefly looked to see how many floors the hotel had. There were thirty-four available floors.
         Once again, he reached for the buttons and pressed the button leading to floor thirty. For a moment he sat still in fear and silence. The elevator ring went off again and the doors slowly opened. Isaac snapped his attention to the open space to see if anything was waiting for him. Nothing was there, but he was positive the pool monster was still after him.
         The doors slowly closed and the elevator began moving to its next destination. Isaac began pondering about his next move. His plans were still the same, no matter what the handicap was. The only thing he could do was continue with his plan. If he kept doing what he was doing now, he would be caught sooner than later. He now needed to evade the monster, but how? It somehow knew where he was.
         Isaac thought about the possibilities. Could it sense him? That had to be impossible because it was not able to spot him when he was down at the front desk, and he was a lot closer to it then. Isaac closed his eyes just for a second and then a thought sprung in his head. He looked up at the dial indicator and his jaw slightly dropped. There must have been a dial indicator on the outside of the elevator that indicated what floor it was currently on. The monster probably saw it and followed him up there.
         If this was the case, an Isaac had an idea for evading it. He could somehow use this to his advantage, but that would prove to be challenging. There was nowhere to hide in any of the hallways so he could not just trick it by jumping out and pressing a button that led to another floor in hope it would chase him down to that floor. Plus, he would then have to use the stairs which was obviously occupied by the monster.
         Within a couple seconds a plan formulated in his head. It would probably be painful, but it would be worth it if it succeeded. The monster was obviously observant, but Isaac could use that to his advantage. He could also use his handicapped foot to his advantage. Once the elevator door opened, he would use the blood bleeding from his missing foot to make a trail leading to a room door and then head back to the elevator and go all the way back down to the first floor. Given that the monster buys into his plan, it should be distracted from searching the room Isaac led a trail to. This should give Isaac enough time to escape the hotel, unless another monster was waiting for him.
         Isaac looked at the dial indicator to see how close he was to floor thirty. He was close. He gulped and then quickly removed his T-shirt from his wound. He felt a sharp sting, but it was not as bad as he expected. He figured it was due to the intensity he was feeling. Isaac hopped up on his left foot and looked down at his right. The blood was still dripping, which was currently a relief for Isaac. It seemed like the blood was not coming out as much though, which Isaac figured was due to the pressure. It was still an efficient amount for what he needed.
         The elevator ring went off and the doors slowly opened. Isaac wasted no time and immediately began hoping toward the closed room door, dragging his right foot on the ground. He grunted from the immense pain he felt has his raw and torn flesh dragged against the carpet. The feeling shot stinging sensations throughout his entire leg, causing him to cry, but he needed to do this to make a thick enough blood trail.
         Once he reached the door, he quickly lifted his right leg and stuck his hand over the wound on his leg. He squeezed the wound to cause more blood squirt on his hand. He groaned from the pain while squinting his eyes. He used to the blood on his hands to wipe it on the door handle real quick to make it seem as if he had opened the door and then began immediately hoping back to the elevator. He made it in the elevator right as it began closing. He could hear the thumping sounds from the stairs again, but Isaac had more than enough time to escape before it reached the area.
         He immediately jammed the button leading to the first floor and fell onto the elevator ground. The tension he felt was so immense that his heart felt like it was going to explode. He put his hand around his chest and squeezed it. He breathed heavily for a few seconds and then snapped back to the moment.
         He looked over at his T-shirt laying next to him and reached for it. A sudden tingly feeling on his foot began to arouse. It was a heavy tingly feeling, but it did hurt at all; however, it shocked Isaac. He quickly looked at his right leg and was awed.
         The torn areas where his foot was missing began to disappear, as new flesh began to rapidly cover them. It only took a few seconds before the wound became nothing more than a nub at the bottom of his leg. There was no more blood or pain.
         "What the hell?" Isaac mumbled while starring at it.
         He was afraid to touch it at first, but then he quickly tapped it with his index finger. He felt nothing but the flesh that was there. It felt as if the wound had healed months ago. Isaac did not take much time to be surprised, as he immediately saw it as an advantage. Perhaps this had something to do with not being able to die, but he did not have time to think about it. He was almost on the first floor, which would lead to his escape.
         He hoped his plan worked against the pool monster. He thought it was entirely possible the monster could have just looked at the dial indicator and chose to continue following the elevator. He would be in big trouble if that happened, especially with his handicapped foot. He hoped his plan at least bought him some extra time. He had a hard time imagining the monster would completely neglect the room without giving it at least a quick check. Even if the pool monster was no longer a problem, he would still have quite a challenge ahead of him. His missing foot spelled trouble for him. He would have absolutely no chance of running from another monster if it was to find him, but what could he do about it? He had to make an escape or else he would eventually be found by something.
         The elevator's ring went off once more, and the doors sluggishly opened, revealing the first floor to him. Isaac quickly jammed the button that led to the twentieth floor. Doing this would hopefully distract the pool monster even more in case it decided to check the dial indicator after searching the room.
         Isaac used his left foot to hop out of the elevator. He wobbled and nearly tripped has he hopped. He made his way to the front desk first, and once he reached it he leaned against it for a second. The exit was only several yards away from him, and he needed to hurry in case the pool monster rushed down or incase he ran into another. He was just concerned his inability to steadily walk or run would prove to be too much of a challenge.
         He shook his head and began relentlessly hopping towards the exit. Once he reached the door, he pushed through it and entered the city streets once again. Once he was outside, he almost stumbled to the ground, but he managed to catch the hotel door's rim to stabilize himself.
         He gave himself a few seconds to look at the change in scenery. The sky was dark red, and the clouds were completely black. The sun itself was black was white glow on its edges. For the most part, the buildings looked exactly the same, but the road had several crevices and cracks on them. None of them would prove to be hazardous, but Isaac had no intentions of using them. Doing that would put him in the spotlight.
         He almost felt relieved that he escaped the hotel and the pool monster, but now he was worried about attracting something much worse. He started hopping alongside the hotel building, using the wall to keep himself stable, until he reached the edge of it. At the edge was an alley between the hotel and another building. Isaac hopped into the alley, hoping to be less exposed. He looked down the alleyway, and felt intimidated.
         He had no idea where it led. He remembered Eerie telling him it was a good idea to memorize the city, and now he understood why. In situations like this, it was crucial to know where you were going, and Isaac had no idea. In a situation like this, it would probably be impossible for Isaac to find Eerie.
         The sound of a large crash followed by broken glass echoed from outside of the Alley, and Isaac quickly turned his attention toward the direction. He hoped to the edge of the alley and peaked from the edge of it. From a distance he could see a monster quickly sprinting from one building to another.
         The monster was a large naked man that looked like its body was oddly shaped. Its body almost looked like a potato with strong and thick legs able to keep it steady. The head was also large, but it fit well the with the meaty, potato shaped body. The most horrifying site about the monster was its arms. Its arms were not even normal arms, rather thick, long tentacles that were so long they dragged against the ground behind it as it sprinted. They had to be at least five yards long, and they were almost half as thick as a human body.
         The monster was not able to see him, as it quickly ran to the building in front of it and used its large tentacles to smash open the door. It disappeared from Isaac's site at that point. From Isaac could gather, it was not as fast as the pool monster, but it could probably still outrun the average human; however, he imagined he would not be able to successfully kick it in the face like he did with the pool monster. This was something he definitely wanted to avoid, especially in his situation. Thankfully, the building the monster charged into was a block away from him, but it seemed to be on the hunt.
         Isaac wondered if it had a reason to go in that building or if it was just finding a random place to search for victims. Regardless of the matter, there was nothing he could do even if someone was hiding in there. Facing something like that would be more impossible than David and Goliath.
         For a few moments, Isaac stood still starring down the alleyway. He was overwhelmed by how unfamiliar he was with this city. Even if he did not try navigating through alleyways, he would still have a hard time. He was almost as unfamiliar with the streets as he was with the alleys. Of course, this alley seemed to expand across the block of buildings. It could be easy enough for him to keep an eye on was road he was on; however, there were no labels for him to recognize. The situation was a bit complicated.
         Isaac let out a big sigh and peaked over to the road once more. He looked at the building where the goliath monster jumped out of. The front of the building had a giant, shattered window panel. It must have been some sort of shop due to the windows being so big. Isaac imagined the window panel for was for potential customers to gaze into, but he could not tell from his distance. He wondered if the monster was a customer or the employee.
         He slowly turned his attention to the road and gasped in awe. Walking a far distance down the road was a girl in a simple white dress with silver hair. It looked like Eerie and it she was walking in his direction. She seemed to not pay much attention to her surroundings, which concerned Isaac. At first, he wanted to wave her over but then realized it had to be impossible that it was her. Eerie, of all people, knew the dangers of the monsters. She would not just carelessly walk down the middle of a road during the blackness. Based off of what Isaac knew, the monsters were relentless.
         He made sure to press himself against the alley wall even more just so he could feel secure he was not highly exposed. He starred at her in caution. Was it a trap? It had to be if it was not the real Eerie, but she did not look like a monster at all. Isaac wondered if the monsters were able to create illusions to lure out victims. It seemed like that was possible because the supposed Eerie walked so calmly down the road. She was about a block away, so Isaac could not fully make out every detail about her.
         He decided to wait observe her until she passed the building where the goliath monster had ran into. If nothing she walked by it and nothing happened, then it had to be a trap. Isaac was sure the goliath monster would be able to see her through a window, but that idea bothered Isaac. What if it really was Eerie? If he just waited for her to walk by the building and get mauled by the monster then he would be responsible for it.
         He had no idea what to do, but he continued to watch her. Time felt slow as she slowly down the middle of the road. As she got closer to the building occupied by the goliath monster, Isaac's heart began to race faster. Isaac wanted to say something so bad, but he was afraid of making the wrong move. If this was a trap, he would be screwed.
         She walked close enough to where the monster could probably see her, but Isaac could not fight back the confliction anymore. He stuck himself out to where she would be able to see him and waved his arm at her. Her attention immediately snapped in his direction. She stood still for a second and so did Isaac. Isaac gulped, hoping he did not just reveal himself to a monster, and then pointed at the building she was in front of. He then drew his finger across his neck, in reference to the murderous monster in there.
         She starred at him for a few moments and then began walking towards him quickly. Fear began to grow within Isaac. The monster did no jump out at her, and she remained walking toward him as if she was determined to get him.
         At that point, Isaac determined it was a bad idea to expose himself to whatever it was. He disappeared behind the alley wall and began quickly hopping toward the other side. His hand used the wall to prevent him from collapsing, but it failed. He tripped and hit the ground, but quickly got back up. He looked behind him to see if it was there yet. It was not, but he still have a long way to go. He would not make it to the other end in time.
         Relentlessly, he still hoped toward the other end. There was no telling how he would escape her even if he made it to the other end, but it was the only thing he knew to do. It was the only chance he had of escaping. He continued hopping, while intensity burst within his soul. Once he was about halfway through the Alley, he began to hear the sound of footsteps running towards him.
         Isaac looked back to see her running down the alley and let out a loud gasp. He continued hopping, but then fell again. At this point, he was in so much fear, his mind could not even process how to get up correctly. He helplessly crawled toward the end of the alley when he heard the soft voice of Eerie.
         "Isaac!" She quietly called to him, "What are you doing?"
         He immediately turned his body around to look at her. She ran up to him and starred down at him with pitiful eyes. She seemed like she was afraid herself.
         "E-Eerie?" Isaac asked looking at her in shock.
         "Yeah, it's me," She said forcing a smile and bending down toward him.
         Isaac just starred at her in complete silence - mainly from the surprise. How was it possible that she just walked down that road without being seen? Why did she do it?
         "Isaac," She said with tears filling her eyes, "I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!"
         "Sh," Isaac said trying to prevent her from making too much noise, "Don't worry about it right now. It's not your fault."
         She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. Isaac was completely confused and awed by what was happening, but he did not have time to worry about it. Right now, he and Eerie were in the thick of trouble.
         "Where's Bunyan?" Isaac asked.
         "We have a place to hide. It's safe, I think," Eerie answered.
         "Where is it?" Isaac asked.
         "The graveyard with that one scary girl."
         "Alyssa?" Isaac asked with extra confusion.
         "Yeah," She said, "We'll explain when we get there."
         "Okay," Isaac said, "How do we get there, without, you know, being spotted by the monsters?"
         "We'll have to take the alleys for the most part," She said.
         "Figures," Isaac said.
         Eerie's looked down at his foot and she gasped, "What happened to your foot!"
         "Oh, yeah," Isaac looking down at it, "Long story."
         "I'm so sorry!" Eerie said with tears feeling her eyes again.
         "It's fine, it's fine," Isaac said putting his hand on her shoulders, "I'm still alive aren't I?"
         "Yeah," She said wiping her tears away, "What happened to your shirt?"
         Isaac looked down at his torso and realized it was naked. He forgot to put his sweat shirt on after taking it off in the elevator. On normal circumstances, he would feel embarrassed about being shirtless since he was a insecure about his body, but he had no time for that now.
         "That's part of that long story," Isaac said nodding while looking at his bare chest, "But let's get going, okay? I'm really scared right now."
         "Yeah, okay," Eerie said helping him up, "You can hang onto me for support, 'kay?"
         "Okay," Isaac said wrapping his arm around her.
         She was much shorter than he was, but she was sufficient at keeping him on his feet. A large crash echoed from behind in them. Both of them shot a look from behind, and Isaac's gut sunk. It sounded like the goliath monster.
         "Shit," Isaac said, "There was a monster inside one of the buildings you passed by."
         "We need to hurry," Eerie said quickly moving herself and Isaac forward, "It's going to find us if we're not careful."

         
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