Pain...
Coming from my head.
It wouldn't go away.
The pain persisted...
—Where... am I?
The moment I opened my eyes, countless lights blinded me.
The place was brightly illuminated.
Just a beautiful, colorful aquarium, full of lights and completely normal.
—Did I... escape?
I pinched myself several times.
It was real...
I had nothing with me.
The radio, the gun, the flashlight...
They were gone.
I was finally free.
...
—It's cold...
An icy sensation touched my face.
Gently, I touched my cheek to find the source.
—Tears...
They were the release of emotion that had finally burst forth after surviving that hell.
I slowly looked around the aquarium.
It was beautiful.
The water seemed to glow on its own.
The incandescent lights complemented the scenery.
The colors awakened a warmth inside me that embraced the deepest part of my happiness.
—It's been a long time since I felt this.
My feet began moving on their own.
I was hypnotized by the beautiful sight.
Around me were tanks filled with water, each containing beautiful decorations and minimalist signs describing the animal that inhabited it.
It was strange.
There was no life inside those tanks.
Only the tranquility of the water, resembling the peace of the ocean at sunset.
—IS ANYONE HERE?!
I shouted at the top of my lungs, excited to see another human face besides my own.
But nobody answered.
—...
I explored the entire aquarium.
Partly searching for other people, but mainly because I was drawn to it.
Because I wanted to keep admiring it.
Eventually, I reached a bathroom at the end of a hallway.
I opened the door.
Directly in front of me, hanging from the ceiling, was a small key.
I grabbed it.
—This is... strange...
!!!
At that exact moment, something began echoing throughout the bathroom.
A signal from a radio.
My radio.
There it was, lying on the floor alongside the rest of my belongings...
—No... that can't be...
—Why...?
—WHY?!
At that instant, everything went dark.
The lights went out.
There was no way to see anything except with my flashlight.
I grabbed everything, including the key.
Then that cursed sound thundered again.
A screech...
Followed by knocking.
—It's here...
The radio began transmitting a signal while, one by one, the hallway lights turned on until they reached the far end, where the beast stood.
—Zzz
—Zzzzzzz
—Wake up, Alex...
—Zzzz
That voice...
It returned...
While the beast slowly approached, never taking its eyes off me.
Just moving closer, opening and closing its beak, making tapping sounds.
I fired at the creature, but...
It didn't react.
My only option was to run.
To leave that false paradise and return to hell.
With every step, a crack.
The glass tanks were gradually shattering, releasing streams of water.
It was now or never.
—Zzzz
—Zzzzzz
—Would you like to be m-...
—Zz
The radio wouldn't stop transmitting, giving the voice a chance to speak—or torment me.
—WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!
The beast was only inches away from reaching me.
It never sped up, yet it always remained just a few inches behind me, as if it were playing with me.
The exit was right ahead...
My feet were soaked.
The water from the tanks had already covered much of the floor and continued to rise.
Escaping became harder and harder.
I needed more and more strength.
Before I escaped, the radio emitted one final signal.
—Zzzz
—Zzz
—Remember...
—Zzz
I slammed the door shut.
And the last thing I saw inside the aquarium was the creature smiling and staring directly at me.
Meanwhile, the glass finally gave way, allowing the water to flood everything and turn that place into an underwater tomb.
—I'm still... alive...
I regained my composure, but...
—What was that place?
I wouldn't get the answer by asking the void.
I needed to escape.
According to the map, I was only a few steps from the emergency exit, though I shouldn't have been able to reach it because of that crack.
!!!
Or at least that's what should have happened.
—The crack...
—It's gone...
The path was completely clear, leading directly to the exit.
I approached and used the only key I had found to open the padlock.
A click echoed.
The massive doors swung open.
I couldn't help but smile.
I entered...
Darkness. Whispers.
I turned on the flashlight, only to realize that I was in another surreal place, and the doors through which I had entered were now closed and locked.
There was nothing, only a platform on which I stood. Expecting nothing, I lowered my gaze.
What I found was nothing...
A massive bottomless void; the darkness I had already traversed now rested, covering that endless pit.
For a long time, I remained motionless. Contemplating the abyss beneath my feet, the mere existence of a place like that was already impossible for me to process. I didn't count how long I stayed lost, simply staring—seconds... minutes... hours... even days. I couldn't remember how long I had been entranced.
There was only one thing in my head: jump...
I knew perfectly well that nothing would happen to me. Something was calling me... my body simply listened and resisted, but as time passed, I eventually gave in. One step, a single step was all I needed to seal my fate.
…