You find yourself in a dark, dismal hall. Illuminated by a single candle in the distance, the flame dances in the gentle breeze. Its ominous glow of flickers vibrantly as you scan your surroundings, analyzing the dark corridor in its solitude. The walls are cold and rusted, the hall is empty and bland; the silent hum in your ears is your only companion. You gaze towards the end of the hall, but the darkness bars you from seeing past the warm candle flame. Bewildered at your surroundings, you seek to investigate, steadily advancing into the dark void, the deafening silence broken by the rhythmic sound of footsteps echoing throughout the darkness. It is cold, and as you journey further down the hall, seemingly endless, a vile stench overwhelms you. You recoil in disgust, devastated by the atrocious aroma, but press on, all while wondering, fearing, the source of the odor.
What is this place? How did I get here? These questions swarm your mind as you brave the eerie abyss, cautiously approaching the candle. Careful not to extinguish the fragile flame, you reach to pick up the candle, but as you come closer, the mysterious stench grows ever so unbearable, suffocating you in its sickening atmosphere. You pause for a moment, listening attentively at a foreign noise. In the distance, you hear a crunching sound, sparking the morbidity of your imagination. You listen to the gruesome sounds, nearing the source, as the putrid odor, relentless and toxic, intensifies.
You catch a glimpse of a creature veiled in the shadows. It is tall and naked, hunched over on all fours in a menacing stance. It prances around its revolting masterpiece, crunching the bone and flesh of some unidentified being, the apparent source of the smell. The pale humanoid lurks restlessly, bathing in the scent, moping around in the mound of flesh as it lets out soft, mournful moans. The lugubrious expression it wears instills a great sense of loneliness as though it seeks company, or prey. Its crimson eyes dart back and forth in the darkness. It is missing its nose, blocking its sense of smell, and all alone in the chambers of its mind it sits, feeling nothing but the air on its spine and the flesh beneath its toes.
You cannot help but feel some sort of sympathy for it and its solitude. Its sorrowful screams convey its sadness. Its forlorn facade shows fear. Something tells you that it was once human, that some event shaped the poor creature into the misunderstood atrocity that stood before you. Paralyzed in fear you watch the creature as it paces back and forth restlessly. Regardless of its woeful appearance, you want to escape.
Suddenly, the fiend's head cocks in your direction, its glare stunning you in fear. It stands still for a moment, studying you through its demoralizing gaze. You feel your heart frenzy within the chambers of your rib cage. You dare not move as it slowly approaches you, each step landing with a loud thud against the iron floor, but your heart beats harder and harder, making it difficult to hide the terror you feel. Your mind tells you to run, but you are too hesitant, too afraid. The creature seems calm and poised. You manage a phlegmatic expression as the creature closes in on you. It comes so close that you can feel its warm breath periodically buffeting you like a powerful gust, but then it stops. For what seems to be an eternity, you stare into each other's eyes equally perturbed. It inches even closer, so close that you stumble backwards falling onto the cold, rusted floor. It towers over you, claws at the ready for the strike. It seems as though any second that it will pounce. You brace yourself for the violent beating you anticipate. You struggle to remain composed, however, as your hands quiver rapidly and sweat pours down your face. You shut your eyes for a moment, hoping that your death will be quick and somewhat merciful, but that is when it speaks.
At first, mumbled utterances are all that you can hear, but gradually, and surely, the creature begins to pronounce full, coherent syllables. It seems to be struggling with its tongue, unable to form concrete words. You stare in confusion and terror, as the behemoth grows increasingly furious with its inability to communicate. You stagger backwards trembling violently as you hold the burning candle; it's weakening flame a dreadful reminder that time is running out. Your heart's pounding grows ever so rambunctious as you watch the creature's mutilated face morph into a more choleric site. You take one final glance at the decaying mound of flesh and bone before you before looking back at the monster. It lets out a thunderous roar, making one final advance towards you. The flame goes out. You never see the light again.