Within

I wander through the level I'm in, not even sure which level it is anymore. I'm in uncharted territory, but I persist; the only way now is forward until I can find a safe and well-documented level to settle down in.
The environment I'm in — a brightly-lit household interior that goes on forever — does not relent into anything promising, though at least there's the fancy decorations and furniture to admire along the way.
I wander on.
. . .
About 20 minutes later, I stumble across a dark archway. It's the first dark area of the level I've seen so far, and I'm reluctant to even go near it.
Oh, well, how bad could it be? I haven't encountered any entities at all so far, so why should I now?
But then I hear footsteps coming from the darkness on the other side of the archway, and I get ready to run away. However, when I see the familiar human shape moving in the darkness, I falter.
Is that..?
"Luke! I'm so glad to see you!" speaks the figure as they step into the light.
"Dad!" I exclaim happily. "You're- how?"
"It's okay, son, come over here," says my father, and I do, embracing him in a hug.
All this time I'd thought I'd never see my family agai-
I suddenly feel the old man's body warp strangely and realize that my father's face, neck, and upper torso are quickly splitting in half. Not only that, but razor-sharp teeth line the two areas where the tear has formed.
I stumble back in horror as what I had thought was my dad lets out a ghastly and inhuman shriek from its 'mouth', which now spans from the top of the thing's head and all the way down to its lower torso.
I can only watch as the thing's disguise swiftly melts away, its now-ripped clothes melting into its body and its skin taking on a sickly, pale-yellow color. Its limbs and fingers lengthen considerably, with long, sharp claws growing on the ends of its fingers and toes. All of its defining human features — with the exception of its generally humanoid outline — are now absent, leaving in their place a monster made of the stuff of nightmares.
The creature lets out another horrific shriek. I finally find the strength to turn around and run, the monster giving chase immediately after.
I go as fast as I can, but it's faster — much faster.
The monster catches me easily and, after a brief struggle, effortlessly shoves me, screaming, into its open mouth.
. . .
I wander through the level I'm in, not even sure which level it is anymore. I'm in uncharted territory, but I persist; the only way now is forward until I can find the end of the cycle within.
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Category:Tales