The suffocatingly dense thunder clouds disoriented my vision as the towering walls loomed over me dripping the raindrops onto my already wet hair. The surrounding greenery took on a dark hue creating an atmosphere that the crumbling castle could not shield me from. There was this fog that didn’t seem to be affected by the pouring rain that the clouds spat out, in contrast, I felt as if it amplified the sharp sound that the thunder and lightning gave out, mixing with the scream-like whistle that the wind created from racing in and out of branches outside and stone around me creating this harmony. A harmony without peace, unity or tranquillity. A deadly false hope for the ill-minded to finally rest at ease which I almost fell for, just almost because obviously I’m sane… actually, I’m probably better than you… The snapping of thunder shook me out of my trance. The coldness freezing my skin like water freezes into ice as I sat on the mossy stone now wet from the rain. I smelt decay but among it there was the aroma of the fresh rain that put my racing mind at ease.

My name is Zoe Quinn, or at least I think it is. I woke up in this abandoned looking castle that looks like half of it is missing or just destroyed. I’ve got no memories, just the remaining feeling of unease that laced the fabric of my being and my already torn clothes. I have some dark blue skinny jeans on and what I think was a white sweater, now more of a Gray, paired with an odd choice of black, tall boots but who was I to judge. My clothes were dirty and full of holes, it would have been fine if I was alone… I mean I promise I’m not crazy and I know I came here alone I just know that someone is watching me. I can feel those eyes on me trailing all my sluggish movements and it makes me uncomfortable. However, tiredness overtook. I laid my pale, white, freckled skin on the ancient stone allowing my chocolate brown hair to cover my hazel eyes as if shielding me from that dark presence and I close them.

I was racing across the eerie forest, my heart racing and legs moving on their own trampling across any remaining flowers, sticks and grass that might have been in my way. The adrenaline felt unreal as I was running away from someone or something. My blood ran cold as I looked back and forth almost paranoid. The castle was getting smaller and smaller as I ran further into to the depths of the forest as far away from that haunted place as possible, why was I running? I don’t know that but what I do know is that remains of a castle’s presence is darker and way more noticeable than this forests’ at night. It screamed danger and the trailing footsteps also didn’t go unnoticed. The wind yelled run, and the trees moved in a way that gave me chills. Something was really wrong, but I can’t help but ask: did this already happen…? I didn’t get much thought on it as I tripped and hit my head on a rock jolting my eyes open although I’m almost certain I got pushed.

I decided to get up still shaking from whatever that was. The fear never seemed to leave my body, in contrast it only seemed to increase. Those eyes burned my skin wherever I went as if there was no escape. I decided to have a look around the ancient castle ruins just to put my mind at ease. I mean I’m not crazy I know someone is there I just have to prove it, yes that’s it. I must prove I’m not crazy… back to the story though. I walked around the place trying to get familiar to my surroundings despite the fear I contained. I walked back and forth turning as I felt like I had to because I think I recognised some places and paths which I thought was weird, but I went there anyway. Eventually I arrived at a set of old rotting wooden doors in the ground, it looked like an entrance to some sort of basement that someone broke into before me considering the shattered lock on the ground. That’s when it hit me, that earlier thing that I thought was a dream wasn’t a dream at all but the opposite. It felt like a flashback of my returning memories and that was more terrifying than the increasingly burning gaze on me that I could still not pinpoint the source of or shake the feeling off.

I pulled at the door, almost making me fall back as it swung open, feeing a gush of old, stale air. I don’t know what it was, but something called me down there. The cobblestone wall had this creepy texture and the bumps and cracks, like a face, stared at me. Each and every one called out my name in amplified echoes as if trying to warn me over and over again, but the echoes resonated through my brain in the worst way possible. Why won’t they just shut up?! I cover my ears not realising my overgrown nails were digging into my scalp drawing small drops of blood out. I run down those cursed stairs trying my best to block out the gut-wrenching, deafening screams, although, at the same time it was so silent I could hear the little waterdrop from the outside rain quietly splashing against the Gray dust below, that also began to accumulate in my lungs, or the little tip taps of the mice scrambling across the floor from one side to another fighting for food. I slowly uncovered my ears and looked around, I noticed that under my fingernails there was blood, but I was too distracted by what I saw to care. There was this old, rusting, evil dungeon with chains and voices that I saw were inside each and every cell. Something was familiar about this, almost too familiar… the voices came back along with a haunting presence that I swear is everywhere. It made me mad, insane even like I know I’m not crazy, but I can’t take it! I curl into a ball on the wet stone floor rocking back and forth trying my best to block out the deafening silence. My skin didn’t feel my own, it felt like it belonged to that horrifying presence. My pain turned into screams and yells but were blocked as if they just couldn’t escape. I couldn’t make it out in my panic, but I felt this uneasy weight coat my shoulders and arms as the stairs I wished I could run back up and out of got smaller and smaller. I was moving backwards. The opposite direction I wanted to go as if I was getting dragged back however each time, I snap my head in any and every direction no one was there…