AN: So... this is something a little different. I know I'm not known for horror, but it's one of my favourite genres and I've wanted to write horror for quite some time now. Now, I'm not going to be delving into the supernatural much, if at all, I'm going to be focusing more on psychological horror. These are all set in a modern AU, and any anthropomorphic animals that may be featured (Sonic, etc.) will be presented as human. I hope you all enjoy.

08/26/18 Update: All stories will now be in the first person perspective.

~Mansion of Fear~

/~/

~The Underpass~

My bus route on the way to work wasn't all that exciting. I'd get on the bus at the stop near my home, transfer to a different bus downtown and the journey would take me past the bustling shopping area with fast food restaurants who's neon lights would shine brightly at all hours of the night. The only eerie part about the trip was when the bus went through the underpass, and the only reason I considered that eerie was because when I was a kid I liked to pretend that scary monsters lived in the shadows just out of sight of the cars that zoomed by. As an adult I've come to realize that the only things hiding in the underpass were the occasional homeless people, and they'd moved on to a different location months ago.

I was working late one summer night and the bus I normally took had stopped running for the night, forcing me to walk several blocks to a bus stop that could take me home since I didn't have enough money to take a cab. The street I had to walk down had no sidewalk so I had no choice but to walk in the ditch, looking over my shoulder every few seconds to make sure that no cars were coming or if I were being followed. I had no reflective clothing, but my bare arms were pale enough that I could be clearly seen in car headlights. After a few minutes I began to relax. I could see the bright neon signs in the distance, and knew that once I was in that area I would be safe. However my footsteps slowed as I approached the underpass, and I eventually stopped right in front of it eyeing it uneasily.

Even though I knew it should be deserted, I couldn't shake the feeling of dread building in my stomach. There were no lights in the underpass and barely any cars had driven by to illuminate the tunnel. Despite it being the middle of summer, a cold chill blew through the night air. In less than eighty steps I would be through and to safety but my anxiety kept my feet glued to the ground. Biting my lip I looked around for any alternate solution even though I knew it was in vain. I was met with the sudden realization that I really missed her father who would always pick me up late at night and make sure I got home safely. How I wished that offer were on the table right now, but my parents weren't in Smashville; they were in Hyrule.

Swallowing my nervousness I began walking forward at a brisk pace, keeping my eyes focused on the bright street lights in front of me; my safe haven. I exhaled the breath I didn't know I was holding in as I made it to the sidewalk, the cheery lights illuminating my path while people milled about outside the restaurants, talking and laughing. I breathed a sigh of relief and began my trek towards the bus stop, occasionally checking over my shoulder to stare at the underpass. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

I eventually made my way to the bus stop and once safely on my commute home finally felt my anxiety beginning to fade. Still, I was only able to shake the uneasy feeling when I had arrived at my apartment and locked the door.

The next morning while I was getting ready for work I switched on my television for some background noise as I scurried around my apartment buttoning up my uniform and munching my slice of toast. Before I had a chance to change the channel from the news to something else, the headline caught my eye and I froze, my blood running cold and my heart plummeting to my stomach.

Apparently at around nine at night a woman had been murdered in the underpass. I felt vomit rise in my throat as I realized that the incident had occurred only fifteen minutes after I'd walked through. Hysterical, I called my boss and told him that I wouldn't be arriving at work today, making up some excuse about being under the weather when in reality I was terrified to go near the underpass again.

I quit that job shortly thereafter, fearing for my safety in case I needed to work another late shift. I was left to wonder if I would have fallen to the same fate as the woman if I hadn't left work when I did.