I woke up gasping for air and I sat up quickly. I was in my bed, in my apartment and not out in space. I held Tim close to me and laid back into a semi soaked bed. It was only my sweat, but still. I rolled off it and tried to go back to sleep on my side. My heart was a lot calmer now, even more so then when I first went to sleep.
"I do play that game too much, though." I whispered into the faintly lit darkness. "Oh well, gotta finish that one level until I can put it down and finally stop playing." I cuddled my little biscuit to my chest and fell asleep rather quickly.
Darkness surrounded me and I felt like I was slammed into a floor. I opened my eyes to a dimly lit room and slowly got up. "Oh no…" I whispered as I looked around at the fireplace, the chair, the wall and that all too familiar door that was in every single version of Amnesia I'd ever played.
I knew Amnesia really well, but it'll probably be different like Five Nights was. I stood up and was barely able to locate the lantern. I picked it up and held it in front of me. There was no oil to pick up so maybe it didn't run out.
I took a deep breath as I looked at the door. I really didn't want to go out there. I didn't know what horrors awaited me. But I can't just wake up; I have to play the game.
I took a step towards the door and stopped. It opened by itself and a cold wind rushed in and blew out the small fire. I kept the lantern up and looked around the room, careful to not miss things, since I do. A lot.
When I looked around to the side of the fireplace I saw a small wooden box and picked it up immediately. "Tim!" I whispered and held him close. As I held him, he opened his eyes and his stubbly little hands touched my face.
"I'll protect you Mark." He squeaked. I felt tears form in my eyes, "But you need to do what I say. It's not safe here."
I nodded and turned to leave the room. I peeked out the door, the left was a dead end, thank goodness, and the right was a dark hallway.
"Remember to be quiet, Mark." He whispered to me before I wrapped him up in my arm and slowly made my way down the hallway. I held up my lantern and it barely lit up anything farther than three feet in front of me. I felt his small hands on my fingers and glanced down. He was peeking out from behind my hand.
The light reached some paintings that hung on the wall. Each was someone different but I couldn't tell who any of them were. But that didn't matter anyway. Each had claw marks distorting the paintings. Something ran through and scratched them all. I paused to look at them.
"Keep moving," Tim whispered.
I tightened my arm around him and felt his little hands on my fingers. It felt like he was shaking as he looked around my fingers then ducked back behind them.
I turned from the wall and held the lantern up. The light still didn't reach out very far. But it lit up the hall just enough to catch the movement at the end.
I jumped back in fear and bumped into a chair and cringed as the sounds echoed down the hall. I heard my startled scream echo around me.
"Be quiet Mark. You don't want them to find you." Tim said a bit louder.
I breathed in and held my breath. It was so much worse actually being in the game. I can't jump at my own shadow or make any noise that I would do while recording. They'd hear me. Maybe Tim is hoping that I don't meet them. Maybe that's why he hasn't told me who they are.
When the mansion was quiet again, I started walking quietly down the hall. I held the lantern up at the corner where the movement came from and slowly turned the corner.
It wasn't a very long hallway but I ventured in anyway. A few steps in, the light reflected off something on the walls. I stopped and read the same word that Foxy screeched at me in the last nightmare.
Run!
I stared at the word. I think it was written in blood. It dripped down the wall and onto the floor.
But what am I running from?
I turned and bumped into something. I jumped back and almost screamed. I stepped back more and looked at the golden mannequin that had somehow moved behind me. I bumped into the wall and moved away from it. I didn't move the lantern's light off it until I was out of that hallway.
I hate mannequins. Always have. They just freak me out.
I looked around the entry way to the mansion and noted the staircase from the first floor to the second floor balcony. There were two giant wood and steel doors, that I'm sure were locked but they lead outside.
Lighting flashed and lit up the room. It's light reflected off another statue in the corner of the back wall and the stairs. It looked like a fox and was standing up.
I turned to move and jumped back when I bumped into something that wasn't there moments ago. I let out a muffled scream of fear and its eyes opened. I moved back more when I recognized the red eyes and smile from the last nightmare.
Metallic screeching came from the corner and the fox statue ran passed me. It attacked the mannequin but was thrown aside, hit the wall and fell to the floor. It didn't move after that.
I heard a sigh from the mannequin, "Finally." The word rumbled from its throat and moved through its sharp teeth.
I started panicking and couldn't move. I think Tim was tugging at my hand but I couldn't tell. It lurched towards me and I jumped back. I tripped on the table and it broke under me. Tim flew from my hands and all I could feel was an intense stabbing pain in my side. I reached for my side and felt the sharp tip of the shattered table protruding out of my skin.
I tried to move more but the pain was overwhelming. I could only brace myself on the floor and breathe in short gasps. Each breath brought more pain and more reason for me to let out the scream I was holding back.
I looked up to see that the mannequin had moved closer to me. Its smile was cruel and all it did was look at me. I couldn't move.
Maybe I should have actually ran for it when I had the chance.
"I would have caught you, Mark." It laughed. It was the same voice from before too. "Running away from me in your own subconscious only delays the inevitable…"
He was cut off by a bright light that emanated from behind me. A moment later the ground shook behind me and a voice, loud and proud, echoed throughout the room.
"You have something sticking out of your back." He said and knelt down behind me, put his hand on my shoulder and used the other one to pull it out of my side. It didn't hurt at all and I'm not sure why. He put his other hand on my shoulder and practically picked me up.
"Stand up, Mark." He said, letting me stand on my own. I looked at him. This one looked like me too, except he was wearing a black, skin tight outfit complete with pink cape and warfstache on his chest. His boots matched as well.
"Where the hell were you hiding?!" The mannequin screamed at the other me and then ran towards him.
The other me already had his arm around me and moved me out of the way. He effortlessly swung the wood and it hit the mannequin, flinging him into the wall.
He turned to me without missing a beat, "I am the hero within out, Mark. Heroplier, I guess. But you can call me Hero."
I looked at the warfstache and he laughed, "Yes, that's our hero logo."
I actually felt less scared as he talked to me.
"Like my pants," I said as I lifted my leg up. He didn't look at my pants.
"You aren't wearing pants, Mark."
I put my leg down and looked, "This IS a nightmare." I paused, "I mean, it would be if I wore pants all the time."
"Mark! Shut up!" Tiny Box Tim spoke from behind Hero's boot. "I mean, I guess you can talk now since they know where you are." I saw him gesture sarcastically with his little arms as he spoke then put one hand on his face.
"Shouldn't you join us, Tim?" Hero said, looking down at the small, angry box. He backed away from Hero's boot and closed his eyes.
I looked away when he started glowing and looked back when it faded away. The small box was gone but in his place stood a shorter version of Hero, like a sidekick.
Hero suddenly glared behind me then lunged forward and kept something still behind me. Tim pulled me away and I looked back to see hero holding the mannequin's arms still. He was holding another piece of the table. It had almost hit me.
Hero looked at me and I watched his face drop. I let out a scream as I felt two hands grab my arms and pull them behind me. I couldn't fight the pull and fell to the floor. I felt chains around my wrists and couldn't move from where I was.
Someone moved around to face me. The same one who was in my last nightmare was here too. He had the same dark circles around his eyes. The same white pupils pierced into my own.
"Dark…" I whispered.
