In the small town of Pensacola, a heavy fog blankets the atmosphere. A man is sitting alone on the bus stop, his gaze fully taken on the phone. He scratches his short blonde hair and adjusts his jean jacket as it gets colder. Even with the black mask, mist escapes from his mouth.

"?" (That's weird. There's suddenly no signal.) He stands up and looks around. (The bus is late. I should go back home)

He pockets the phone in his jeans and starts walking down the road. The street unnaturally stretches longer than usual. The trees curve towards him from above. (What's going on? My home should've been in view by now.) He turns around to go back to the stop. However, the bench never seems to appear. (What the hell is going on?) He pulls out his phone. (Still no signal. Shit.) He contemplates whether to keep going or turn back. (I should keep going. The heavy fog is probably disorienting my perception. I'll eventually find my way.)

He continues walking down the road. The silence is comforting. Which surprises him, as there should be a highway close by.

Clink.

(Hm?) He checks his surroundings. (Must be my imagination.)

Clink Clank

Fear slowly creeps on him, as he quickens his pace.

CLINK CLANK

This time the noise is getting closer. It sounds like chains hitting against the ground. He starts sprinting, not daring to look behind.

CLINK CLANK CLINK CLANK

(Goddamnit! If you're going to mug me, at least do it without being obvious!) He runs. Hoping there's someone else who can help. The person chasing is closing the gap. He keeps going, but exhaustion is catching up. A house is finally into view in front of him. (Pleasebeopenpleasebeopen!) He reaches for the knob. His prayer has been answered. Without missing a beat, he gets inside and quickly locks the door. The person chasing bangs the door a couple times before leaving. The man takes a moment to catch his breath. (Fuck. I hate this feeling.) He tries to control his heart rate, while looking around.

The place is practically new, as there's no furniture. The white walls look like they've been recently painted because of the fresh smell. He quickly checks the back door and sure enough, it's locked. He gives a sigh of relief. (Thank God. At least I'm safe here. I'll just wait here until I get a signal.) He checks the other rooms to stay.

Scrit Scrit Scrit

A noise of clicking and scurrying invades the silence. He looks up and gasps in horror. It's a giant cockroach, about the size of a large dog above him. It drops, but he jumps out the way, making the insect land on its back. Instead of legs, its appendages are made of centipedes. The sight of it makes him gag. It stands upright and slowly approaches him. (What the fuck is that!?) He runs towards the front door, but to his terror, it has been chained up.

BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG

A loud alarm blares from the distance. The paint on the wall chips away and the floor cracks, making it look like it has been abandoned for ages. (WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?) He is having a panic attack. The creature is still coming. He rushes towards the kitchen, where the back door looks jagged and fragile. Another roach creature busts from the fridge. He jumps over it, barely avoiding getting grabbed and slams against the door. He breaks through and runs as fast as he can through the garden, where more of the insects chase after him.

Scrit Scrit Scrit

The infernal clicking sound fills the atmosphere. He climbs over the picket fence and runs further into the forest. He keeps going until there's no sound. He stops to catch his breath. He hears a snap, then turns around. To his relief, it's a young mailman.

"Thank goodness. I thought I was alone." He sighs in relief. "My name is Carl." He extends his hand.

The man pulls out his phone to write. My name is Chiko. He shows the message to him.

"Ah. Nice to meet you, Chiko." Chiko shakes his hand. "Any idea what's going on?"

That's what I was going to ask. He sighs.

"Damn. Seems we're in a pickle." Carl looks around.

Do you know where we are?

"I would think Pensacola. But there's something weird about this fog. Like we're separated from the outside world." He notices Chiko tilt his head, meaning he's confused. "I've heard this story from my grandad. About him having a dream being stuck in a town filled with fog. He would recount it every time with me. Except he swears it was real. And let me tell you, he's never happy about it." He shudders at the thought. "But it's not real, right? That's what I want to believe anyways. That all this is a bad dream." He looks behind. "There's a strange building up ahead. I wanted to check it out, but it seems like there's no way in, so I gave up on trying."

There's a house back from where I was running. There were these noisy big roaches.

"Roaches? Never seen them. But thanks for the heads up." He fidgets a bit. "This entire thing is giving me goosebumps. If it's any help, sometimes people hide their weapons in bushes." He nervously scratches his head. "I haven't done it myself. I'll admit, it's pretty freaky. But you seem much braver than me. I'm going to stick around here and find my way out. Good luck." He tips his hat before disappearing into the mist.

(Brave? That's the first time someone ever said that about me.) Taking his advice, he scans around the bushes. Taking a deep breath, he sticks his arm in. Feeling his way, he touches something cold and pulls it out. It's a machete. With what looks to be dried blood at the blade. (Seems to have been here awhile. Guess they won't mind me borrowing it.) He leaves it hanging on his belt.

Chiko decides to check the building Carl mentioned earlier. A small walk later, he spots a skyscraper in the middle of the forest. The entrance has no knob. It looks like an elevator door. There are three slots on it with two emblems already inserted. The emblems are a carving of human faces missing certain features. One is missing their eyes and the other has its mouth down shut. There's a text above the door.

See no evil, speak no evil, _ no evil. PrOve YOur wOrTH, SHeeP!

(...Well. That's one way to test someone.) He looks around. Not knowing where to start, he checks the bushes.

Scrit Scrit Scrit

Upon hearing the noise, he turns to see the giant roachpede coming towards him. His fight or flight instincts kick in and he's ready to fight. The mixture of adrenaline and fear courses through his body. He pulls out the machete. The creature lunges at him. He dodges the attack and hit it with the weapon. An audible crunch pierces the air, as the machete isn't sharp enough and it only sliced half way the body. Chiko pries it free and strikes again, fully cutting the insect in half. Hundreds of baby centipedes scurry around the corpse, devouring it in seconds before retreating to the nearest vegetation.

(Eugh.) He shivers. He notices something shiny that was left behind on the ground. He picks it up. It's an emblem of a person missing their ears. Its mouth is open, as if screaming in horror. (This must be it.) He walks to the door and places it on the empty slot.

DING!

The door slowly opens, revealing a well maintenanced elevator inside.

Clink Clank

(Oh no.) He quickly goes inside and presses the close button with desperation. The door slowly closes.

CLINK CLANK

(Come on! COME ON!) It is very close, but something holds it for a moment. Chiko can see the bandaged fingers with hooks pierced on its fingers. Through the gap is a face with its eyes sown. He can hear its heavy gasps, before letting go and the elevator door fully closes. He sighs in relief. Still shaken up by the encounter. Only the sound of the humming machinery gives him comfort.