I was driving back home in the middle of the night after a business trip. Unexpectedly, there had been a delay, which led me to leave much later than planned. The area I was driving through was desolate, with no one living nearby. I had the eerie feeling that the trees were watching me, but I brushed it off as my imagination. As I continued driving, I felt my car slowing down for no apparent reason. Then, it suddenly stopped. I got out quickly to investigate. That was my biggest mistake.
Exhausted, I made the irrational decision to leave my car behind and wander into the forest in search of food and water. After walking a few hundred meters, I stumbled upon something that shocked me: a bustling city, full of people, and it was daytime. I, a renowned engineer and scientist, couldn’t begin to explain how this was possible.
The people were joyful and welcoming. They offered me a place to stay, and in my tired state, I accepted their hospitality without question. They led me to a modern hut where I slept soundly, more peacefully than I ever had in my life.
When I woke the next morning, I was treated to a breakfast that tasted like it had been prepared by a five-star chef. The locals were kind, and I had no responsibilities. Everything I could want was provided for me. But soon, I began to notice something strange: it was always daylight. Every time I slept, the sun was up. When I woke up, the sun was still up. Even more curious, I realized there were no clocks anywhere.
Intrigued, I decided to skip lunch one day to see what would happen. To my surprise, I didn’t feel sleepy at all. I waited for hours, but there was still no sign of nightfall. Then, when some villagers came to check on me, they were visibly shocked to see me awake. One of them dropped a machine from his hands—a device that resembled a vacuum. When I inspected it, I realized it was designed to suck energy from people.
This was no utopia. It was a trap.
I ran for the door, but a horde of villagers was waiting outside. They knocked me unconscious and took me to their largest machine. That’s when I learned the horrifying truth: they were siphoning energy from humans to keep time frozen in an eternal day.
I was chained to a wall, seemingly with no way of escaping. But, by sheer luck, I had a pin hidden in my hand. With it, I managed to free myself. I snapped a few pictures of the machine with my phone and fled.
I made it out of the forest, started my car, and sped away.
To this day, I’m haunted by nightmares of that place. Was it all just a coincidence, or was it destiny? Who knows?
By: Naail