Candle

My eyes feel really heavy, like I just woke up. I don't feel tired, but my body is telling me I am. I force myself off the comfortable bed I was laying in, leaving the sheets a mess. I stand up and slowly rub my eyes.

When I open my eyes I see a woman on the floor. Her back is turned and she's weeping to an object on the ground. "She made me, she made me, I'm so sorry baby, she made me!" she sobs into the object. "Ma'am?" I say.

I take a step closer when she repeats what she says. "She. Made. Me." Her voice, it changed. It sounded...demonic. "Ma'am?" I say again. I lay a hand on her shoulder when she turns around. Half her skin on the right side of her face is gone and it's dripping with blood. "Oh my god," I gasp.

"She made me," she says again. "SHE MADE ME!" she screams. She pulls out a knife and flings herself at me. I blink and hold my hands up in defense. When I open them again she's nowhere to be found. "What the hell?" I say to myself.

I realize it's pitch black in the room. I can't see anything farther than eight feet. I look around when I find a candle and a box of matches. I look inside the box to see if there are any matches left.

Only one.

Crap. It's better than nothing. I light the match and then the candle. The light flickers and I can see a bit better. When I make my way out of the little room I was in, I walk into what appears to be a living room.

It's a bit of a comfy looking spot if it wasn't so dark. There's a few couches, a TV, pictures hanging of me and another guy, and a stacked refrigerator. I'll grab a snack while I'm at it. I open the fridge and find an energy bar. An energy bar in the refrigerator? Odd.

I eat it and start my way to the door when I see something smeared on the walls in red. "WE ARE SURROUNDED BY ETERNAL DARKNESS. IT IS NOT SAFE OUT THERE. STAY IN ROOM AT ALL TIMES." That's unsettling.

I decide whether or not to go out. After a few minutes of contemplating the idea, I decide to go out. I open the door and the outside is even darker than inside. It's a vast open space of darkness. Nothing filling any of the streets except me and this candle.

I've been walking for some time when I realize something. How long have I been walking? Why haven't I seen any other houses yet? Where did that woman come from? How did I get here? When did I get here? Okay, maybe I realized a few things.

"It's just me and you little Candle," I say speaking to the candle. It flickers as if saying something in response. I begin walking again when I finally spot a house off in the distance. "Thank God," I say to myself.

I walk a little faster until I come to the front door. I knock on it a couple times but no-one answers. I turn the knob and the door slowly creaks open. Who leaves their door open? I walk inside. "Hello?" I call out. This is usually the part where I get decapitated, but I have to find someone here.

I venture further into the house when I come to a bedroom. I hear grunting coming from the other side of the wall of the bedroom. I really hope people aren't doing...I don't even wanna think about it. I walk out of the room and down the little hall to the room I heard the grunting coming from.

As I near closer I hear another noise. I hear squishy sounds, like something being punctured. Oh my god. They aren't having "fun" time, someone is stabbing someone. I slowly back away from the door, my back turned. I get back to the entry of the first room, my side facing the living room.

I slowly turn around and I nearly scream at the sight I see. I cover my mouth, letting zero chance of having any sound come out. A dead lady is hung from the ceiling fan with barbed wire constricting her neck and most of her flesh peeled off.

I'm frozen in my tracks when I hear the most unpleasant sound that makes my hair stand on end. The heavy breathing of someone coming from right behind me. I turn my head and there's the person that was stabbing the other person in the room I heard the grunting. The knife is covered in red and some parts of...organs are covering it.

"AAAH!" they screech. They swing the knife at me but I move my head. They push me down and I land (very roughly) on my back. They pounce on top of me, attempting to sink the knife into my head. I grab their wrists just in time. I'm trying my hardest not to let the knife sink into my skin.

It's getting closer and closer to my face. "No!" I yell. I knee the person and kick them off me, the knife going in the opposite direction. I scramble to my feet and run to it. The attacker does the same. I swiftly grab it off the floor and spin around.

They're not there. I slowly and quietly step my way around the room. I look up at the ceiling. There they are, on the ceiling. They drop down but I hold my knife up. I hear the squish of the knife sinking into the person's heart while I'm tackled to the ground by the dead body.

I'm kneeling there on the floor, catching a breath when I realize something. The candle's light lit up the whole room during my encounter. As I realize this, the light starts to fade. I catch sight of the candle and run to get it.

I quickly grab it before I won't be able to find it. I curl up into a corner and set the candle down, wrapping my arms around my knees. I can't do this. I'm going to go crazy. I'm going to die.

No. I will not accept that. I have to find out what is going on here. And right now, this candle is the best form of protection I have.

And my best friend.