Deep Down Inside(Arsal Shoaib) In a constant whisk of the flow my eyelids gave way and I opened my eyes to a world I was completely unfamiliar with. Not only did I feel like seeping down into the earth the whole time, the place I tried to recognize around me looked like a rundown medieval house which had almost turned to ruins by now. And not just that, on top of everything, I was the one completely stranded there alone with dirt and litter all around me.

The whole place was shut dead. Silent as if I had gone deaf, it seemed to me increasingly gruesome in every possible manner! There was no exception that as much as my breaths were closing in on me, the whole place seemed to be certainly more terrible than that. I had no doubts that this haunted house I was encapsulated within would take away my life if I didn’t manage to find a way out of there soon. The feelings of loneliness and helplessness were increased multiple times with the fact that I was constantly experiencing the oxygen around getting dragged away from me and some sort of a high magnitude force squeezing in on me from all directions.

For an instant, I faced difficulty even in opening up my eyes because it felt like the pupils might pop out of their sockets because of the force that pushed them inside. My mind looked empty at that moment and I could find no clues whatsoever which could help me find my way out of that horrible place.

As much as it was difficult even hoping to make it out alive, it was equally painful as the excruciating dreadfulness carried itself along with me in that timid and dull looking structure which possessed the appearance of a century old vacated barn or a house with a similar wooden interior which was mostly broken or had simply gone rotten from ages.

The whole place didn’t even look scarcely lightened up so it was almost pitch dark inside and I knew that I had to find a way out of there even if the struggle cost my life. Everything was damp and moist to a point where your mind accounts it to be unbearable. From the first sights I had no doubt in my mind that I was trapped alone in this place and there was nobody except me in that large wooden compound which had intriguing passages and pathways lying in front of me and leading to separate directions.

The three corridors lying in front of me were all scarcely lit with tiny gas lamps on each side and since there was no other option of turning back, I had to choose from one of them in order to move forward. Analyzing it all in my head, I chose the one which appeared to me as the brightest one among the three.

I started upon walking in through the passage of my choice and without much consent I could make out that the walls around me looked centuries old and just by touching them I could easily feel the moisture soaked in the timber.

My first real sign of fear came when walking down the hallway I saw a door slammed so fiercely that the force had almost torn it off its hinges altogether. The door headed into what looked like a small cabin or store room and any sort of curiosity or anticipation from my side to explore what was inside instantly died off once I saw the blood stains on the door which were splattered in such a way that it seemed like a bloody fight had taken place right where I was standing at the moment. This thought almost had me scream wildly but I caught hold of myself and quickly murmured to myself and suggested to stay calm and quiet if I wanted to escape out alive and in a good condition.

Noise and attention surely were nowhere near my cards and I had to stay from them as much as I possibly could. Walking slowly and steadily one foot at a time, I made my way past two more cabins which were of the same size as I had crossed before, but remarkably both of these cabins held some people inside and that I could easily make out because I was able to hear the cheerful chattering and loud evil laughter going on inside. The best way to react to this frightening situation was to go past them without grabbing anyone’s attention so I did the same and crossed both the cabins in sheer silence.

Now, in front of me laid the spiral staircase similar to what I had seen in old movies comprising of worn out and rusty houses which by the way are termed as the haunted ones. That in fact took a turn to the very worst and so before I could make any real progress another frightening thought scared my soul from deep inside!

What if the noises I heard previously were of some ghosts and there weren’t any human beings living here in the first place? What if the ghosts I just passed by had caught some glimpses of me passing them? What if they actually get to know about my presence out here? What if they come looking after me? What if they find me? What if they get hold of me? Will they ever let me see the outside world ever again? Will I be captured? Will I be turned into a slave? Will I even stay alive?

For an instant my mind completely flushed out and I had no idea what I was going after, but climbing the staircase which lay in front of me certainly seemed like the right thing to do at that time! And that’s when my fears actually turned to reality. As soon as I put forward my weight on the first step, the already weakened and damp stair step wasn’t really able to take on my full weight so it simply gave way and my foot came back smashing the feeble log into two and almost had me tumbling down on the wooden floor.

That obviously made a lot of noise and almost instantly I heard footsteps breaking the silence of the night and marching towards me. There was something that needed to be done and that too should be done much sooner than later!

The stairs were my only way out! Not just the only way out but also the only way to stay alive. The place where I was standing seemed so confusing that just thinking to move a step back from where I was standing meant like giving up your soul to the devil himself.

Glancing back at the stairs I made myself fully focused to somehow get past that staircase and head my way up. By now the two men whose footsteps seemed to follow me had almost reached around the corner and with a rush of adrenaline in my blood I moved my legs swiftly over the stair steps smashing many in the way and unbalancing myself a couple of times I eventually did manage to somehow cross the obstacle that laid in front of me, but before I could be happy about it, I realized this was not the only hindrance in line waiting for me!

Firstly, the two dacoits were right on my tail. I could guess that one of them was climbing up from the stair case and the other probably searched for an alternative route that would lead him directly to me. Either way I realized I was still in deep trouble and so I dragged my attention away from them trying to think less about my chasers and more about my way out of that place. And that’s when I turned around and saw a razor-sharp sword carefully placed right on my throat!

I couldn’t move a muscle! I just stood there with sudden curiosity regarding what was about to happen next. For a few seconds this sword was the only thing I could make out but then a stout gentleman appeared from behind breaking the curse of the shadow, but to my good luck he was only a statue.

Pushing it aside I dashed up as far as my bulky legs could carry me and crisscrossing through the corridors I could hear the howls of my followers echoing all around the passage. I knew that I needed to get out of the building or hide somewhere in order to cut the chase and there wasn’t much time to waste on stupid thoughts either.

The hallway was pretty long and I never saw any end to it. Glancing back I was staggered to get hold of the guys chasing me for the first time. There were two huge muscular men both in their mid twenties who measured close to six to seven feet above ground. Their rough and dull appearance made them scarier and with axes and clubs in their hands they even had a pair of hounds who escorted the two of them with blood dripping from their mouth and razor sharp teeth hungry for flesh.

I almost fainted right at that very moment but realizing it was of no use to my escape, I had to keep myself running which by now had exhausted me to almost falling down on the ground flat on my back.

Getting to the end was impossible and so was the struggle to try it. That’s why I had a slight change of plans as I slammed a door on the right with all the force I had, and lashing inside the room, I quickly locked it down with the giant rusty metallic bolt already attached to the side of it.

I was in a state of sheer distress and depression. Nothing seemed to be right and I was now exhausted as hell; I didn’t even have the slightest idea about how much more struggle was left on my side! I never even moved an inch from the place I fell after locking the door behind me because without a shadow of a doubt if someone would somehow get inside and find me lying there completely vulnerable, then I was gone for sure!

There was no window, no air vent, or anything on the other side. Just a simple plain wooden wall secured with lots and lots of nails! Adding more to my trouble, soon the smell of a Rottweiler’s presence could be felt by me once again and I could make out that the angry blood thirsty crowd was just outside my door. I was stationed numb! Nothing could be done now except praying to God to silence my miseries and let me out somehow.

The next five minutes passed by like eternity and I finally saw myself smiling for the first time ever since I had my eyes opened up in this place. But luck was never that kind and certainly fate too had no plans of going easy on a poor lad like me. That, I realized, when the hounds soon traced my scents back to this room and barks were heard right outside the room where I was hiding.

I was a goner! I was certainly sure about it. Actually I hadn’t been more sure about any other thing in my entire life. Memories and highlights of all what I had been through in my entire lifetime passed through my eyes as one out of the two giants rammed into the door and with just his first blow, he knocked the bolt almost to the point of breaking it down. I, in the back of my mind, knew that it wouldn’t take any more than the next two blows before I would be completely exposed and cornered, making a delicious delight for the hungry beasts outside.

By now my slender figure was cracking into rubble and it seemed like even my clothes were dusting off me. There was nothing that could be done now and I swear I actually started praying to God about forgiving my sins and taking care of my family as I would be no longer with them and would no longer be a part of their happy and sad moments from now onwards.

And that’s when I saw the wooden roof of the room break away and a hand mysteriously closing in on me from the roof. At first I was not sure whether I should put my hand in that mysterious one or keep it squeezed to my chest like I was previously practicing. But then again I found no hope elsewhere and this was the only option that could save me from certain death which too was mere seconds away. As soon as I grabbed that hand, everything surrounding me turned to water and that hand quickly pulled me out of that sickening place.

It was a boat that I was dragged onto and the people around me were none other than my own family. Out of nowhere I found it to be some sort of a coast guard boat and after shaking my head countless times over the next minute or two I finally seemed to realize what had gotten up to me throughout this time.

The sea was rough and it was the last weekend over which my dad was home. He was the one involved in trading different stuff all the time so he kept shifting places every now and then. So here we were struggling our way through the rough sea and frightening tides, trying to make our way to the shore as soon as we could.

Actually it was my idea, rather it was all my efforts that this fishing trip came into being in the first place and even through the meteorological staff did warn us of the danger involved, my innocent looks worked out and I became successful in persuading my dad to take the risk. After all, we all loved fishing and living close to the seaside! This was our enjoyment during the weekends whenever my father used to be at home.

Making our way through the rough sea and getting stuck in the middle of an incoming storm, I remember it was a sudden blow from a gigantic wave that towered in front of our tiny vessel before finally giving way and splashing over the narrow fishing boat. Everybody clasped their hands tightly onto the railing or with something strong that gave them the satisfying feeling to be hung up strong against the incoming waves, whereas I was the one left alone on the far side of the boat with nothing to grab hold my hands with.

The merciless wave jolted the entire boat causing a havoc altogether and the only thing I remember next was my head getting banged on the steel shaft holding the sail and then hitting hard on the asphalt as my entire body followed course and smashed down fiercely. I had no control upon myself and my worries soon turned to reality when I saw myself bleeding from the head and being dragged underwater almost unconscious.

Everything afterwards kept on as hallucinations in my mind. The sheer blows on my head in quick succession had almost landed me unconscious and the fear of getting drowned to death with my oxygen constantly gasping away, all the memories of that mysterious house and the recollections I had were all imaginary. The only truth that took the form of reality was when I had my father’s hand in mine and when I at once felt the mahogany of this boat under my back.

From that day onwards our family, particularly myself, have been extra careful, while I am not letting my loose emotions overcome common sense and no matter how persuasive I might get, meteorological staff continues to have a high value in determining our next fishing trips as everyone around knows that this mistake that I had previously committed could have made the outcome of this thrilling experience a lot worse than it fortunately turned out to be.


Author
Arsal Shoaib


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