Chapter One :Return to the Past
Chapter One: Return to the Past
Nourdin:
The room is drowned in a desolate darkness, broken only by a single, dim light dangling directly above my head. My neck is trapped in a coarse rope, and I am standing on a dilapidated chair... any wrong move, any tremor in my feet, will be the end. I will fall and die by hanging in the middle of this cursed silence.
"Damn it... it seems my journey ends here."
[12 Hours Earlier]
I thought my escape from that house eight years ago was a smart decision. I thought I could build a new life, start a family, and bury the past under the sands of oblivion. But I was deluded... the past does not die; it lurks for us in the shadows.
Nightmares haunt me like my shadow, depriving me of the pleasure of sleep and preventing me from leaving the walls of my home. Every time I close my eyes, I am slapped by that "heinous act" I committed. It seems that all paths in my life, no matter how hard I try to change their course, lead to only one destination: the past.
I made up my mind and decided to return. I asked "Uncle Ahmed," the driver, to take me there. That area has now become "Restricted," a forgotten place that no one dares to approach. All along the way, my thoughts were struggling between nostalgia and the pangs of conscience... I felt as if I were in a never-ending waking nightmare.
The Driver (Uncle Ahmed): "Nourdin... I’ve known you for eight years, and I still remember that day I met you when you were fleeing, your body trembling and your eyes full of terror."
He fell silent for a moment, then continued in a calm tone: "I know that facing what you lived through alone is beyond your strength, but I am sure of one thing... you are brave, and your mere decision to return and face the demons of the past is proof of your strength. Do not give up, my son... be strong."
Nourdin: "I will try, Uncle Ahmed... I will try."
Overcome by thoughts and exhausted by thinking, I sank into a short, troubled nap. I woke up to the sound of the engine slowing down; we were only ten minutes away from the edge of the restricted zone.
The Driver: "I’m afraid you have to complete the road alone from here, Nourdin. You know well what happened to this area five years ago... it was completely abandoned after the spread of that strange gas that traps people in a web of delusions. Don't worry, I will stay close to here, waiting for your call to take you back."
Nourdin: "Thank you... I understand completely."
I got out of the car and headed toward my old town. It was surrounded by a massive fence as if it were a large prison. I slipped through a gap in the fence and entered... Oh, the horror!
The houses are ruins, the streets are deserted, and a strange green gas creeps between the debris like an evil spirit. I thought about retreating, feeling fear creeping into my bones, but I resisted: "I will not go back... not after all this exhaustion."
I walked through those dead streets until I arrived in front of my old house. Damn it... words cannot describe what I feel. How can a human coexist with a miserable past like this? How can he complete his life as if nothing had happened?
Old images (Flashbacks) began to attack my mind... I remembered that ill-fated moment, the knife in my hand... the difficult choice. It wasn't my fault! I had no other choice!
I took a deep breath of that polluted air, placed my hand on the rusty doorknob... and decided to enter.
I stepped inside the old house... what a desolate feeling. The door I pushed with all my might to escape through years ago is the same door I returned to today, broken. But something is wrong... the house is supposed to have been abandoned for a long time, so why do I see the lights working? And why do I feel an electric current running through the place?
Amidst my astonishment, the blood froze in my veins... there, at the end of the narrow hallway, stood a "person" who did not look human. It was nothing but a mass of pitch darkness, a featureless entity, as if it were a black hole swallowing the light, wearing a faded green coat and advancing toward me with calm, terrifying steps.
Nourdin (in a trembling voice): "W-who are you? And how did you get in here?"
It did not answer, but continued its advance. The survival instinct screamed inside me: "Run!". I turned toward the door and tried to open it with all my strength, but it slammed shut violently as if an unseen hand had slammed it!
Nourdin: "Damn it! The door is stuck... open the damn door!"
At that moment, that dark entity pounced on me with lightning speed. I felt its cold fingers wrap around my neck, pressing with immense force to stifle my breath. As my vision narrowed and blackness enveloped my eyes, I heard a whispering voice, raspy as if coming from the grave. These were the last words I heard before losing consciousness:
"Welcome home... Nourdin."
