Extras

The Hallway of Rooms (Part 1 of a Series)

By Julia M.

The bustling mall was noisy and loud. Crowds of people stood around; others filled the pathways. I weaved in between people as I looked for the hallway I needed to find. I saw the glowing exit sign which marked the hallway and made my way to it. As the double doors shut behind me, the hallway echoed, and I could only hear the muffled sounds of people talking. 

I could see the storage room at the far end of the long hallway, to the right. Every step I took made the hallway feel longer and never-ending. When I turned around the doors were right behind me. How had I not moved? I must’ve been imagining things because when I turned back around, I was face to face with the door of the storage room. I was confused but proceeded to open the door anyway. 

As the door shut behind me I looked around the room, only spotting a broom, vacuum, and box. It was oddly empty yet I paid no attention to that and grabbed the broom. When I turned around to leave, the door was gone. My heart began to pound. How was that possible? It’s a door; it can’t move.. I turned around scanning every wall, looking for the door. It has to be here- it can’t just be gone. Was I hallucinating?? I panicked. I needed to find a way out, I wasn’t going to be trapped. 

I sat on the chair going through possible ways to escape, in my mind. Was I just imagining all of this? I didn’t know what was or wasn’t real anymore. As I looked up, I saw the door. The door! I breathed a sigh of relief and immediately swung the door open, wanting to get out of that room. That’s when I saw the hallway. It was lined with door after door, none of which had been there before. My head spun, and I felt dizzy. How was any of this possible? I just wanted to leave. I walked to what I thought was the end and opened the door, hoping it’d lead to the busy mall I was once in. My heart dropped as I looked into a long hallway that seemed to never end, it was lined with even more doors. I began to think I’d never leave. I opened every door I saw, finding empty rooms that sometimes had small items in them. None of the objects seemed to be of much use and I focused on finding an exit to this never-ending hallway of rooms. 

To Be Continued in Part 2