Tag: box

The silhouettes faded as they reached his face, and the small room filled with tiny boxes. Chris reached for one but drew back just as quick, remembering what happened when he tried to take a box the last time. Tucking his hands into his chest, he shrank against a wall and slunk to the floor in a seated position. The tiny boxes continued to fill the room, getting ever so much closer to him. He wanted nothing to do with them. 

“G-Get away,” stammered Chris. The boxes multiplied, closer, and closer still. “N-no! G-get away!” He swiped at them sending them flying across the room. He needed to get out of there. Shooting glances in every direction proved futile as no doors existed. “Noooo! Get me out of here, please!” cried Chris. The tiny boxes closed in.

Then he spied it. A tiny light appeared from across the far right of the room. A way out? Scrambling to his feet, he tripped over the boxes landing on his knees. The boxes appeared faster now. He picked himself back up and continued. The closer he came to the light the faster the boxes grew until they became immovable. The light sat within inches of his fingertips and began to fade. His heart sped up. His breathing heavy, suffocating.

Chris stretched every muscle he had. His fingers hung in the balance. Blood rushed to his head and the room darkened. A gray haze floated like fingers across his vision. His head lolled to the side, then “POP”. His body thrust backward, slammed against the back wall, and slunk to the floor.

Chris’s eyes trudged upward, then slunk shut. An eyelid lifted and a bright light entered. Oh good. He reached the light. How, he didn’t know. A pop, body flying, couldn’t breathe. His other eye lifted and again a bright light invaded.

“Chris, Chris can you hear me?”

The voice. Distant. The room. The silhouettes. “uhhhh,” moaned Chris.

“Easy does it now. That’s it.”

Again, Chris lifted his eyelids, resting them at half-mast. His fuzzy vision swam in front of him at first. His eyelids drooped closed, then lifted, then closed, then lifted. His hazy vision cleared. The hospital room was painted a dusty pink with white trim. A wide wooden door with a vertical window above the handle stood ajar. A doctor stood on his right and a nurse stood on his left. The bed was hard and his back ached.

“What?” asked Chris in confusion.

“It seems you passed out. When you did, you hit your head pretty bad,” said the doctor.

“We thought we lost you there for a while,” said the nurse whose name badge read Carrie.

Chris’s body hurt like it had been steam rolled. He blew out a breath and looked out the window to his left. But something caught his attention on the windowsill. A box.

(The End)

Chris bent and snatched up the box. The burnt, orange 3 x 3-inch little structure with silver trim stared back at him, empty. The burgundy lid stood open, hanging on its hinges. He threw a pursed lipped scrunched eyebrow look in Tom’s direction. “What the hell, dude?”

Tom’s smile of malice spoke volumes as he waved at Chris’s shrinking body being sucked into the box. “That’ll teach you.” His laugh echoed as the box dropped to the floor, and he exited the otherwise empty classroom.

Chris glared back down at the box as Tom’s figure grew larger, and the classroom faded. An empty room void of anything now surrounded him. Yet, a presence closed in around him. He turned in a slow circle. Faded silhouettes with a faintness of gray began to materialize then faded. This mantra continued, strobing faster and faster until a sickness clenched his gut.

“Stop!” yelled Chris.

The silhouettes halted at the sound of Chris’s command. They opened their mouths in unison, revealing white holes with jagged black teeth.

Sweat beaded at Chris’s temples as hot flashes accosted him one after the other. He spun in a circle once again, gaining momentum now but against his will. The silhouettes loomed closer and flung backward in repeated fashion gripping his stomach, and he threw a dry heave once, then twice.

“Stop!” yelled Chris once more.

Again, the silhouettes halted their sickening motion. They stood for a minute staring at Chris, then opened their mouths wider and threw themselves at him.

(To Be Continued)

“What’s in the box?” asked Chris.

“Nothing,” said Tom tucking the box closer to his chest.

Chris reached for the box and knocked it out of Tom’s grip. It tumbled to the floor and broke open.

“It’s empty,” said Chris perplexed.

“Told ya.”

Chris walked away scratching his head and wondered why the hype over an empty box. Curiosity got the better of him, and he stopped, turned around and said to Tom, “Why did you guard it so much if it was empty? I mean, that was lame dude.”

Tom shrugged one shoulder and said, “Just wanted to spoof ya man. No big deal.”

As he turned back around to continue walking, a green glint in Tom’s eyes stopped him. On second glance it was gone.

“What?” asked Tom.

Chris nudged his head from side to side and said, “Nothing. It’s nothing.” Again, he turned to leave and again something caught his attention only this time it was from the box staring up at him from the floor.

To Be Continued