This is a serialized story – be sure to read in order: from A (afterthought) to Z (zealous).
The room Nash entered wasn’t really a room, at least at first look. It was a huge walk-in freezer and he shivered as the door shut behind him and clicked shut. He tried to open it again but it was locked. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, all he saw was rows and rows of shelves filled with food items.
“Now if they just weren’t frozen, I could grab something to eat. This ‘adventure’ has gone on far too long. What a nightmare!” he thought to himself. He wrapped his arms around himself and continued walking down the length of the freezer till he hit another door. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and prepared himself to take the next step.
“Time to find Courtney, no more lefts and rights. We both need to leave this nightmare. Everything is getting on my nerves.” He pushed the lever down and opened the door. A soft breeze greeted him and bright sunlight blinded him. He blinked several times and squinted, trying to see what this room presented. When his vision cleared enough, he gasped. He was at a beach. Soft waved lapped a shoreline. A seagull sat perched on a deck chair beside a table with a pitcher of what appeared to be lemonade.
Not trusting his eyes, he went on gut instinct and steered away from the scene in front of him. He scanned for another exit. Nothing but beach, palm trees, and water as far as he could see. He continued walking parallel to the shoreline, hoping something would appear. Nothing but a repeat of the seagull and table setting he first saw.
“It’s like I’m in a loop. There’s got to be a way out.” He stopped and scanned the horizon. A sound brought his eyes upwards and there it was. A doorway, not really a door. Sort of a portal looking opening. He rubbed his eyes, not trusting what he saw. A fan of Sci-Fi and fantasy, he was beginning to believe he was in the middle of dream. Or rather, a nightmare.
He ran towards the opening, unsure how he was going to get up and into the portal. But as he got closer, it seemed to be dropping lower. “Yes!” he shouted. But the closer he got, the smaller the opening appeared. He raced faster and slid into the now beach level doorway at the last minute, holding his breath and prayed that he would find Courtney.
To be continued…
Thank you.