3-The Gaze

*pit* *pat*

Huh? Something just fell in my eye? Is it raining?

I moved my arm to wipe the drop of water from my eyelid

"agh, sh..it, my body hurts!" I groaned with a raspy throat

How strange, it seems I fell asleep under the tree while recalling the memories from the time before we came here.

Come to think of it, how long have I been asleep?

My eyes were still shut closed.

I didn't wish to open them.

Why?

I was hoping that everything that took place in that dreadful resort was just another figment of my imagination,

Perhaps, another nightmare, just like the ones I have had before.

I wished that when I opened my eyes I would be in my bed at my home.

Starting to get ready for my daily life-sucking desk job.

But the reality was far different than my imagination.

I understood that when I slowly opened my eyes.

I was disheartened that every horrifying thing I have experienced until now was real as I was still lying under the tree I slept under before.

It was gently drizzling, and before I realized my clothes were already damp from lying under the rain for too long.

The temperature was slowly dropping and I was still in the middle of nowhere, without food, water, or shelter

"What do I do?" I mumbled in distress

My limbs felt numb as I struggled to move. The excessive exertion on my legs from running around is starting to hit me all at once.

I wanted to scream in pain

but I held it in and just laid on the cold ground covered with dirt and grass, blaming my situation.

"Why..is this.. happening..to me, I..*cough* *cough*, agh! I..need water..," I cried

Just as I was about to give up, I was slowly starting to realize the gravity of the situation I was in.

If I gave up now, I'll be as good as dead.

I struck my hands on the soil and supported my body to rise from the dirt-covered ground.

I can't keep laying here forever

like a defeated person

I reassured my uneasy self by telling this to myself

"Yeah I should go to the resort, there should be a lot of food there, and hopefully the police too, I can rest in one of the rooms and hopefully the police can come and rescue us" I muttered as I slowly moved further away from the tree.

After covering a little distance, I could finally see the resort.

All of a sudden eerie feeling coursed through my body.

It made me hesitate to move forward, but I went against that feeling because I didn't have much of a choice in the first place.

As I moved forward and got closer and closer to the resort I noticed that nothing had changed, it was just as deserted and desolate a place as he saw in the afternoon, if one thing did change...

it was the unnerving aura exerting from it.

"Something feels off," I mumbled while I moved forward

It was extremely dark, the only source of light was the moonlight which was, thankfully shining bright enough for me to help me see the direction I was walking in

The moonlight glistened on the glass windows of the resort, it made it look remarkably beautiful yet chilling at the same time.

Each step was getting harder to take, while my body was still functioning on barely some willpower. My limbs finally started to give in.

The damp clothes and bone-chilling breeze made my situation worse. With every step I took, I could feel a striking pain in both of my feet.

After walking for 10 minutes straight I was finally where it all began.

I was facing the reception...

Flashbacks of the last time I was here were rushing to me.

*gulp*

I hesitated to take any further steps toward the half-opened glass door.

It was hard to see behind the door because the moonlight barely reached inside.

The temperature was dropping and my body was not in a good shape, I couldn't afford to stay outside any longer.

"Fuck it!" I yelled and pushed open the door as I walked inside

It was darker than I thought it would be. The moonlight reached inside from the barely opened windows.

After a few minutes, my eyes adjusted to the light inside and I could finally see things.

It's all the same as I remember. I thought as I walked in the search to find the kitchen.

Meanwhile, my eyes searched for anything suspicious which would indicate if I am in any particular danger or threat, from someone or something...

My wandering eyes settled on the window.

The same window where I last saw that creature.

My curiosity made me walk toward it. As I walked I saw shards of glass lying all across the floor that made crunching sounds as I stepped forward.

I stopped in horror as the window was clearly in my sight.

It was the only window that was destroyed out of the hundred others.

As I slowly turned my head downwards and my face was finally facing the ground I could see huge scratch marks on the shards of glass lying on the floor.

My knees went weak from sheer terror as various thoughts and scenarios started rushing into my mind.

Was it done by the same creature I saw before? Was it after me? Did it break the window so it could catch me? What even is that thing? And why does it want me? Is it the reason why everyone has gone missing? Why was I the only one who was spared?

I started to connect the creature with the bizarre things that have been happening all around.

I started feeling uneasy and decided to waste no more time at the window and walked back to where I came from in search of the kitchen.

After a few minutes of searching, I found the kitchen, it was right at the corner of the big dining hall, which was now all dark and dingy.

"Ah!, finally! some food to eat" I cried out in joy

My body was suddenly full of energy at the thought of having food, and I unknowingly started running toward it.

I quickly slid the heavy door at the entrance of the kitchen.

The kitchen was pitch black, it was hard to see anything inside it because the moonlight barely reached inside the kitchen.

After searching here and there for a while I finally found the pantry. Thankfully it wasn't locked since everyone had seemed to leave this place in a rush.

The pantry was big enough for me to completely fit in.

I moved my hands towards the bread and other biscuits that hadn't gone bad.

"Mmm, delicious!" I exclaimed

After 30 minutes of constantly stuffing my mouth with various food, I decided to go and drink water.

I was trying to slide open the pantry door

*thud*

Huh? What was that! It sounded like it came from the kitchen, some utensil must've fallen.

*clomp* *clash*

What!? that sounds like someone is wandering around the kitchen

"A person? Wait- I know what happened last time I thought that the weird sounds were coming from a person" I mumbled to myself

I decided to stay inside the pantry and peek through the large door

*clomp* *clomp*

I was sure now, it was someone walking around the kitchen, but I was still not too sure so I decided to stay hidden until I saw the face of the person

I could see a shadowy figure walking with slow steps.

He was still farther off from the pantry so I decided not to reveal myself and wait to see if this person can potentially cause me any sort of harm.

*clink clank*

He seemed to have been walking around the kitchen appliances.

I could hear the sound of spoons and plates clashing each other as he wandered into the kitchen, he didn't seem like he wanted to eat anything. I was sure at this point it was another person, because who else could it possibly be?

...

No sounds of utensils falling have come yet? Did he stop walking?

I slowly crept out of the door and slid behind the kitchen counter nearest to me.

I believed that he was right in front of the counter I was hiding behind so, I slowly turned my head in the direction of this mysterious person and peeked upwards from the counter.

A rapid feeling of panic rushed inside my muscles.

I couldn't shift my eyes as I couldn't believe what they saw.

The creature was lying in a fetal posture with its back facing me, right above the counter I was hiding behind.

It didn't even take me a second to recognize the creature, it was the one I saw the day I ran away from the resort.

I was so stunned and filled with anxiety that I just kept staring at the creature.

I could see its charred back even in the low moonlight.

It seemed like its back was burnt and blackened due to exposure to some kind of acid or intense heat.

I wanted to flee but my limbs wouldn't budge, all of my thoughts and reasoning were getting mixed up in my head as I tried to make sense of what was happening in front of me.

I held my breath in, I didn't want to make a single sound in hopes of not walking this creature up.

*hic*..*hic*

"...it hu..rts.."

What? Did it just speak? Is this thing a human?

I quickly hid behind the counter again and various thoughts started rushing through my brain. What the hell is happening? Is it just a normal person who got hurt? What do I do?

I started to assume that it was just another person who was severely hurt.

If this is just a severely injured person, they need my help. This person is also my last hope of finding some clues about my missing friends.

I must save him!

I thought to myself as I rushed upwards to the counter.

As soon as I got up my entire body froze from sheer dread as the person was now facing me.

Its bloodshot expressionless eyes staring right at mine.

It was so silent that I could hear my heavy and panicked breathing, as streaks of sweat started running down my face, even in such cold weather.

I couldn't remove my gaze from its eyes either, I was fascinated yet filled with horror as to how similar they were to a friend of mine.

..Faye!