Chapter 1: This sinkhole sucks!

Chapter 1: This sinkhole sucks!

March 1, 2021

Like clockwork, my body jolted into a state of alertness and energy. Beaming at the thought that I had beaten my alarm's annoying blaring, I took it from the top of my study table and smiled at it arrogantly as if it had any emotion. The clock displayed the time 6:25 am, I was early by 5 minutes. Take that, clock!

"Yosh! Good morning, world!" I announced as I returned my small red clock back to my desk.

There was nothing better than getting out of bed and releasing all your pent-up sleep energy with a good, long stretch.

Following my morning rituals in the bathroom, I got dressed in a baggy sweater with the logo of the hospital I work for on the left chest area, some faded blue jeans, and my favorite nearly worn-out black rubber shoes. I was prepared to enter the basement.

On my way down, I saw Mom again stuck to her computer screen, probably finishing one of her new proposals on how to save the endangered Polar Bears of the North. She's a research head at a wild reserve organization. At the same time, my Dad was nowhere in sight, probably still at work, a doctor with the worst schedule. What can I say? We're a family of workaholics.

"Mom! It's your turn to do the groceries!" I announced as I rummaged through the pile of snacks and potential lunch I liked inside the fridge.

Like I always say: Work hard, eat hard.

"M'kay! I'll list that on my to-do list. Hey, don't forget the sandwich I prepared!" She said, still focused on her work. I shook my head when I saw her sandwich, only half eaten, at her desk. Poor sandwich looking yummy yet neglected.

It wasn't until my backpack was visibly about to explode from all the food I threw in it that I decided to put a halt to stuffing more food. Well, in my defense, I plan on putting some in my locker, I get hungry most of the time, and I don't have the luxury of going to the convenience store.

When I was done pushing my bag close, I walked over to the kitchen stall and grabbed my mother's famous bacon and cheese sandwich. Yes, bacon, not ham, because why not?

"See you later, Mom! "I said and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, to which she replied with a mumbled 'take care.'

As I walked towards the living room, I took my phone out to check the time. It was 7:15, which meant I had 30 minutes before I was late.

Outside, what waited for me was the cute orange eco-friendly e-bike that I used to deliver. Getting on it, I drove.

I work as a part-time medic for a small hospital because it's currently my summer break. If it doesn't seem familiar, the job entails delivering medicine, medical supplies, and some usual doctor drop-offs. The hospital I work for is owned by my parent's friend, and it only has a few rooms. Actually, it's more like a big clinic than a small hospital, so to be able to take care of more patients, it offers home services, where my team comes in. You'll never know when a doctor suddenly needs extra syringes or IV drops. The pay is fair but what I really like is how my job never has a dull moment. I never really liked being idle. And this job is an excellent way to kill time during summer.

After a few minutes of driving, I reached the parking lot in front of the hospital.

I was just about to take off my helmet when I noticed a nurse running towards me. See! I just got here, yet I'm about to go on delivery right away!

"You need to go to N plaza ASAP. All doctors were sent there. It seems that some sinkhole appeared. Here is the stuff they might need." The urgency of the matter was evident in how he talked. Believing that I needed to hurry, I grabbed the emergency pack he was handing over and drove fast.

A hole? New York hasn't had one of those since Avengers. And that hole was clearly placed in the sky, not in the busy street of New York. And besides, it was probably just CGI.

N Plaza was not too far from the hospital, so I reached it in a few minutes.

Immediately, I got off my bike and surveyed the area. My heart raced when I saw a big hole placed in the middle of the park. It was as big as a mega dome.

How could this hole appear without any kind of reaction from the ground? I was sure that I hadn't felt anything that could hint this happened. And something else bothered me.

From doctors, police officers, and people who I assume belonged to the army, the whole area was packed.

"Okino! Right here!" The voice broke my trance. Looking up, I saw one of our doctors aiding an injured person. Automatically, I ran towards him.

"Doctor! What happened?" I said as I was handing him supplies when I asked. My eyes shifted back and forth between the doctor and the hole. When did this happen?

"No one knows yet, but I heard this was something about this being globally experienced, but as of now, there are no reports of anyone falling in. It seemed that it only caused a couple of minor injuries." the doctor said while mending a wound on a woman.

After running and giving out supplies to our doctors, I decided to take a break for a while. I felt relieved to see that most of the injured were already treated.

I walked a solid 10 meters away from the sinkhole towards my bike and went to lean on it and sit on the grass. It was tiring to run around, especially when I had my backpack on me. Drat, I should have left this.

"At least this couldn't get any worse," I mumbled as I plopped on the disrupted street.

As I was sitting, the sinkhole caught my eye. It was unsettling, the way it looked totally like a pitch black hole like it was a big black round picnic blanket placed in the middle of the green field of the park. Except, of course, this picnic blanket was neither excited to be sat on nor did it look family-friendly. I mean, I saw a lot of movies with sinkholes, and it wasn't this creepily dark. Is it suppose to look like this?

"It's calling, can't you hear?" A man appeared out of nowhere.

I looked up at the stranger. He was facing the sinkhole, which I guess meant he was pertaining to it. It was strange that he was talking to me though it would have been stranger if he was not because we were the only ones close enough to engage in a conversation.

"Excuse me?" I couldn't understand what he meant and asked him to clarify, but he suddenly took off and walked toward the sinkhole's direction. Well, hello, Mr. Rude guy.

My thoughts were disrupted when the man made it clear he wasn't just going to sight-see near the sinkhole. Is he crazy?!

"Don't!" As if by cue, I started running towards the man to try and stop him from doing something that would really turn out bad.

I was so close, but I was also too late. My mouth parted, shock registered, and other emotions flooded. I was a good 5 feet away when he started to run toward the hole. Then the next thing I know, he jumped, not fell, he jumped.

The whole place suddenly hushed. It was as if an ominous box had opened. The aura of the area turned dreadful. And then I heard screams.

One after another, people jumped into the black hole as if it were a two feet fall.

Confused and frozen from my spot, more and more stepped into their demise. Like moths to fire, they kept gathering from different parts of the sinkhole, mindlessly jumping to their death. People who were sane kept trying to stop them, but nothing they did ever helped.

What the hell? What's happening here? Is there some kind of bouncy house hidden there? I hope there is! I thought.

I was still unable to move until I spotted a young girl not too far from me approaching the hole. Like on instinct, my body regained its ability to move, and my feet that, were once planted to the ground sped to the girl. I just couldn't bear to see that little girl jump to her death. No!

I was a few feet away from her when she stopped, making me freeze for a moment, not wanting to make her haste to the hole like that man.

Tilting her head to where I was, she smiled at me. It was a smile that no girl in our neighborhood had ever given me. It was filled with something I couldn't put my finger on... But I knew it was not a good thing. Something was indeed wrong with her, but my mind was set on preventing her from doing something stupid. She's scary and all, but she is still a little girl.

"I knew you would try to save this fragile form. It's in your DNA, but a piece of advice, the hero doesn't always live to see the end." Confused about what she meant, I slowly walked towards her, even with the fear tugging from my chest.

Why the heck does this girl seem like she came out of a horror movie!? Is she like... possess? Because I once saw a film like that where the girl climbed up the wall and did acrobatic stuff, I remember how flexible she seemed when she turned her to her bac-- not the topic, Harlow! I do this when I panic.

"Step back, kid! I'm pretty sure it will kill you if you fall there!" I said, trying to woo her away from the sinkhole and, at the same time, trying to push back the fear I was feeling.

She was about 2 feet away from the sinkhole, so I was more cautious. Even with the slight fear that tugged in my chest, I couldn't live a normal life if I saw a little girl jump to her death. It would probably haunt me.

"Falling? Kill me? Why, of course not. But what awaits in the gate might." She said, smiling at me with her odd, hair-raising smile. What the hell is this? Is her jaw stuck or something?

I don't know exactly how, but I managed to get closer to where she was, and I was only a foot away now.

My hands were about to reach for her when she grabbed it herself. Again giving me her nerve-wracking smile but even widened it, and I swore her mouth was going to rip if she made it wider. She pulled me close with a force that certainly did not belong to a little girl.

And then, the next thing I knew, I was falling into darkness.

Now, I have been a clumsy girl since young. I was used to falling, but something about this fall made it the scariest experience of my life, well, disregarding the fact that I would probably die from this one. It felt nothing like when I fell from my rock climbing lessons or when I once acted in a play and lost balance off stage, not even like diving from the 10 feet high diving board at our school because this fall was different. I wouldn't be saved or helped. And yes I did fall a lot when I was younger, but this one is the one? I knew it was the most dangerous fall I ever had.

I never knew how right I was when I opened my eyes and set them on the ruined, unfamiliar land that I soon found out was called, Outlast.

But during the period of my fall, all I thought about was: Man! This sinkhole sucks!