Lost in the void

Ivan slowly woke up from the long nap and he immediately sensed something was wrong. The air around him was thick and heavy, and he felt the cold air tingling his skin. It wasn't until he tried to sit up that he realized he was no longer in his bed. The surroundings were unfamiliar, and he was filled with a sense of dread.

Looking around, trying to size up his surroundings, he noticed that he was in a small hut. The walls were made of old, rotting wood that was falling apart in places. There were cobwebs and dust everywhere, and the air smelled of damp earth and mold. The room was bare except for a rusted metal bed frame in the corner, a small wooden table, and an old kerosene lamp that flickered dimly in the gloom. he finally realized that he was inside the hut that he and his friends stumbled upon in the woods the previous night.

He stood up shakily and stumbled towards the door, hoping to find a way out. His hand reached for the handle, but it didn't budge. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried the windows, but they were also locked. Trapped like a caged animal, he let out a desperate cry for help, but his voice echoed back to him mockingly.

He searched for his phone in his pockets only to find it missing, he tried searching around the place for anything that would aid him in this bizarre situation.

He started walking in circles, grasping his hair and crying like a madman.

Only when he heard the splashing when he walked maniacally did he realize that the room was slowly filling with warm water.

"God, What the hell is happening?!" His heart sank as he blurted this out.

His panic turned into a frenzied fight for survival as he searched for a way out. As the room started to fill with water, he could feel himself growing bigger or the room getting smaller, he couldn't tell. It was like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from.

His movement was getting limited as time passed by.

"I have to get out of here," he thought to himself, trembling with fear.

But he couldn't move as he fit the room to its entirety and he was cramped in a fetal position.

He tried kicking and stretching his limbs but the room had now turned into a sort of balloon that would stretch at his will but wouldn't let him out.

Just as he thought he was going to drown, the water engulfed him, but strangely enough after a quiet struggle for air, he had no problem being underwater. Everything went black, and he could hear nothing but the hum of the void and the fear in his heart.

It was grim silence and his thoughts were vague and he felt sleepy yet awake. Strange things filled his mind but he couldn't tell what is what, it was a weird feeling. All he could sense was, that he was trapped.

Just then, a faint echo of a voice reached his ears. It was a familiar one.

"I'm not sure about this doctor," said the voice.

It was his mother's.

"It's up to you, Mrs. Vinogradova, whether you decide to keep it or not, we will respect your decision."

"We understand that it would be challenging to be a single mother," replied the other unfamiliar voice of an old man.

His mother's voice sighed, "I want to end this-- I don't want to make life difficult for both of us."

Ivan felt like this was a dream but his senses told him this was too real to be one.

There was a brief silence, and then the hum of the void returned. Ivan couldn't think properly, everything seemed vague and unreal.

He felt immense pain in his chest as if it was ripped apart. He couldn't scream or do anything at all but be there cramped up and helpless.

"Ma--!" he tried calling out but he could only, in his head. He was alone in the dark, surrounded by water. The pain in his chest continued to grow until he felt like he would explode.

He felt as though his life was draining away slowly from his body. He couldn't take it anymore, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.

As Ivan drifted in and out of consciousness, he felt a strange sensation creeping over his body. It was as if he was being lifted out of the water and transported somewhere else. The pain in his chest slowly faded away, and he could feel his body becoming weightless and free.

He found himself floating in a vast, open space, surrounded by stars and galaxies. He felt like he was part of the universe itself like he was part of something much greater than himself. It was a feeling of peace and tranquility that he had never experienced before.

As he floated in the void, he once again heard a voice but this time it was calling out to him.

He couldn't tell what it said but he was sure that it was addressed to him.

As he floated in the void, he saw flashes of his life, memories that he had forgotten or buried deep inside.

He saw his younger self playing around with his friends and the scene changed to his parents fighting, his father leaving his mother crying on the floor.

His thoughts turned toward his father, who was in and out of his childhood until one day he left without the intention of coming back.

The faintness of the voice grew more clear as he floated away.

"Ivan......"

The voice was familiar and it wasn't his mother's. He wanted to call back but he felt it was pointless.

He wanted to float away forever and forget about everything else. It was calm and he felt that every single cell in his body was happy.

The familiar voice of the woman grew clearer and closer. It came in loud and interrupted what Ivan thought was his journey to the afterlife.

"Ivan......."

"Ivan, you asshole!"