Labyrinth of Nightmares

Third Person PoV:

John Harper, an ordinary man burdened by the routine struggles of everyday life, trudged back home, shoulders slouched from fatigue due to overwork. He was merely 26 years old this year, yet he showed signs of a receding hairline. Work had been relentless and having an overbearing boss did not do him any favours.

He quietly shuffled to his tiny apartment and kicked off his shoes, not bothering or having the energy to keep everything organised.

"I swear, that man's got no sense of what it's like to be human," John grumbled to himself, as he tossed his keys aside and closed the door. This tiny, shabby apartment was now his own personal heaven.

He mechanically started preparing a simple dinner and it was not long before he could have his meal. As the aroma of his hastily cooked meal wafted through the air.

After an uninspired dinner that mirrored the mediocrity of his day, John sank into the familiar embrace of his worn-out couch. The evening news flickered to life on the TV screen.

The news anchor composed as always, reported of the happenings and issues around the world. It was not long before they reached the final segment of the news section. Well, except for the weather report that would follow right after.

The news anchor, normally calm, seemed unsettled. "We bring you a peculiar report today, a piece of breaking news." he began, a forced smile decorating his face. John rolled his eyes, expecting another sensationalized story.

"Reports are flooding in about people having nightmares. Nightmares that seem to be spreading like a disease," the anchor continued, a hint of trepidation in his voice. John chuckled, dismissing it as yet another attempt to boost ratings.

"The people infected by this 'nightmare disease' seem to have started off having ordinary nightmares which were nothing serious. These nightmares proceeded to escalate to the extent that a few 'infected' citizens have gone crazy. No source of possible 'infection' has been found."

"Nightmares spreading? What's next, ghosts causing traffic jams?" John mumbled, reaching for the remote to change the channel. But then, the anchor's tone shifted, and an uneasy stillness settled over the room.

"Hehe…HaHAahah..heAHAa…!!" The reported started laughing like an excited murderer on his way to commit a crime. The strange, unsettling laughter sent shivers down John's spine for a brief moment.

The anchor's words turned cryptic, "I have glimpsed the abyss in my dreams," he uttered, the screen distorting as if reality itself was warping. Of course, this was simply his mind playing tricks over the unusual scene caused by this mentally ill reporter.

"She..She is almost upon us. We will all fall into her embrace. It is inevitable…" The reporter proceeded to speak a slew of nonsensical sentences.

"What in fuck?" John muttered, his irritation giving way to a subtle sense of discomfort. The anchor's laughter intensified, and John, now thoroughly unnerved, switched off the TV. He did not have the energy to listen to this crazy reporter.

"Must be some technical glitch," he muttered to himself, trying to shake off the eerie feeling. Tired of the day's events, he started getting ready for bed.

It was not long before he lay in his bed. The soft glow of the bedside lamp casting long shadows across the room. The distant hum of the city outside mingled with the rhythmic sounds of his breathing as dreams consumed him.

***

John woke up in the morning having a beautiful sleep. A rare occurrence for him. He was somewhat of an insomniac. Regardless, he won't complain about having a good night's sleep for the first time in a while. At least, he won't be so exhausted that it would affect his work enough for that shitty boss of his to pick faults.

He quickly proceeded to get ready and have a decent breakfast before heading off for work. He reached the building that held his workplace. It was on the 6th floor. But unfortunately, the elevator seemed to be undergoing maintenance when he had checked.

"Fuckin hell!" The first misfortune of the day had already ruined his pleasant mood. He was a simple man and simple things were enough to destroy his happiness. He had no choice but to take the stairs.

As he started climbing the stairs, his breathing started becoming ragged. He was nowhere near being fit but was not so horrendously out of shape either. After a while, each step started feeling more daunting than the last.

'What floor have I reached? I think I should have reached by now' He thought. The staircase seemed to be endless.

The voice of his boss echoed from above, shouting commands that blended with the ominous creaking of the stairs. " Harper! Get your ass up here this instant. You're late."

'God dammit. These fuckin stairs..' John cursed in his mind as he hurriedly tried to climb the remaining flights of stairs. Of all days, the lift had to break down that day causing him to be late.

At the very least, he should not have been very far from his destination as he could clearly hear his boss's screaming.

"Hurry up, Harper!" The boss shouted again as he continued his climb…

***

Upon blinking his eye, he found himself in his boss's office. How had he reached here? No wait, he remembered how he painstakingly reached the 6th floor and his boss started scolding him the second he arrived.

The fatigue of the day already seemed to be getting to him. He wanted to go back home and relax.

"Are you listening, Harper! The numbers don't look good…" He subconsciously filtered out the annoying old piece of shit's voice. As his eyes drifted over the sheets of papers sprawled across the room, the numbers and letters seemed to dance as if to mock him.

'I seriously need to go back and rest…' He thought as he realized that he seemed to be hallucinating. For a second when he had looked out the window in the office, the sun even seemed to have been swallowed up by darkness. Like an eclipse. And with a single blink everything was normal.

"Rework everything now, Harper!" The boss angrily ordered as John silently left the office. It was not much longer before he left work.

***

Finally, John reached his home after a long day of work. He felt deeply uncomfortable in the bus on his way back. His hallucinations were causing him to think of the other passengers as inhuman monsters when they were in actuality simply going about their lives.

'If I don't feel better after a decent sleep, maybe I should consult a doctor. Do I have enough extra money saved for booking an appointment? Anyway, I'm home..'

Breathing a sigh of relief upon reaching his safe haven, he mechanically tried to prepare food as he had done the day before. But this time, John was attempting to find solace in the routine of preparing dinner.

Unfortunately for him, the ingredients twisted beneath his touch—vegetables morphed into grotesque faces, and the knife seemed to resist every attempt to cut through.

"Why can't things be normal?" he muttered, the once-familiar rituals of his everyday life now seemed to mock him every second of the way. And after a few moments everything was back to normal.

Switching on the news, he saw the same insane reporter from the previous day who spoke whatever he had earlier: "She..She is almost upon us. We will all fall into her embrace. It is inevitable…" He then stopped laughing and an eerie smile graced him as he seemed to look at John past the television screen.

"You know, don't you? You have already been pulled into her embrace. Rejoice. HahAHaHeehE…" And he started laughing again as the world seemed to start cracking around him.

***

John awoke with a start, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead as his breath was disordered.

"Haa…Haa…It was a nightmare. It must be because of that psychopath. His nonsense must have affected me more than I thought." As he calmed himself down, he was both extremely annoyed as well as slightly relieved.

Those events were not real. No wonder he seemed to be hallucinating such strange things, it was a nightmare. On the other hand, he did not seem to have had a proper rest. His shitty life had not left him alone even in his dreams and now he had to go through the same sickening routine once more.

But there was no use crying. He needed the money and this was the only place his job application had been accepted. All he could do was shake it off and move on. And so he did. He got ready and left for work.

Regrettably, upon entering the building, he failed to observe the sun, which had taken on a dark hue as if to reveal its 'true' colors amidst the shadows.

***

Location: Somewhere else

In the quaint and secluded town, where the rhythm of daily life unfolded like a well-practiced dance, the townsfolk were immersed in their routines. The gentle hum of activity filled the air, blending seamlessly with the soft rustle of leaves and the distant calls of birds.

As people went about their work, a subtle yet undeniable change began to unfold.

"There's something in the sky... a butterfly?" someone exclaimed.

​

Eyes turned skyward, drawn by the unusual crimson butterfly that seemed to give off light. In the azure canvas above, a single crimson butterfly danced with ethereal grace. Its wings, adorned in hues of red that seemed to defy the natural spectrum, cast a mesmerizing glow that painted the surrounding atmosphere with a gentle, luminous sheen.

The townsfolk, their hands momentarily stilled from their tasks. Little did they know, the captivating radiance concealed dreadful magic. The butterfly, seemingly innocent and beautiful, carried with it an unspoken terror.

In the midst of their momentary admiration, the townsfolk remained blissfully unaware of the intricate threads of magic that wove through the crimson wings, casting a spell that danced on the fine line between beauty and hidden trepidation.

They were not the first ones to encounter this unusual butterfly and they also did not know what others who saw this butterfly were experiencing currently.

***

Lilith PoV:

"Hmm, delicious! Yes, mortal fear does taste good. Not as amazing as sugar though…" I whispered while 'tasting' fear of humans infected by my spell.

The spell was starting to show its intended effects, at least on a small scale. It had not been long before the spell was cast so not many people must have been infected. Even if they were, unless they were very mentally fragile the spell should not have had an effect enough to cause someone to breakdown entirely.

But I knew that by this point, the SCP foundation must already be alert and trying to contain this epidemic from spreading. They had many ways to do so as the spell in itself was nothing special. Many other entities could use abilities with similar effects.

It was truly a standard spell for eldritch horrors. Unfortunately, unless they tracked down my insane little cutie and killed it, the spell won't end. Since only non-sapient organisms could become hosts, I could have chosen a single ant and it would have still worked.

The whole idea was that these carriers were easy to kill but hard to find. Now, I know that the SCP foundation might even be able track my cute pet but it will be back in my hands by then. If not, I can keep using this spell on different hosts to annoy them.

Would the spell work if microorganisms were used as hosts? Could I use an actual virus as a carrier for the spell? That way it would be hard to be stopped as they would keep multiplying. And the spell itself would keep transmitting when spoke about their nightmares.

So much to experiment with and try out. If I works, I can include this new and improved micro-version of the spell in my [Lilith's Book of Spells]. I should try it in a different world that has low technological levels and understanding of microbes.

Now, all I had to do was wait for the little cutie's return. It had to be present during my tests as the first host, after all!

***

~Hope you enjoyed reading!~