A cool breeze blew through the window as I was struggling to sleep. A sliver of silver moonlight fell on my eyelids through the gap between the curtains. I was sudenly woken up by a ping from my cellphone. I ignored it and slept through.
Repeated sounds told me that it was something important. But what could have been more than having to sleep at the middle of the night? I got up and unlocked the screen. It was from an unknown number. Who would even want to discuss something at this hour of the night?
I saw the texts:
"Hello, Hellooo!", read one.
"This is me, Captain Gn, at your service!, read another.
"Casey, this is me!"
I replied, "Who even is this? I think you have the wrong number. There's no Casey here."
Even as I was typing, a message popped up. It read, "Hah! Your humour is as good as always Casey!"
I was too tired to talk sense into some random madman at the middle of the night. I did not an to be an insomniac. I was just about to keep it back, this time, mute, but the sender suddenly sent a message. "You dare ignore me, Casey? Talk to me lest you want to face the dire consequences, Casey!"
I opened the cupboard, and kept the cellphone between some old clothes at the back, to muffle the sound.
I went back to my bed, a rigid but comfortable piece of art. The cellphone rang this time, I ignored it. It rang again. I was tired of this and wanted to give this guy a piece of my mind. I went over, opened the cupboard and took it out. The continuous ringing was might have deafened my ears, had I not picked up the call.
A gruff voice talked from the other side. "Hi Casey. This is Gideon. You see, I was just about to go back to being dead after I was done searching for you, but I did not, because I found you! Heee hee, hee he hee!", came a maniacal laugh.
"Are you mad? This is not Casey and I know not of any Gideon, Schmudgeon or whataver your name is! This is really not the time to be pranking people! Do you idiots not have any job at the middle of the night!"
His demeanor changed almost immediately. He started speaking with a more grimacing voice. "You shall die Casey, die within sunrise. Mhmmmmmm!" Then he let out a blooodcurdling laugh, one that sent a shiver down his spine.
I had had enough, I switched the phone off and layed on my bed, thinking about his words. There was just an hour to sunrise. Could his words have been true? How could it, for no one ever returns from the dead, do they?
Just then, I heard the creaking of the metal gates to my home. The ones I had locked before coming inside. I rushed to the window immediately and looked towards the gates. They were flung aside. I looked towards the veranda, where there was the silhoutte of a hooded figure.
I rubbed my eyes and blinked them, but the figure was there no more! I heard a soft knock on my door. I was petrified with fear. The words of the supposed Gideon were coming true. I slowly crept downstairs as the knocking persisted. I looked through the peephole and saw something that terrified me. There was no face that was visible in the hood. Just a green paranormal light emanating softly from inside.
I could have sworn that my heart had skipped a beat. I asked, "Who's there?" The knocking stopped, but there came no reply.
Then, abruptly came the silence. It lasted for what felt like an eternity before I heard the sounds of the backdoor being banged by someone. I quickly went downstairs to the basement and opened a trunk. A trunk covered with spider webs. A trunk that was obviously too old. I opened it and blew of the cobwebs.
It was filled ammo and shotguns. I picked up a pistol and a shotgun. Tested its firepower and came back up upstairs.
Now that I was prepared for attack, I crept lay on the floor and slowly neared the door. The banging had still not stopped. I quickly gathered my courage and asked again, "What do you want?" This time, the same gruff voice on phone replied, "Gathered your wits, did you Casey? Come on, open the door!" I could feel the immense anger and power coursing through his voice. The outburst had certainly scared me.
No longer feeling the courage, I opened the door, accepting my fate. The hooded figure imediately stepped inside. I suddenly felt something cold trickle down from the top of my head. I tried to move, but found my body immobilized. I panicked and tried to let out a scream, but nothing came out of the effort.
The figure removed its hood, revealing...... nothing? There was nothing there, just a faint green light glowing in the dark of the night. Gleams of sunlight fell on me as dawn broke out. Then a voice seemed to come out of nowhere.
"You are brave, Casey, braver than most. Now let us go back on our voyage. Just like old times, just you, me and our crew. The ghost ship is ready. Let us leave for the land of death." I braced myself for the worst, but then the light disappeared and I felt my legs lifting up.
Suddenly, everything around me disappeared. I felt like throwing up, but felt nothing, I looked down, only to see that there was nothing. I too was a light, but not green, blue! Suddenly the darkness parted, a light fell onto a large wooden ship, with the name 'Charon's Ferry' on its hull. It looked like it was almost as large as his house. Made of wood, it was gleaming as if it was brand new.
Suddenly, I felt myself levitating slowly, up towards the deck. As soon as I was on it, I felt the ship rising.
We were back somewhere. I could still feel a cool breeze blowing. I was on the crow's nest. There was a black river raging below, its waters flapping hard against the strong wood. There was a jovial mood onboard. I could hear some crewmates murmuring below.
I could not withstand the sudden change of circumstances and felt broken. I decided that jumping into the unknown waters was a better decision than going to some unknown land with crude barbarians on an unknown ship.
I steadied myself and jumped with all my force. I landed face first into the water. Strangely, I felt no pain. I slowly drowned to its depths. Then, I felt my legs landing on the floor of some rooms. Rooms that looked strangely like the ones I had seenon the Internet: the Backrooms.
I decided that I could not give up now, I had to find some way back home. I decided that I would not back off. This was a new beginning that I was ready to face.
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