A sudden, dull, hollow thud reverberated sharply behind me, shattering the silence and sending a jolt of panic through my chest. I spun around abruptly, heart hammering violently in my ribcage, just in time to witness the copper door swinging closed with eerie finality. Before I could react, the surface of the door began to blur slightly, edges becoming indistinct as though viewed through shifting fog.

  “No!” I shouted desperately, voice cracking sharply in fear as the door’s outline slowly faded, dissolving into nothingness right before my wide, disbelieving eyes.

  Terror surged within me, propelling me forward in a frantic scramble. My hands slammed against the wall, fingers clawing desperately at the now seamless surface where the copper door had just been. I pressed my palms hard against the rough concrete, searching desperately for any hint of a seam, crack, or hidden mechanism—anything that could prove the door had been real.

  Breath coming in panicked gasps, I traced wildly along the smooth, cold wall, feeling only the harsh, unyielding texture beneath my fingertips. My fingers trembled uncontrollably as my search grew increasingly frantic, desperation clawing sharply at my throat.

  “Please,” I whispered hoarsely, voice trembling with panic and despair. My vision blurred, tears of fear and frustration welling uncontrollably as reality crashed mercilessly around me. “Please, please be here!”

  But there was nothing—no seams, no hidden doors, no sign at all of the mysterious portal that had vanished completely, trapping me irrevocably in the devastated, crumbling remains of my once familiar city. Before I could fully process the inexplicable disappearance of my only exit, a distant, blood-curdling scream ripped violently through the air, shattering the fragile silence and sending icy tendrils of dread clawing relentlessly up my spine.

  My breath caught painfully in my throat, my chest constricting in terror, suffocating me with sudden panic. The scream was followed immediately by a low, grinding, shuffling sound—unmistakably the noise of something moving slowly, but with relentless determination, across debris-covered pavement.

  I whipped around frantically, eyes wide and unblinking in fear, my heart pounding erratically against my ribs. Emerging from the shadow of a rusted, abandoned vehicle was a grotesque figure, skeletal and hunched, draped in filthy, tattered remnants of cloth that barely concealed its horrifying, decaying frame. Its flesh hung loosely, rotting and peeling away in strips, exposing stark, glistening patches of bone beneath mottled, necrotic skin. One arm dangled grotesquely, nearly severed at the shoulder, attached only by thin, sinewy threads of tissue, swinging limply with each staggered, unnatural step forward. Its head lolled grotesquely to one side, the vertebrae protruding visibly beneath stretched, paper-thin skin. Deep-set eyes, hollowed and sunken into darkened sockets, stared hungrily forward, dimly glowing with an unnatural, feral hunger that fixed unwaveringly upon me.

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  The overwhelming stench hit me then, striking my senses with brutal force—a nauseating, choking blend of rot, decay, and sickeningly sweet corruption, an odor so vile and overpowering that it immediately triggered violent waves of nausea. I gagged involuntarily, my stomach lurching sharply, bile rising acridly at the back of my throat. Instinctively recoiling backward, I stumbled awkwardly, terror surging uncontrollably through every nerve and muscle fiber in my trembling body.

  Sudden movement erupted at the periphery of my blurred vision—additional figures began emerging slowly, deliberately, from shadowed alleys, broken doorways, and behind overturned vehicles. Each was equally horrific, their decomposing forms shambling forward with awkward yet purposeful steps, tattered scraps of clothing fluttering weakly around limbs mottled green and purple with rot. Decaying jaws hung slack, lips missing, revealing jagged, yellowed teeth, some broken, others protruding like grotesque fangs. Their eyes, lifeless yet animated by a terrible, insatiable hunger, bore into me with cold, unyielding intensity.

  Panic exploded violently within me, my heart hammering painfully, adrenaline surging like wildfire through my veins. I spun clumsily and fled down the ruined, rubble-strewn street, feet slipping wildly across shattered pavement, broken glass crunching beneath my useless, impractical dress shoes. My breath came in ragged, wheezing gasps, punctuated by an endless, panicked stream of curses and desperate pleas.

  “Fuck!” I panted frantically, lungs burning, vision blurring with exertion and raw fear. “Fuck this! Fuck these shoes! Stupid fucking useless dress shoes!” My legs burned fiercely, muscles protesting sharply with every panicked, graceless stride. Each breath felt like razors scraping the inside of my throat, and my flabby, out-of-shape body screamed in agony with every forced step.

  “Goddamn it, why didn’t I exercise? Why did I let myself become such a pathetic mess? Fuck!” My feet continually twisted painfully, ankles straining dangerously with each stumbling movement on the uneven, debris-laden ground. Every step felt like dancing precariously on the edge of disaster, heightening my frantic, desperate terror.

  Behind me, the steady, relentless shuffling sound grew louder, more insistent, accompanied by ghastly, groaning noises—inhuman, ravenous, utterly devoid of reason or mercy. I didn’t dare glance backward again; the sight would surely drain my remaining courage and doom me to immediate despair. Pure instinct, raw desperation, and primal fear drove me forward in a blind, heedless sprint through the devastated cityscape.

  The street stretched endlessly ahead, an unending corridor of ruin and desolation, lined with once-proud buildings reduced to hollow, skeletal husks. Their empty windows gazed down impassively, silent witnesses to my futile attempt at escape, offering neither solace nor sanctuary. Shadows deepened around me, whispering unseen threats and hidden horrors, amplifying my terror with every frantic, stumbling step.

  My breathing became shorter, sharper, each gasp agonizingly insufficient, the world around me fading into a chaotic blur as I pushed my failing body beyond its breaking point. Desperation clawed at my chest, and a sickening certainty settled in my gut: if I faltered, even for an instant, those monstrous horrors would be upon me. Just as I felt my strength beginning to give way, a powerful grip suddenly seized my arm, wrenching me violently sideways into the shadowy interior of a nearby building. Darkness swallowed me whole, the world instantly plunging into disorienting dimness as unseen hands pulled me roughly inside, away from the horrors pursuing me.