The stairs…. It's gone. The stairway got submerged under the water except for a few steps, which were also slowly drowning into the water.
Seriously, what is happening here? Isn't this the 17th floor? Why? Why the water level is still rising?
Strangely, the apartment seems to be abandoned. I could barely see, with the help of the moonlight, faintly glowing inside the apartment through the large bay window at the end of the hallway. The shimmering moonlight tempted me to move towards the window to catch a peek outside. I pushed my face against the glass window in disbelief, unable to process what I saw just now. The distorted image of the full moon glimmered in the rough waters, just about eight feet beneath me, outside the apartment building.
I don't get it, I mean, how is this possible? There is nothing but a sea of water out there. Right now, all I could think is that I need to climb up to higher ground.
I ran along the hallway, doors of the flats on either side of me. Each flat above their doors read the sequence numbers 17-E, 17-G and so. Water splashed under my feet as the flood water started to flow onto the aisle.
I have no time! It's only a matter of few minutes this floor will also be soon drowned under the flood. The sound of my wet footwear overwhelmed the water waves in the lonely apartment as I climbed up to the terrace.
The city was almost sunk under the flood. A palace in the midst of the city, half sunken under the flood was one among the few tall structures which stood above the flood. A mountain stood in the west direction. I went around the terrace towards the mountain, as I noticed that its peak seems to be capped in snow, I am not sure of it. I couldn't say what it is clearly, with the luminance of the moonlight. As soon as the shock left the mind, my body trembled as the depth of the critical situation kicked in. I got chills in the back of my neck and I could feel the fear through my spine. The view of the submerged city in the middle of an endless sea zoomed in and out as my heart beat faster, running like a goods carriage train.
Is this what they call an anxiety attack?
A shadow appeared out of nowhere, beside my feet. My heartbeat froze for a second and I left out a little scream in fear when I turned back and found a man standing in the terrace. He wore a sandal shade trench coat and a shining golden metal mask entirely covering his face like a helmet. The mask is just a polished metal face surface, except for the two tiny eye holes.
The presence of the stranger, his weird and scary Halloween costume and him standing amidst the drowning city was menacing. He started to move towards me. It has been past 10 minutes since I questioned my sanity to myself and surrendered my body to my instincts and move along with it. I couldn't explain the feeling of his presence. It was like he has the scent of death around him. All I know is that, anyone who approaches him will face certain death. I instinctively ran away from him and went down back into the apartment.
I don't know what I am doing right now. The masked man doesn't even have a weapon with him that makes him a threatening person. But his menacing presence is itself a threat. I climbed up to nearly 7-8 floors from down there, but now I am going down below again. That masked freak up in the terrace and the water level which now rose up to the 3 more floors, I got myself stuck in a two-way deadlock.
The danger instinct my sub conscious mind indicating me right now is code red, difficulty level - super hard. I don't want to admit it myself, but I think my survival chances are zero. He might be a grim reaper who came here to collect my soul or some being worse than it.
By the time I am convincing myself that it is the right decision, running away from the masked freak, while hiding inside a random flat, three floors down from the terrace, the water level rose up to my ankle.
I sat crouching behind the room door, which was the farthest from the hallway. I still have some hope left, avoid the masked freak and get back to the terrace before this floor drowns. Who knows, may be reaching the terrace might not be enough, but still it's better than staying here and getting myself drowned. The view of the dark room started to zoom in and out and my heart beat rapidly increased upon hearing the door creaking and the sound of the footsteps which grew closer and closer.
It is not easy to run away now, as the water level rose up above my knees. The window seems like a better idea. I never knew what kind of person I was before, either the one who wishes to die in the burning skyscraper suffering or the one who jumps from the top and ends his life instead of dying inside the burning skyscraper. But now, I know what kind of person I am.
Stand my ground against the creepy masked freak, no I am going to bail. No, I don't want to face that freak, when the whole atmosphere whispers to me to run away from him.
The strong currents of the water pulled me away as I slid open the window and jumped into the sea. The image of the golden masked man inside the room appeared vaguely as I struggled to swim against the sea currents. I tried hard to keep my head above the water, but all I see now is a void of darkness under the sea.