The Black Room

                Grog lifts from my head as I open my eyes to the stark darkness of the room. Confused, I look around at the barren place. I have no idea how large the room is, but I’m sitting in a chair, slumped over from my slumber. Above me is a singular light bulb hanging from its wire, filling a small area of the darkness with incredibly dim light. The bulb hums in a way that tells me it’ll soon see the end of its lifespan. I sit up and groan, cracking my neck, trying to remember exactly where I am. Last I remember, I was out on a late night walk. Nothing comes to mind after that. I don’t even remember going home.

I stand and move toward the edge of the light, stopping short of the darkness. My stomach feels uneasy. It feels almost as though something is in the dark, waiting for me. I try to shout, just to get a feel for the room. The sound is empty as it leaves my mouth; nothing to stop the sound, nothing to echo it back. I shake my head, trying to assuage my discomfort. Only kids fear the dark. It doesn’t work -something about this darkness chills my nerves. I sit back in the chair, folding over, head in hands, trying to think of what to do.

Next comes a noise which I barely even notice as first. It grows louder with each iteration. A growl, deep and guttural. Like a bear that’s been badly injured. Now I’m terrified. I freeze and stare into the darkness, scanning for anything, but the inky blackness is impenetrable. My breath is caught in my throat, and after a few seconds I think whatever made the sound must be gone. Then the growl comes again, from a different place.

I sit to feel some kind of comfort. The growl happens at random intervals and seems to be circling me. I grip the chair and let out a scream in the desperate hope that someone, anyone will hear me. That I’ll be saved. The growl comes closer, off to my left, and for a second I hear what sounds like metal scraping against cement.

I can feel it in my chest now, that heavy feeling. Like I can’t breathe right. My breath quickens and I can feel tears coming on. I try to scream louder. My voice quickly begins to hoarsen. In the middle of these screams I hear another sound to the right of my head. Like a tree cracking apart. I yelp and jump, startled, and the thing in the dark growls louder. The new sound comes again and the light goes out, darkness taking me. I hear nothing aside from my labored breathing.

Everything is dark. I look down and can barely see my shirt. I don’t hear the growling anymore, but it feels like something is around me. I close my eyes and count down from ten attempting to calm myself and begin to realize, even with the thump of my heart in my ears, that the breathing I hear isn’t my own.

  “Police and fire departments across the United States are currently reporting incredibly high call volumes, preventing most people from access to assistance. We have received reports of strange Black Cubes popping up in various states across the U.S. Rescue teams have been dispatched to these locations to investigate, with little results to speak of so far. The cubes stand six feet tall and four feet wide and seem to be made of a strong glass-like material.

“One witness reported hearing screams seeming to come from the inside of one cube in Manhattan, New York. A rescue team arrived shortly after and attempted to breach the perimeter of the cube. Upon opening the cube, responders discovered the body of thirty-four-year-old Jonathan Camden inside, collapsed and lifeless. Cause of death is unknown as of yet, but the discovery has led other teams to begin attempting to rescue other possible civilians trapped inside.

“No information is known on the cubes, leaving many to wonder where they came from and what their purpose is. Officials have given strict curfew orders to prevent any further occurrences. From what we know, the cubes have only shown up in outdoor public spaces, leading lead investigators to believe that they may not appear inside the home. We will continue to report on this phenomenon as we learn more. Until then, we advise staying inside and staying safe.”