By Scott Bowers
The small town of Oakridge had always been a quiet, unassuming place. Nestled amidst rolling hills and surrounded by dense woods, it seemed untouched by the bustling chaos of the modern world. Children played in the streets, their laughter mingling with the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind. But beneath the serene facade of this picturesque town, something ancient and malevolent lurked.
Young Tommy Thompson, a curious and adventurous lad of twelve, was the first to discover the hidden secret that Oakridge held. One fateful afternoon, while exploring the depths of the Fairfall forest, he stumbled upon a crumbling stone archway obscured by ivy and moss. Intrigued by its mysterious aura, Tommy couldn’t resist the temptation to venture closer.
As he approached the archway, a chill ran down his spine, and a sense of foreboding overcame him. Unbeknownst to Tommy, this archway was a portal to a realm beyond human comprehension, a dimension teeming with unimaginable horrors. Ignorant of the impending doom that awaited him, he reached out a trembling hand and touched the ancient stones.
A surge of energy coursed through Tommy’s body, and the archway crackled with supernatural power. With a thunderous boom, the gateway swung open, revealing a world bathed in perpetual darkness. The sky above was an inky void, devoid of stars and moon, while the air reeked of an indescribable stench that clung to his nostrils like a malignant fog.
Tommy’s heart raced as he cautiously stepped through the threshold, his mind consumed with equal parts curiosity and fear. The landscape that unfolded before him was a nightmare incarnate.
The ground was a shifting mass of pulsating flesh, interlaced with veins that writhed and pulsed like living tendrils. The very air he breathed seemed tainted, carrying an eerie whisper that burrowed deep into his psyche.
As Tommy made his way through this grotesque terrain, he soon encountered the creatures that inhabited this world. Grotesque and disfigured, they lumbered toward him on malformed limbs, their eyes bulging and mouths twisted into grotesque smiles. Their presence sent a wave of revulsion through his being, and he knew he had trespassed upon a realm where no human should tread.
Tommy’s heart hammered in his chest, but he pressed on, fueled by a desperate need to escape this living nightmare. The heavens above rumbled with an otherworldly thunder, and dark clouds swirled ominously, blotting out what little light remained. Acid rain began to fall, searing his skin and corroding the twisted landscape around him.
He ran, his legs pumping in a frantic rhythm, desperate to find a way back to the sanctuary of Oakridge. The creatures pursued him with unearthly speed, their shrill cries echoing through the desolate realm. Their clawed hands brushed against his back, leaving trails of searing pain in their wake. But Tommy refused to yield to the encroaching darkness.
Just as despair threatened to consume him, he caught sight of the archway through the veil of acid rain. With a final surge of strength, he sprinted toward it, his body aching and his lungs burning. The creatures lunged, their twisted forms stretching grotesquely, but Tommy leaped through the portal just as it began to close.
He stumbled out onto the familiar forest floor, gasping for breath and drenched in acid rain. The archway sealed shut behind him, cutting off the nightmarish realm from his world once more. Tommy collapsed to his knees, his body trembling with exhaustion and relief. He had survived the horrors of that otherworldly dimension, but the scars etched upon his soul would never fade.
From that day forward, Tommy kept his harrowing encounter a secret, understanding that the price of knowledge could be too great to bear. The small town of Oakridge continued its tranquil existence, unaware of the darkness that lurked just beyond its borders. But Tommy knew the truth, and in the dead of night, he would lie awake, haunted by the memory of the hostile disfigured creatures and the acidic storm that threatened to devour his very being.
Bio: Scott Bowers is a film student residing in Las Vegas, NV. Aside from maintaining a hardened love for all things horror since early adolescence, Scott’s interests include filmmaking, reading, and writing. In regards to Scott’s work, his mission whether it pertains to the written word or a visual medium, is to entertain and prey upon people’s emotions in the most sincerest ways imaginable.
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Hiya Scott, just wondering, is the title a typo? Descent into …
Yes, thank you for the catch. It’s corrected.