The Omniscrolls

  I woke up soaked in sweat even though the AC was cranked up and rain descended aloud. It was a stormy night like this that took my parents away from me: murderers robbed them of their lives and made me an orphan at the age of 6. Since then, sleep had always abandoned me on stormy nights. Sixteen years had passed since that day, and I still woke up trembling on days like that. The nightmares didn’t help either; I still remembered it like it was yesterday. It was a stormy night, and my dad was tucking me in when we heard my mother’s screams that were followed by gunshots. My father covered my mouth to stop me from making any noise. He looked at me with fear in his eyes—something I had never seen before. “Nat, you need to hide in the closet, behind all the clothes, and not make a noise until I come for you.” “No, daddy, I want to be with you,” I said, holding on to him tight. “You need to be brave for me,” he said, pushing me inside the closet and locking it. Daddy put the key in hi...

Trigger Warning: Discussions about suicide. I was alone in my room when the voices began again. I couldn’t make out where they were coming from, but I knew someone was there. They were just invisible. “Who’s there? Stop whispering in my ear!” I must’ve yelled too loud, because my mom stepped into my room not two seconds later. “Lea, did you forget your medicine?” “I know I’m not just hearing things, mom. Someone’s really here.” “Lea, this is normal with your condition, but you need to take your medicine to get better.” “I already took them, mom!” “Maybe we need to see your therapist again. I’ll make an appointment for tomorrow.” My hands began to shake; I couldn’t listen to her anymore. “Whatever,” I said, turning around and facing the wall. “You know I’m only looking out for you, right, hon?” “I know … I just wish you’d believe me for once.” Mom sighed and left the room. Both she and my therapist thought that losing dad was the reason behind the voices. Only three months had passed s...

  “I am going to an excavation in Egypt tomorrow.” “Again? But you just got back.” “This is important, Clyde. It cannot wait.” I packed my bags immediately and left the next morning with my colleague Harry. It was to examine an unknown sarcophagus that had just been discovered in an underground cave system. The unearthing process was still underway when we arrived there, and not long after, tremors coursed through the ground below us. They lasted for maybe ten seconds, but they were strong enough to scare Harry. Hours passed as the work went on; we decided to take a nap in our tent as evening approached. I told the workers to let us know if we were needed. Not long after, I woke up to tremors yet again. However, I found that Harry’s bed was empty. I got off my bed at once and stepped outside. The workers were frantic. I asked them what was going on and they said that some of the staff had gone missing without a trace. They said the police were on their way as well. The workers beli...

  It was the first day at my new house. I was tired after all the unpacking, so I decided to go to bed early. Later, I was woken up by a tapping sound. I switched the light on and checked the time: it was 3:00 a.m. “Who could it be at this time?” I opened the door to find no one outside. I went back to bed wondering if it was just a dream, but as I was drifting back to sleep, it was there again. As  I sat up, the sound continued, but this time, I noticed where the sound was coming from. It wasn’t from outside—it was from inside the closet. I armed myself with a baseball bat and opened the closet slowly, but there was nothing inside. I pushed my clothes aside, but then I noticed a door handle that wasn’t there before. Not sure what to expect, I turned the handle. Beyond it, was a barren land. “What the hell is going on?” I pinched myself to see if I was sleeping, but no, I was already awake. I went back into my room and closed the door. I took a couple of deep breaths and opene...