Mess.

Dump.

Hellhole.

Those words did not do justice. The room was a catastrophic disaster of epic proportions. It was the thing that nightmares were made out of. A sour stench of vomit and mildew contaminated the air inside. The overwhelming stink curdled my stomach. It was like the underside of a ratty bathroom mat and homeless silhouettes. Suppressing my gag reflexes, I looked around. In the dim light, the walls were a violent shade of bruises. Papers were strewn about and the furniture was either broken or knocked over. I was in the deepest pit of Tartarus.

Darkness exists in not only the physical world, but also the human psyche.

It bled like a toxic ink onto humanity’s path written on parchment. My common sense shrieked at me to flee and call for the police. I still had to find the source of the horrendous smell. My weak knees buckled underneath my weight and fear. They were going to give away.

She was lovely; the sweet girl who lived in this apartment. Usually, it smelled like her. Usually, it smelled like ginger cookies. This was completely different. Shimmering glass shards from a flower vase littered the floor. The frilly cream curtains were shredded and stained with venomous shades of crimson. Allison’s home had become a twisted dimension.

It reeked of death and sadness…