It was just another normal Friday, and Saif was just chilling in his hotel room with his two siblings on his phone. Suddenly, his mum walks into the room and tells them, "Everyone, get ready because we are going out. Okay sweeties." They all obliged and said okay to their mum, but before she could leave Saif asked, "Alright. But hey, where are we going?" His mum without skipping a beat tells him, "Oh, just this new place that opened up. It's going to be fun, trust me." She continued, "Alright now, get ready okay sweeties." She closed the door behind her.
Saif felt something was off, and when he looked at his siblings to see their opinions on the vague answer, he found them looking at him then looking away quickly. It was all peculiar, but he shrugged it off quickly and got up to get ready. He didn't really care where they were going, as either way, he was going to go there and find out either way, so it was all fine to him as per usual. After they all got ready they got into a taxi to head to the place. Saif as usual always put on his earbuds and zoned out in any car ride and started to day dream while looking out of the window. Flashes of a time long gone went through his head, but he quickly suppressed the bad memories. It was a time he didn't like to remember.
As time went on, Saif suddenly found that the taxi was stopping, and it felt like time flew by, but it was the usual whenever he wore his earbuds. As they all exited the taxi, the place around him felt eerily familiar. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. The parking lot was full though, and the place looked like it was filled with people, unlike 'That' place, so he felt more safe. But he wouldn't put the possibility that it was 'They' that made this fake scene so he would feel safe out of the question. But, it all felt real. How people were just being normal. Not near a death trap. Or maybe they just don't know? No, it can't be 'Their doing, as at the end of the day, they can't force him to do it all again, as it was never that simple now was it. His breathing slowed down and he started to get calm again. But still, the sound of the rustling trees still felt too familiar to ignore. As they walked closer and closer to the entrance the place got clearer, but nothing he recognised all too well. As they finally entered, he took the first step inside, and when his right foot landed on the ground, flashes of him taking that same step years ago went right before his eyes.
His eyes shock for that moment, and he looked around him in a panic and thought, ' "There were too many people, and there was no way my family would get me back here. Right?" Each step he takes is the same one he took all those years ago. And with each one, another horrible memory resurfaces. But he still held hope, and trust in his family that they wouldn't get him back to that place again. Not after everything. But when he looked at them, he found that they were side-eyeing him and then quickly looked away when they saw him looking.
That alone shock Saif to his core. Yet he still held hope and trust. There was no way they brought him back here again. Right? There was no way! They knew what happened, and they did so much to get me back, so there was no way they would bring me back here! Right?! Yet, the nail in the coffin was when he heard that satanic voice again, and saw that smile that he wished he could rip off his face.
"Greatings mister Saif's family, and welcome to-..." He couldn't continue what he was saying as Saif immediately lunged at him, but his father and brother, like they were expecting this reaction quickly held him back and stopped him when Saif's fist was a few centimeters from his face, yet this person didn't even flint, nor did his smile falter.
"Saif! You need to calm down!" His dad yelled and his brother then continued, "Saif, this isn't what you think it is!" But Saif wasn't listening to them, and was trying his best to break free from their grasps without hurting them so that he could kill the person they were standing in front of.
The person then says, "Don't worry, this was an expected outcome. That was the reason why we made entering here for you-..." Saif was finally able to break free from their grasps and was able to land a solid punch right to his face. Body guards who seemed to come out of nowhere appeared and restrained Saif, and held him to his knees. Saif looked up at him. His smile never left his face, even as his nose and mouth bleed. Which just made him want to rip it off his face even more.
"You are still as determined as ever mister Saif. But don't worry, I didn't expect anything less from you." The person ominously said as Saif kept struggling. "Please mister Saif, stop this foolish act and let us cooperate like we use to." He said it so calmly that it made Saif's blood boil.
"I NEVER COOPERATED WITH WHAT YOU DID! YOU MONSTER! MONSTEEEEER!!!" Saif screamed out, as a fraction of the hate inside of him towards that man erupted. And the man didn't even reply back to that. He just pointed towards Saif's family with that smile, and when Saif looked, he found that his family looked horrified. He was worrying them. He slowly calmed down as his muscles started to relieve the tension. When the blood stopped ringing in his ears, he found that things were really quiet, and when he looked around, he found that everyone was looking at them, as he made a scene.
What effected Saif wasn't that people were watching him, but how they looked at him. They looked at him like he was the crazy one. Like they weren't near a hell hole that he thought will never be opened again. And the demon that stood there couldn't be human. His mother, while crying, couldn't handle it anymore and finally ran to him. She embraced him while he was still held by the body guards and kept apologising. His entire family soon followed and kept apologising and telling him that they needed to do this, and this was for the better.
Not understanding at all, he just stays silent, feeling horrible that he made them so worried. His mother, through tears then said, "I am so sorry honey! Please forgive me! Please! I just couldn't continue watching you every single day waking up screaming again. I just couldn't. Seeing you so lifeless all the time killed me inside!" Saif now understood why he was here and replied, and he tried his best to be as considerate and gently as possible, "So you brought me here and listen to him? Trust me, that man only speaks in lies. Anything he says should never be trusted under any circumstances. Anything he told you that would fix me was a lie!"
His mother didn't stop weeping, but it got heavier after that reply. His father, while trying everything in his power to fall apart answered, "Son, it wasn't him that told us to bring you here. It was Isaac. Last time he visited, he told us to bring you here as that was the therapy you needed." Saif was shocked by these new revelations. He couldn't believe Isaac would come back here. After everything that happened. Not only that, but he would also recommend that he should try this too. His father continues, "He said it was the exposure therapy he needed, and didn't you notice he was also getting better? More brighter nowadays?"
Saif couldn't believe it. Isaac was so affried of this place just like everyone else, maybe even more than him, and he still went through with this. His mum then quickly adds, "And it's not just him, it was also John, Oliver, Ethon, Emma, Victoria, Levi, Sally and and… Ah-ah. Oh God who else! OH! And also Leo." Saif's eyes widened in a way not thought possible. They all came back?! He couldn't understand how any of them would ever willingly come back here! Levi used to violently panic just by the mention of this place in the past would always get an asma attack, and she was getting better by entering it?! There was no way!
"There was no way any of that was true! He faked it! He faked all of it! There is no way that they would have come back!!" Saif lets out, trying to hold on to his remaining sanity as he believed that there was no way that they did come back. Not after everything that happened. Not after all those horrors they faced! Then he heard some footsteps from the distance, footsteps of someone who didn't have shoes on. Familiar footsteps that immediately always took his full attention. He looked to the direction of the noise and saw something white just turning a corner and disappearing. All he could think about and say to himself, "Another hallucination." He then heard a familiar voice speak. He looked to the direction of the voice and found that Ethon was also here.