Creatures from Hell

The alarm clock tore you from the embrace of the girl of your dreams—the one who was perfect for you, the one who would never be. You reluctantly got out of bed. It was the weekend, after all, and you didn't want to get up early, but there was a reason: the train to Ryazan to see your parents. Your things had been ready the night before; today, all that remained was to check that you had everything.

You went to the train station. It was approaching evening, the sun was already setting below the horizon, taking with it the last traces of light. The journey to Ryazan was expected to take more than two days. At one of the stops, the ticket inspector woke you and said, "You can't fall asleep." You dismissed it, but you should have listened.

You fell asleep and felt the train begin to change: the bunks of the reserved seat carriage were aging, falling away, as if they were a hundred years old. Something stood at the other end of the carriage, rapidly closing the distance. You ran out into the vestibule and closed the door just in time. The monster's face smashed into the glass door.

Thus began your journey through a parallel world. It turned out that monsters attack sleeping people—you learned this from an old man who had been taken by these devils. Dehydration was debilitating, and you kept walking until you lost consciousness. When you came to, you realized you were in some strange village. The houses and fences were made of bones and clay. The creature that had dragged you here took your hand in exchange for freedom from this world and showed you the way to a cave where you should sleep, but warned that the entities there might not obey him.

third-person narrative