The White Pill

Orion wakes up in an unknown place where nothing makes sense and everything's against him.

Chapter 1
"Dreamy Garden"
“Where… where am I?”

The boy observed his surroundings.

A dreamy-looking garden with a few roses scattered around. It seemed he had fallen from somewhere, and the flowers cushioned his fall. The garden looked vast, with only green grass stretching for miles.

“This flower… smells good,” the boy observed, noting a nearby rose with a good—but familiar—scent. Oddly, it also contained a note: “Hello, Orion.”

“My name… is Orion?” he speculated, as he continued to take in the beauty of the green garden—

What.

The beautiful garden had suddenly turned into a black void.

Orion looked at his hand; the rose he was holding… had vanished. He felt compelled to explore this vast black void that was once a garden.

He walked for about 20 minutes—

Huh?

How did he know the time? Why was there a note with his name? Why didn’t he know his own name? How could he read if he didn’t remember being taught? None of this made sense. Orion’s breathing quickened as fear crept in.

There was something following him.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Orion collapsed.



“Hey.”

“…”

“HEY!”

“…”

“HEY! WAKE UP!”

An unfamiliar voice called to Orion. A girl was ordering him to wake up, waiting for some response.

“Yes?” Orion mumbled, still drowsy.

“I’ve been trying to wake you up for the past two hours! What happened?” she asked, concerned.

“I… I don’t know,” Orion replied.

“What do you mean you don’t know? You barged into my house screaming for help!” the girl complained.

Now that she mentioned it, he took in his surroundings. It was a medium-sized house, and it seemed they were alone. The last thing he remembered was screaming, though he didn’t know why. Embarrassed, his instincts told him to apologize.

“I’m sorry, I… I don’t remember why I came in here. I don’t even remember coming in here. But I apologize anyway. I’ll leave now—sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Wait,” the girl stopped him. “So, you barged into my house uninvited, can’t remember why, and you’re just going to leave without figuring anything out? You need help!”

“Y-Yes… I’ve noticed that,” Orion admitted, looking down.

“Fine… What’s your name? Mine’s Mae,” she asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

“My name is, uh… Orion… Or at least, I think it is,” Orion replied hesitantly.

“You don’t even know your own name? How did you end up like this?”

Mae thought to herself for a second. She could easily send him on his way, but it seemed he was in a dire situation. Against her better judgment, she decided to help him.

“Alright, Orion… I’ll help you figure out who you are and where you came from—on one condition,” Mae proposed.

“And that is…?”

“You have to give me something in return!” Mae replied enthusiastically.

“…Like what?” Orion asked, confused.

“That’s for you to figure out, but it has to be something good!”

Orion was scared and curious about himself, and the idea of someone actually helping him was incredibly promising. He had to agree and could worry about the "something in return" later on.

“Alright, it’s a deal,” Orion agreed.

“Come on, then!”

Mae led him upstairs. Her house was small, so it wouldn’t be difficult to navigate—

Woah.

Why was the second floor so… big? It was like a grain of salt compared to a giant building; this was outrageous! Mae seemed completely unfazed, as if this were normal.

“Is your house some sort of giant T-shape?” Orion asked.

“I don’t know, actually. Why are you asking?” Mae replied.

“Because your second floor is HUGE! It’s so much bigger than the first floor, and you don’t seem bothered by it at all!” Orion said, his curiosity nearly overwhelming him.

“I seriously don’t know… I’ve never left my house,” Mae said.

“Huh—”

“Oh, would you look at that! We found the room we were looking for!” Mae interrupted.

Orion looked up to see a massive library filled with rows and rows of books. The library had deep red walls, white floors, red carpets, and the softest hint of classical music in the background. It felt cozy, yet the overwhelming number of books was eerie.

“Now, we begin our search,” Mae said.

“Search for… what?” Orion asked.

“No idea, just start looking. There are ladders if you need them,” Mae replied.

The books varied from sci-fi to nonfiction to documentaries… But nothing caught his eye. There was one book, The White Pill, with an unnerving aura, but it was just an overly detailed description of a pain-relieving medicine.

Meanwhile, Mae found something interesting: Forgetfulness in the Dark, Part 1, which seemed eerily similar to Orion’s situation.

“Hey, Orion, I think I found something,” Mae said, tossing the book to him.

“Ow… Alright…”

Mae sat down next to him as Orion read. When he finished, he summarized it for her.

Forgetfulness. It could be caused by brain damage… trauma… injury… or something else. But something strange had begun to happen to a specific group of people. They started forgetting that they were even forgetting. They’d wake up in a grassy field with a red rose before disappearing. The author, Ames, claimed to be the only survivor, as eventually, everyone else completely lost themselves.

“That’s the gist of it,” Orion said.

“Not sure if this helps us…” Mae pondered. “Wait, isn’t this part one?”

“Oh yeah,” Orion said, realizing. “You think part two could tell us more?”

“Probably… But I don’t think it’s here.”

“Is there another library around here?” Orion asked.

“Oh! Yes, Orion, you’re a genius! There’s one next block!” Mae replied.

Orion smiled, then hesitated… Hadn’t Mae said she’d never left her house?

“Wait. How do you know there’s a library nearby if you’ve never been outside?” Orion asked.

“Wait… You’re right. This… doesn’t make any sense!”

“No, there’s more to this than just forgetfulness. Something is tricking us. And I don’t think the answers are in these books,” Orion speculated.

“What do you mean? Okay, you’re scaring me,” Mae said, concerned.

“I think I’ve figured it out,” Orion said, coldly.

“Huh?”

“All of this… everything I’ve done, following you… none of it is real.”



A series of distorted characters flashed: †hê wðrlÐ glhêd, lø§ïñg  ïÐêñ†ï†¥...

Orion found himself in the endless garden once again.

“…Huh?” Orion wondered. “Why am I here again? Where did Mae go?”

In front of him stood a terrifying, gooey black creature, blocking the scenery behind it.

Orion tried calling to it.

No answer.

He called again.

Still no answer.

“Why won’t you answer me? Why are you staring at me like that?” Orion shouted, rushing toward the creature to provoke it.

But instead of responding, he suddenly woke up in Mae’s house once more.

“Hey.”

“…”

“HEY!”

“…”

“HEY! WAKE UP!”

“…Huh? Mae?” Orion asked, confused.

“How do you know my name? Are you a stalker?” Mae asked suspiciously.



Mae didn’t remember him? This felt like losing in a video game and returning to the start screen. He was in the same situation as before, with Mae again talking about the library and “something in return.” It was eerily familiar, and yet…

“Oh, by the way, how do you know my name?” Mae asked.

He was taken aback. Should he just tell her everything? Somehow, it felt like a bad idea.

“That was just a fluke…” he said.

“A fluke? Alright, if you say so,” she replied.



After the "Library experience" and reading Ames’s book once again, Orion found himself in the same scenario.

“Oh! Yes, Orion, you’re a genius! There’s a library next block!” Mae repeated.

This time, Orion decided to just go along with it, even though none of it made sense.

“Yes, I’m a genius… Let’s go to that library,” he said sarcastically.

“Oh, are you mocking me?” Mae asked, sternly.

“No, really—”

“Even though I offered to help you, this is how you repay me?” Mae interrupted. “Get out.”

She kicked him out of here house, and Orion did not utter a word.



Chapter 2
”Wrapping”
“What to do now?” Orion asked himself.

Orion looked at the scenery in front of him. It was night time, and there were no people on the street, so it was probably past midnight. Other than a few light poles here and there, it was utterly soundless. The sky was pitch black, a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶h̶y̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶m̶o̶o̶n̶? There were a few more houses that looked very similar to Mae’s house, only opposed by the fact that they all have slightly different colours.

“I should probably go to that Library.” Orion thought.

The walk to the Library was creepy. It almost felt like there was something guiding Orion, seen by the fact that Orion’s legs were moving ON THEIR OWN. He didn’t even know these houses exist, let alone where the libraries are. Nevertheless, Orion learned that questioning reality here is dangerous. He’s not going to try that again.

At some point, Orion found the new Library.

It was the only source of light that wasn’t a light pole. Yellow-ish light was emitting from the Library, even though it was empty. “Librarby” was written incorrectly on the building’s board, however. Orion chuckled for some reason.

“This still makes no sense…” Orion thought, while being careful not to question it too much.

As Orion entered the Library, he was surprised of how different it looks compared to Mae’s library. Never did he ever think a public Library would be smaller than in indoor Library…

“Nothing here makes sense!” Orion said loudly, as his voice echoed throughout the Library. Orion gasped, as he thought he might have to repeat the entire the entire thing all over again just for questioning his reality…

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Instead, he saw another human! It looked a typical Library keeper.

“Ello.” The library keeper said in a weird accent.

“Oh, hello! Um, are you the library keeper?” Orion replied back, trying to ignore the fact that he was panicking a literal second ago.

“Needcha help?” The library keeper said.

“What?”

“Needcha help?”

How is this understandable? What, does he think he’s from Texas-

Eh?

What is Texas? Why did that thought hop into his mind the moment somebody used an irregular accent? What is Texas- where is Texas… Why is he like this? There’s something wrong. Really wrong. He has to figure it out, and before he figures what’s going on in front of him… He has to figure out what happens inside of him first.

Maybe start with trying to understand the library keeper.

“Uh… Do you know a place where can I read about physiological stuff? You know, existential dread, sci-fi… Are there books about that here?” Orion asked the keeper.

"Yeah, sure thing. Just go steady, an' watch yer step so ye don’t slip on anythin’." The keeper replied, ” Anyway, have a name kiddo?”

“Yes, uh…Orion…” Orion told the keeper his name, even though he barely understood what he said, “And may I know your name?”

“Nah, just focus on whatcha doing. Me name don matter.”

“Okay…”

Okay, so the library keeper told him to go steady straight (probably), so the stuff he should be reading is probably here-

*slips on a wet towel*

…

…

…

Ignoring that… The books seem to fit the theme of “psychological”, so he’s probably at the right place.

“Let’s see… The Bell Jar… The Shining… The Yellow Wallpaper… Aha! Forgetfulness in the dark, Part 2. That’s the one!” Orion thought.

Orion started reading. The book had ominous glow- its pages are very carton-like, but only in texture. The papers are actually not that thick- but they’re durable enough to withstand a weak scissor. And its scent…

It smelled familiar. Very familiar.

“This smells… exactly like the rose I held in the empty garden.”

This is crazy. Orion lost focus of the book at began overthinking everything. He was lost in endless thoughts, even forgetting that the book is actually in his hand. In the end, his mind came into many, many conclusions… But one thing stood clearer than others.

"Why is somebody narrating my thoughts?” was Orion’s last thought before he heard a loud, screeching thud and everything went to black once again.

“No… Not again!” Orion told himself.

He was back once again in a black, endless garden with a black creature staring right back at him, just like last time-

“Stop narrating me!” Orion said. “Now, what do you want from me, black goo?”

The creature stared back at him. Not uttering a word.

“Why aren’t answering me? What do you want? Why am I here? Do you have anything to do with all of what’s happening? I don’t even understand myself anymore!"

Hopeless. All felt hopeless. There was no use, he was just going to repeat the same thing over and over again, so why bother? Orion sat down, completely emotionless, as he began staring at the nothingness in front of him. He had the exact same gaze as the black creature. Both breathing, but not “living”.

After a while, Orion felt a strange feeling in his foot, but he didn’t care. Maybe it’s better to just die, rather than living through this torture. The black creature was still motionless, staring at him, but its eyes has gathered a red-ish color.

After a longer while, the “strange feeling” has reached his thighs. The feeling became clearer, it almost felt like a metal box covering something… But he didn’t even bother looking at it. Maybe it will just consume him, who knows.

After an even longer while, the “wrap” was tighter… and hotter. Scorching heat. It felt like boiling- no, it SMELLED like boiling. The wrap has reached his chest, and it’s slowly overcoming him. This would’ve been painful in any other situation, but right now, his brain is completely empty.

The “wrap” began rapidly covering his face until… it all stopped. The black gooey creature has revealed a bright, yellow light from its center.

Orion has been especially uninterested in anything happening around him, not that there is… But this was different. From the yellow light, a person appeared.

She looked exactly like Mae.

Maybe a bit different… She almost seemed older… But no, this is definitely her! Orion wanted to move, but the wrap disabled him from doing so. He could only hear and see, even his mouth was covered. She had a disappointed look on her face.

“No, you don’t deserve this death.” She said.

Orion felt a sudden jolt, maybe from happiness, curiosity, or something else-

“This is not the way you should die. You deserve worse.” She said.

“…What? I… deserve death? I deserve death that’s even worse than this?

These thoughts circled around Orion’s brain. And for some reason, they seemed jarringly powerful from Mae. It’s like he didn’t want to hear these words from her, but he know that they’d come. Still, this hurt so bad… So bad…

A sudden jolt, and… he’s back. In the exact place he was before, in the library sitting on a chair with a book on his hand. But something’s different...