theoddclown

[theoddclown]

“We have to go sis.”

Final Part

WC: 1.2k of 7.9k

AN: This is the final part of the story. If you got this far, thank you for taking the time to read this eerie tale and stick around <3

Story:

When a curious and credulous teenager convinces her twin brother to travel to the alleged "Liminal Spaces," they get what they wished for and must find their way home, having nothing but themselves.

Will they make it home? Or will they become what they're running from?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her final scream cuts short and he stumbles to the floor. He snaps his attention to the wall, eyes wide, but Harper isn't there.

Well...only a bit.

Harley drops his eyes to his lap, shrieking when he sees Harper's hand still holding his, her blood running down his hand.

"NO! HARPER NO!" He scurries to the wall, dropping her hand and pushing against the wall. He slams himself into the wall over and over again, desperately trying to phase through it, but it never happens.

When Harley falls to the ground for the eighth time, he lands by Harper's severed hand. He looks at it, his eyes watering. Grabbing her hand, tears and cries of anguish fill the tunnel as he holds it close, sobbing there for a while, his body trembling. His sister is gone and he has no idea where she could be, if she's even alive.

The bus rumbles to life, a grim reminder that he has to go. He sniffs, staring at the bus with bleary eyes, her hand clutched to his chest. Then he looks at it again, a broken smile cracking on his face.

"We have to go, sis," He mumbles to the hand, his voice small and cracked.

Harley rises to his feet, walking slowly to the bus, never taking his eyes off Harper's hand, and his smile doesn't fall.

But tears do.

Harley's feet touch grassy floors of the bus, violet flowers occasionally peeking from the meadows. It would've been beautiful if Harper could see it, but the most she can do is touch it if Harley willed it. He sits in a seat with the farthest view of the wall he lost Harper in, and the doors shut.

DING! DING!

The bus rolls backwards, back in the darkness of the track's tunnel, the station disappearing from his view. Harley stares out the window, but his eyes focus on nothing. His mind is heavy with pain, and it's physically heavy on him, weighing him down into a slouch due to the fluxing logic of the dimensions. But he doesn't fight it. There's nothing else to fight.

The bus gradually picks up speed, flying down the rails at an increasing pace. He looks out the window, seeing a light at the end of the dark tunnel. He holds Harper's hand and the nearest seat tightly as the bus zooms into the light.

Then, he's falling, the bus nowhere to be seen. Wind pushes on his face, making it hard to see, but he makes out the top of the grassy field.

'I always come back to this place...'

Harley's eyes fall closed in submission. He had no idea what to expect when he hit the ground, but if he fell to his death, he wouldn't complain. As he gets closer to the ground, he only has one thought.

'Sis, I'll see you again.'

Harley wakes up with a gasp, his body covered in sweat and tears, the recognizable tent ceiling greeting him. He launches himself up and looks around, scanning the tent in its entirety. Everything was just how they'd left it, except she wasn't there. His shoulders fall. He hoped it was all a nightmare, but it was just as real as her hand rested in his lap.

"I...made it..." He says, his tone grim.

A notification comes from Harper's phone, making him shift his gaze to it. The lock screen is a picture of herself, smiling brighter than the sun, and above it, is the time.

4:24 am.

His eyes water again, grabbing the phone and putting it in Harper's hand, remembering every time she would hold it like a lifeline. The tears fall freely, and he sobs hard, finally releasing every despairing emotion.

The man works restlessly, his hands soaring across his keyboard as he browses Maps, wide eyes glued to the screen, studying the area of a park. Once he finishes scanning the area, he types in another area from a list of doctor scribbled places from a sheet of paper. A few areas on the list are already scratched off, and a few have little notes by them. And he doesn't stop, not once.

"Harley? Come on, take a break from...that." Samara coaxes, approaching him and shutting the laptop gently. He ignores her, simply pulling the laptop back open and continuing his search. Samara replies with a sigh, looking at his arms, the dozens of eyes sloppily drawn on them staring back at her. She grimaces at them before looking at Harley's screen again, where he's scrolling through pictures of the parking lot of DisneyLand.

"The kids get uncomfortable when they see your arms, ya know? They think you look like a monster from their game."

"So I'll wear a long sleeve shirt." He responds simply, never taking his attention off the computer.

"No that's not-" Samara cuts herself off, rubbing her temples and taking a deep breath. When she talks again, it's in a more sympathetic tone. "I understand how upset you are cuzzo, I think about Harper more than I say, but this is insanity." She gestures to him. "You walk around like a zombie with your arms covered in drawings of eyes, you missed Nash's school play because you refused to go near a school, and don't even get me started on how you treat the neighbors! This isn't normal and I wanna help you move on the right way. Get you back on your feet, even back into college maybe? Ya know, baby steps."

Harley slams his laptop closed, letting out a frustrated huff. With narrowed eyes, he spoke.

"Sorry Sam, but that's not what I need."

He gathers his things and walks away, leaving her there.

Harley walks to his room, closing and locking the door. He lets out a deep sigh, sitting on his bed. He didn't mean to be so melancholy and stubborn, but it wasn't anything else he could be. Even after 5 long years, Harley still struggles to process what happened in those worlds, what happened to her.

Reaching under his bed, he pulls a fancy blue box to his lap. With soft, sad eyes he stares at it for a moment, fiddling with the white ribbon before gently opening it.

Her hand lies inside, surrounded by white flora and their petals. The once ripped, yet fresh appendage now a fossil of Harper's hand. Still, Harley refused to give it away, even to authorities or his parents when they conducted a search for her.

"Hey sis..." He mutters out. "Yeah, cousin Samara gave me the 'get better' talk again."

Harley expectantly stares at the hand, as if she's speaking back.

"Trust me sis, you think you're sick of me telling you, I'm sick of hearing it." He rolls his eyes.

......

"Look, I know she means well, I do, but she, just like everyone else, didn't see what we saw. And I'm getting close. I can't stop when I'm so close!"

......

His expression softens before setting the box down on the bed, looking at his arm. The eyes are shaking furiously against his skin, a sight he's grown used to as always shook more when he was alone at night. However the eyes on his other arm are still, simply drawn on by his own hand.

"I'm your brother, Harper, I'll never stop trying to find you. Besides, they've been trembling more lately. It'll come to get me soon, and when it does, I'll be ready."

Fin

[theoddclown]

Don’t. Let. Go.

Part Five

WC: 1.4k of 7.9k

Story:

When a curious and credulous teenager convinces her twin brother to travel to the alleged "Liminal Spaces," they get what they wished for and must find their way home, having nothing but themselves.

Will they make it home? Or will they become what they're running from?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Harley? What's happening?!"

She yells, too far out the window to climb down. There's no response, only the thumping of the student's feet getting closer to the window. She frantically climbs up the window, grabbing the stool of the third floor window and climbing up.

Once Harper throws herself in the empty classroom, she looks out the window, hoping to see her twin climbing up, but all she saw was the students, peeking their heads out and greeting her with their outstretched smiles.

"Harley!" She screams out, tears welling in her eyes.

"HÄA-RLEẼEY!"

The students feed off her fear, beginning their climb out the window, crawling up the brick wall like spiders. Harper shrieks again, backing away from the window and running, until she bumps into something. Reflectively, she pushes away from it, but it grabs her wrist tightly.

"Hey! It's me! We need to run! Now!"

Harley pulls her out of the classroom, taking off at full speed. Harper follows speechlessly behind him, grateful to see him. He dashes down the stairs, practically jumping down them with Harper right behind him. His feet feel light as pure determination floods his veins, and it's contagious, the exit looking closer than before when they run down the familiar hallway. The exit doors are clear, leading to a brighter outside.

Harper herself feels lighter, fear slowly melting away. She has her brother now, and the exit is right there. They push the doors open and run through, leaving behind that awful school.

They take a moment against the school wall, catching their breaths. Once they'd left, the students dispersed, back to roaming the halls aimlessly.

"I'm SO happy to see you!" Harper exclaims, tackling him in a tight hug. Harley lets out a soft 'phew,' hugging her back just as tight.

"I am too sis."

She breaks the hug, holding his hands, and that's when she sees it. Her expression drops quickly, shifting to anxiety once again.

"W-what the hell is that on your arm..." She muttered, eyes wide.

Harley gives her a confused look before shifting his gaze to his forearm.

On it, are scratchy drawings of eyes, pulsating softly on his skin. He stares at it, nerves budding in his head, but his expression remains blank.

'No, I cannot be nervous right now, she'll lose her mind'

Harley gulps, but shakes his head.

"They got close, but don't worry, they didn't do anything bad."

Harper stares at his arm nervously, rubbing her own. He sighs, taking her hand with his less...intimidating arm, looking her in the eyes with not fear, but conviction.

"It's alright. We're gonna get outta here and this whole fucking thing will be over. Remember, this isn't our universe, so I'm thinking as long as we get to ours in time, we'll be okay. And we'll NEVER come back."

Harper stares into his brave eyes for a small moment before letting out a shaky breath and nodding. She couldn't argue with him, and this time, she didn't want to.

CHIME!

The bell chimes a second time, and Harley stares at the fields.

"That's the second chime. We gotta keep moving. We don't know how many more of these little places we gotta go through."

They walk out to the empty field, the sun shining brightly on the pair. To him, the field is familiar.

"This is the place I woke up to..." Harley says, recognizing the simple, small road.

"I didn't wake up in a field," Harper replies, her tone low.

"What happened?"

"I woke up in a playground. It was endless, and seemed bright and sweet...until the bottom of a slide had 3 shadows with glowing eyes. They chased me like big spiders and the playground went dark. I-I hid in the ball pit and fell through to another place," she starts, but her voice slowly takes a weeping tone to it. "Each place got worse and worse. I-I've been to six spaces, and they get closer and closer to taking me. I...I don't know what will take me first: these things or my own terror."

"Hey, you gotta calm down, if you don't, more things will be hurled at us. Focus on the field, the sky, literally anything else." Harley explains, squeezing her hand.

She nods, looking out at the endless greenery before taking a deep breath and releasing it.

"This place is beautiful.."

Harley nods.

"When I was here, something was chasing me too. Heard nothing but footsteps. If that happens again, just run, stay calm and don't look back."

"Way to ruin the moment," Harper says, rolling her eyes.

"There IS no moment sis! And besides, it's a warning. You know more than me that anything can happen here." He explains, then takes on a softer tone. "But as long as we trust our guts together, I think we can handle almost anything here."

"Me too..." Harper mutters, looking around the clear field.

Well...almost clear.

"Hey, what's that tunnel?" She asks, pointing up at a tunnel ahead of them. It looked like an igloo of grass, connecting to a tall hill. Harley squints at it and shrugs.

"I don't know. It wasn't there before...come on, before the roadrunner finds us."

They walked to the mysterious tunnel cautiously, the inside looked dimly lit, and Harper felt a pang of unease shoot in her stomach.

"Please be the way out..." Harper mumbles to herself as Harley leads her through. Inside, is a subway-style space, colorful balls bouncing about, a few benches, and the most attention grabbing, the giant neon sign on the top with the words 'WAKE UP' in a bright red color.

Harley lets out a shuddering sigh of relief, turning to Harper with a grin.

"This wasn't here before! I think this the way ou-"

He suddenly goes silent, deathly so.

"Harley wha-"

When she tries to turn, Harley grabs her shoulders, stopping her. Slowly and hesitatingly, as if he was scared to pull his eyes away for even a second, his eyes lock on her, and he shakes his head slowly.

By a bench, floats a shadowy figure, staring at the two. The only distinct features is the single eye staring at them, unmoving and unblinking. On its 'head' is the shadow of a wide brimmed hat. It doesn't move, it doesn't do anything but stare., and that puts him on edge. Never has a creature just...stared.

Still holding onto her shoulders, Harley takes slow steps backwards, Harper following with her own slow steps forward.

"What-"

Immediately, his hand slapped over her mouth. He looked at her and shook his head frantically, his message clear: shut up and trust me. Harper saw the look in his eye, she could tell he was nervous. The same brother that managed to fight off those rabid students, is now staring something in the eye in fear.

Whatever was behind her, wasn't friendly.

Harper tries not to dwell, but it's easier said than done, emotions already fluctuating from the things she's encountered.

'Blue ball, red ball, blue bench...' She lists off the things she sees, her eyes darting around to the things she can see to distract herself.

Ding!

A perfect distraction finally makes itself known: a rapid bus makes its way out from the abyss of a separate tunnel. It rolls to a stop at the end of the tracks, the doors sliding open. A wave of excitement and relief rushes through her.

"Harley, look! We're gonna get out of here!" She blurts out, breaking away from him and running towards the bus.

The creature does the same, moving from its spot and floating towards them.

Harley gasps, breaking into a sprint. It floats faster with every second but still silent as a breath. With light feet, he easily catches up to Harper, grabbing her wrist and running in the bus.

But she snags back with a scream and their grip on each other breaks.

Harley lets out a panicked sound, seeing the figure grab her quickly and float backwards. He frantically chases it, jumping off the bus. Harper screams hysterically as it floats back faster, it's hold cold and tight. It phases through the wall easily, and takes Harper with it.

"HARPER!" He cries, grabbing her hand before she completely disappears. His grip is tight like a vice, and his brain gave him a single command: DON'T. LET. GO. He can hear her muffled screaming on the other side of the wall and starts pulling her hand back to his side.

He HAS to get her out! They're almost home!

SNAP!

[theoddclown]

Class In Session

Part Four

WC: 1.3k of 7.9

Story:

When a curious and credulous teenager convinces her twin brother to travel to the alleged "Liminal Spaces," they get what they wished for and must find their way home, having nothing but themselves.

Will they make it home? Or will they become what they're running from?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The darkness reveals a school gym, completely empty.

At first.

He looks up and different types of sports balls greet him. From volleyballs to basketballs, they float weightlessly in the air like balloons. Harley stops, checking his surroundings. Slowing his heavy breathing, he listens as hard as he can for sound, but Harper's voice stops calling. All he hears is a soft, murmured song of a lullaby. He doesn't know if that's a good or bad thing, but he breathes out a sigh of relief, finally having a moment to collect himself and rest. Harley takes a seat on the bleachers, admiring the floating equipment with a full mind.

'Where are you, Harper..?"

After a small break, Harley is on his feet, and walking out the exit. It led to an empty school hallway. It was colorful and felt familiar.

'I remember these halls'

The warmth of familiarity and nostalgia encompasses Harley again as he trails his hand along the happy yellow flowers on the walls. Yes, he remembers this. It was a vague interpretation of his own elementary school's hallway. It was colorful and filled with different paintings and drawings kids drew.

'She would love this place,' Harley thinks to himself, a smile on his lips.

CHIME!

His smile drops when he hears the chime of the bell, remembering the objective expeditiously.

'I need to find Harper. Now.'

BRIIIIING!

As if on cue, the school bell rings and the classroom doors open. From each classroom emerges a tall, pale creature. They stood upright unnaturally, but their legs appeared as if a dog stood on its hind legs, with elongated smiles and pupils blown so wide it filled the entire eye. The pale creatures flood the hallway, all turning to Harley, who even with a smile knows he isn't one of them. He knows it too as his artificial smile melts into one of terror.

"ĦAǍ-RL-EĘY," The PA speakers replay Harper's voice, similar to how he's been hearing it except for the heavy distortion to it. The voice replays over and over again over the speakers. He blinks his eyes in fear as they surround him, his feet heavy again. In his eyelids, they flash red with words. Quickly catching on, he holds them closed.

TENSECONDS!

Harley reads the words and takes off, running down the endless hallway. The lights in the hall begin flickering softly with each second, casting the school in a shadowy, flashing darkness.

"HARLEY!"

The call is more clear and sounds like Harper and he doesn't know what to do about it. He doesn't have time to think about it as he notices the exit in sight, but the hallway is too long.

'Shit! I won't make it!'

Harley turns down another hall, avoiding the exit, then dashes up the stairs. He lets out a small sigh of relief upon seeing the second floor empty, but it's short lived once the lights in the school finally flicker off, encapsulating it in darkness. Swiftly, he scuttles in the closest classroom, quietly closing the door. His mind moves a mile a minute, running to grab a desk to barricade the door.

Suddenly, a hand touches his shoulder.

"Harley...?"

He freezes, his heart drumming in his ears. That was the most clear it's ever been. It sounded like...

'Harper..?'

His head turns slowly, and he sees a face that matches his own.

Almost.

There she is, shaking with a cautious and fear riddled look on her face. Her skin is pale and sweaty, some brunette strands sticking to her forehead. Harley's eyes widened when he saw her. Finally, he found her, and she's safe, she's alive.

"Har-"

He hugs her to silence her, clapping his hand over Harper's mouth. With a shaky whisper, he spoke.

"Shh...hide behind the teacher's desk and stay. Calm."

Harper nods quickly, running to the desk quickly and hiding under it while Harley continues his goal, sneaking desks and chairs as quietly as he can. He's terrified, but he knows this isn't the time for this, especially when Harper alone holds enough fear to possibly be sensed by these entities. He peeks between the door blinds, seeing the empty hallway–the coast is clear, right now at least.

'Either they haven't come up here yet or Harper is staying calm enough for them not to sense it...or is it both?'

Harley tiptoes away from the door to kneel at the teacher's desk where Harper is curled under the desk, hugging her knees close to her chest, eyes squeezed shut.

"Harper," he whispers, his voice gentle as his hand reaches out to touch her hand. She flinches, looks at him, then relaxes.

He noticed her reaction, finding it unexpected. It was off putting to see the usually bright and curious girl now jumpy and shaking like a leaf, but he's relieved to see her nonetheless.

"Have you been here this whole time?" Harley asks.

Harper shakes her head. "I-I don't know anymore. I've been here for what feels like forever, hiding from those...things. I don't know how much more of this I can take." Her voice is whimpery.

Harley holds her hand tightly, squeezing it. This was exactly what he was afraid of—this exactly but he'll make sure the two make it back to their own world and NEVER come back.

"We'll be fine, okay? I'll get us out, and we'll be home. We just gotta find an exit."

He walks back to the door, sneakily taking a peek. The "students" are on the second floor now, walking idly in the halls. Most move in a loop as if in a video game, but he can see a few suddenly turning into classrooms.

He knew they didn't have long, but then he noticed it: a staircase at the end of the hall leading up. Harley nods, the wheels starting to turn in his head. It wasn't a lot, but it was something nonetheless.

'Easier said than done...'

Harley goes to the window and looks outside, seeing the same eyes from the neighborhood, shaking and staring at him, watching and waiting from the void, from ground to the sky. He rolls his own at them, wishing they would just fuck off.

BRRIIIIING!

The school bell cuts through the eerie silence.

Rattle! Rattle! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Harley snaps his attention to the door, eyes widening. The door bangs against the desks and chairs as the students try to get in the classroom, the fluorescent lights flickering on brightly. Harper screams in fear and Harley's brain works fast, forming a risky plan in seconds.

"Harper! I got them! You have to climb out the window up to the third floor and find an exit! I'll catch up," Harley yells to her, making her emerge from her hiding spot.

"No! Please, don't leave me alone!" She whines out, shaking so hard he thought she would topple over.

"Harper, do what I'm telling you! You got us here, now get yourself out so I can do the same!" Harley runs to the door, holding it closed.

BANGBANGBANGBANG!!

Harper jumps, backing up against the window. She slowly turns her head, her eyes meeting the millions from the void. They tremble harder when she meets their gaze. She lets out another fear riddled screech, her heart feeling like it was gonna explode with terror. With a trembling hand, Harper opens the window, trying to ignore the endless gazes, the explosive banging of the door, even her fear itself. She peeks out the window and above her. The window to the third floor is directly above her and if she's careful, it's doable.

She whimpers in fear, wiping her sweaty palms on her pants before finally climbing out the window. Harper tries to ignore the eyes on her and focus on the task at hand. Standing on the stool of the window, she holds onto the head casting and climbs up on the bottom window.

BANG! BANG! CLATTER!

Harper freezes when she hears the racket, hearing Harley let out a yelping sound right after and her blood runs cold.

[theoddclown]

HoMe SweeT home

Part Three

WC: 1.2k of 7.9k

Story:

When a curious and credulous teenager convinces her twin brother to travel to the alleged "Liminal Spaces," they get what they wished for and must find their way home, having nothing but themselves.

Will they make it home? Or will they become what they're running from?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harley quickly takes off, running as fast as he could, the tapping behind him getting faster as he does.

'Shit!'

He runs as fast as he can, the sound of wind whooshing and the tap, tap, tapping of feet in his ears. Harley doesnt turn around, terrified to even think about what it could be or how close it could be. There's no other noise coming from it, no breathing, no talking, not even a strange growl.

As Harley dashes along the road, adrenaline and fear push him to run faster than he thought he could.

TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP!

It gets faster, sensing his fear and in response, Harley runs even faster, his brain no longer registering fear, only screaming one thing: 'RUN FASTER!'

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

Harley's feet gradually begin to feel lighter, and the sound of the tapping grows distant. He feels like he can run forever. Ahead, he notices a neighborhood, brightly colored houses calling for his focus. A smile of relief cracks on his face.

'Maybe she's here!'

Tap...tap...tap....tap...

The running feet fade away, but he doesn't care too much as he rushes to the neighborhood, stopping short of the entrance: a white picket fence. Harley leans behind a tree, taking a moment to catch his breath. He stares at the yellow brick road where he'd just ran for his life. Whatever it was felt like an illusion, yet 100% real at the same time, but nothing was there.

'Was that my imagination? Is that what everything here is gonna feel like? Was it ever chasing me?'

The more he dwelled on it, the more unsettling the thought became. Quickly, he shakes it off, and he peers out to the neighborhood.

"HellooOo thEre!"

Harley jumps, seeing a woman standing beside him. She looked like an exaggerated barbie doll, short curled blonde hair, blue eyes stretched wide and a smile bright and wide enough to touch her ears. She wears a frilly white dress with even frillier ankle socks protected by black kitten heels.

'SMILE! SMILE! SMILE!'

His lips stretch quickly into a smile, as wide as he can as he faces the woman. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice he wasn't smiling before.

"Why, isn't it another beeEeautiful day in tHe neighborhood! WoUldn't you aGrEe, nEighboR?" Her voice sounded fake and recorded, like a tape recorder is in her throat.

'Play along!' His brain reminded him.

Harley nods quickly, turning and hugging the tree.

"Yes! Why, it IS! I just love this tree so very much I needed to come and hug it! Such beautiful land!"

The woman laughs, the sound coming out overly animated and fake, like a laugh track in a sitcom.

"Of couRse! CoMe now neighbor, we should gEt back home! Dinner is almost done!"

'Dinner...?'

Harley grows cautious. He can only play along for so long until his anxiety gets the better of him. He needed to get out, but he wasn't leaving this world without Harper. Every second matters and he hasn't even the slightest idea where she is.

Or if she's even here.

"NeIgHbOr...? WHy ThInk soOoo HeAvY?"

The voice suddenly sounded more distorted, and pierced his ears like a knife, leaving his ears ringing—it was impossible to think. Harley shakes his head, his smile faltering for a bit before returning.

"This place is a dream! H-How could I EVER bear heavy thoughts? Come, let's eat!" He ends it with a hearty laugh.

The woman giggles, speaking in the tone of an excited little girl now.

"Great! Let's go!"

She turns around, walking towards the picket fence. When the woman opens the gate and they walk in, Harley is filled with warmth. It danced through his stomach, swirled in his head, providing him with a sense of familiarity as he gawks at the infinite and colorful houses. The neighbors walk along the streets, eyes and smiles wide. It looked like a happy, suburban neighborhood, children riding bikes and playing outside while the parents sat on their porches and lawns, the sun casting a bright evening glow over the entire street.

The next feeling behind the sickly warmth is unease, and dizziness. Though he could stand and walk just fine, his feet felt warm and light, as if they weren't there. Each step felt like walking on clouds, and everytime he turned his head, it felt slowed. He pushes any anxiety down, trying to stay positive, not because he had to, but because he knew the anxiety would immobilize him from finding his sister. He'd rather not dwell on the possibility that the smiling woman is leading him to his death.

"HoMe SweeT home!"

The woman approaches a house with a pink roof, opening the door and walking in. Harley prepares to do the same.

"Help! Harley!"

'HARPER?'

He whips his head to where he thinks he heard her, but all he sees are the endless rows of colorful homes. Desperately running to the street, Harley looks around frantically.

'Where is she??'

"Help me Harley!"

The voice calls again, and he rushes down the street. The more he runs, the more he notices the neighborhood changing. The neighbors have halted their activities, staring at him. The doors of the houses have eyes, multiple giant eyes peer at him from shadows of a void. He stops running, looking at the doors and the neighbors in terror. They all stare back at him, the eyes trembling behind the doors and the people slowly creep closer to him. Harley's feet feel heavy with every step they take, remembering this feeling from before.

'I need to get the fuck out!'

Honk! honk!

".....make a move to a town that's right for me...Town to keep me movin', keep me groovin' with some energy..."

Harley's ears perk as he hears music, far and faded.

"Well I talk about it, talk about it, talk about it, talk about it..."

An ice cream truck drove slowly down the road, with a giant, wide smiling clown on the roof. It rolls slowly to him, the windows a tinted and foggy pink.

"Talk about, talk about, talk aBoUt MoVin'..."

The truck plays a slowed and reverberated version of Funky Town from the speakers. Harley's breathing speeds up, feeling his heart hammering in his chest, and his body moves on its own, dashing away from the street as fast as he could with the heaviness in his feet. He runs behind the houses, trying to escape the dangerous street.

"GoTtA MoOovE oN...GotT...a....mO....oOVe ON..."

The lyrics sound like they're growing distant, but also more distorted, the same way the woman sounded, but worse. His head feels fuzzy, his feet heavy, but the air is unnaturally gentle and the sun is bright and happy. He hated every second of it.

Harley pushes himself again, ignoring the burn in his chest atop the other overwhelming sensations flooding him. His body begs for rest but he doesn't give, running back to the picket fence like it's his lifeline.

There, a doorway waits for him. It has no door, just simply black. It looks out of place in such a serene looking space, but Harley doesn't stop.

He needs to get out.

"In here!"

Her voice calls again through the door, and he runs through.

[theoddclown]

POSITIVE ENERGY

Part Two

WC: 1.1k of 7.9k

Story:

When a curious and credulous teenager convinces her twin brother to travel to the alleged "Liminal Spaces," they get what they wished for and must find their way home, having nothing but themselves.

Will they make it home? Or will they become what they're running from?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So we're really gonna camp at a park tonight?" Harley asks, getting in the passenger seat as Harper throws everything in the back seat.

"To the naked eye yes, but we'll be in our own unique dimensions. Just trust the process," Harper replies as she gets in the driver's seat. She pulled out her phone and showed him the screen: a picture of the Reddit post. "I'll keep it in my pocket so when we wake up, I can still have access to it. Come on, I'm not that crazy where I wouldn't take precautions. We'll be fine, positive energy!"

With that being said, the twins were on the road. Harper drives on the mostly empty streets, The Caretaker's 'It's just a burning memory' playing through Bluetooth as she basks in the night summer air even humming along to the song.

Meanwhile, Harley fights with his own thoughts and fears, his mind trying, but failing to swallow them.

"POSITIVE ENERGY" echoes through his mind, but it fails to digest the words. How can he have positive energy after the warnings and rules he heard? He wonders how she can accept this so normally, so happily.

"If we're gonna drive around like this, can you at LEAST cut the creepy music? It isn't helping," Harley says.

"It's not creepy, it's calming," Harper defends, before turning it off. "You don't have to worry about it anymore, we're here anyway."

She pulls into the lot of a vacant park with a colorful playground, and Harley's heart skips a beat. He didn't expect her to find an area already. He can feel his hands getting clammy.

Harper turns off the car and hops out, her feet feeling light as she grabs everything from the backseat.

"Hey, help me set this thing up will ya?"

Snapping from his thoughts, the boy blinks a couple times, then gets out before she repeats herself louder.

The pair set the tent up right in the middle of the playground, finding an empty spot among the wood chips and grass. Harper moves with grace, setting things up efficiently and listening to her brother's instruction when she needs help. Within ten minutes, the tent was ready.

"It's almost 1am now, so I'm going to sleep at 4am," Harper announces.

Harley stares at the tent with a pondering gaze, his brain trying to logic the illogical. 

"This is so dumb. You mean to tell me if I sleep out in a 'liminal space' then I'll be teleported to Liminal Land or whatever?"

"Don't forget about the drawing, but yes."

"So what about all the people that might've slept in a portal might have an eye tattoo on their hand?"

"Then they probably got transported there, I don't know, smartass. The portals are hard to track, it said."

"That makes no sense."

"So do these liminal worlds, you're thinking too much."

4 am ticks in quicker than they both expected. The two spent the hours chatting and playing on the playground, sharing Tiktoks, and laughing. It helped Harley forget all about the impending dimension travel he was anxious about.

Until the alarm on Harper's phone chimes, reminding them of the time.

"It's 4 am! It's time!" She says, her voice ecstatic before jumping off the swing.

He too, hops off his swing, trudging nervously behind. As they settle in their sleeping bags, Harper tucks her phone in her pocket and draws an eye on her hand in Sharpie.

"Do you think w-we'll be in the same dimension when we wake up?" Harley asks as Harper hands him the Sharpie.

"I hope so. Just remember, be positive, smile and leave by the 3rd bell chime, alright?" She instructs, handing her brother the marker

"And stick by me!" Harley adds.

"Yeah, that too. Geez, just relax or you won't even be there," Harper says before reaching out to hold his hand. "We'll be fine. This'll be fun." Her voice is more comforting now.

Harley lets out a deep breath to steel his nerves. He holds her hand tighter than she does, his mind reciting the rules over and over again.

BE POSITIVE

SMILE

LEAVE BY 3RD CHIME

He forgets time, and even sleep, only remembering those rules.

He forgets when he falls asleep...

......ime

.....hime

Chime!

The first thing he feels is the warm, comforting breeze.

Then the bright sun on his eyelids.

Finally, Harley's eyes flicker open, and the sun shines in them. Blinking his eyes open, Harley turns away from the light. It's hard to adjust to the bright light.

His breath gets caught in his throat when he's greeted by the endless trail of grassy fields, the happy blue sky, and the single, simple concrete road that looks too small for any car. Quickly, the boy shuffles to his feet, looking around the field frantically. He says nothing, too nervous and cautious to try.

'WHERE TO FUCK AM I? WHERE IS HARPER?!' Harley thinks to himself.

She wasn't anywhere to be seen, and he realizes he's alone. He has to find her, no matter what. An idea pops in his head, and he starts grabbing his pockets.

'I can text her!'

Harley freezes, his mind going blank in fear when he feels his empty pockets. His legs felt light, unnaturally so, his head too. It made his throat dry. Harley desperately looks around again, shaky, sweaty hands searching all over himself for something, anything.

But he doesn't grasp at anything solid. He only has himself, his mind, his emotions and instincts. It scares him, but he remembers Harper's words

'BE POSITIVE!'

Harley physically nods at the thought and turns his attention to the road, now a yellow brick one. He lets out a deep breath and he steps on it, looking ahead and behind, both ways looking the exact same: an endless road that meets the clear sky.

'What is forwards? What is backwards?'

Harley picks a way and walks down the gold road. He relaxes more, seeing it was mostly serene, just him, the infinite lands of blossoming green grass, the sky and the tap...tap...tap of his shoes along the bricks. He had no idea where he was going, but he hoped the answer would present itself soon. All he can do is hope his impulsive twin is safe.

...Tap, tap, tap, tap...

The boy immediately stops in place, the hairs on his neck standing up, and he feels the awful chill of sweat from the sudden rise in body heat. His heart jumped down to his stomach and his feet are now made of stone.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!

That wasn't his feet tapping anymore.

[theoddclown]

A Place Between 4:20 and 4:24 am

Part One

WC: 1.6K of 7.9K

Story:

When a curious and credulous

teenager convinces her twin brother

to travel to the alleged "Liminal

Spaces," they get what they wished

for and must find their way home,

having nothing but themselves.

Will they make it home? Or will

they become what they're running

from?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's not here either!" The girl whines, clicking off the Twitter thread with a dejected sigh.

"How about the fact that it's just some made up shit off Instagram?" Her twin brother replies. She shoots him an annoyed glare and rolls her eyes.

"You can leave if you want."

Harley stares at her with a bored look on his face, and yet, his lips are twitched in a half smile. She knew that look, his 'I'll entertain you' face.

"Thought so. Sit there and watch me work." Harper goes back to her computer, typing '4:20am world' in the search engine for the 6th time.

She wanted to go.

"I just know how you are. You've always been like this, thinking this type of shit is real. That video was probably AI or something."

"But what if it wasn't? We can have a whole world at our discretion! We can share it, keep it to ourselves, who knows! Only way to know is to go though," Harper says, opening Reddit and scrolling through the comments of a post.

Harley, meanwhile, rolls his eyes and scrolls on his phone. It was silent for a moment, but only for a moment.

A sudden gasp from Harper cuts it.

"I found something!"

She opens the Reddit post, reading it aloud.

"The Liminal Worlds are very real. I myself have gone a few times when I need to escape reality. These worlds are beautiful and almost still. Calm, but can be furious. It's a world that can be enjoyed if the correct steps are taken. Here's how to reach the Limital Reality, follow these steps and rules carefully."

Harper looks at her brother, mouth agape, an excited smile behind it. Harley too was surprised, his brows raised in curiosity, taking his attention off his phone.  They stare like this at each other for a moment, only the soft whir of her laptop as white noise.

"Girl what are you doing? Keep reading!" Harley exclaims.

Immediately, she turns back to the computer.

"To access, the time MUST be between 4:20 and 4:24 am. If it isn't between these exact times, it will not work or in some cases, you'll be sent to an entirely different world. Next, you will need to find a 'liminal portal'. This is a liminal space you can access in your area that can be used as a gate to the dimension. These portals are hard to track since liminal spaces are considered subjective and the portals only work at rare, random times, so if it doesn't work once, try again. Once you find your portal, draw an eye on your hand, lie flat, close your eyes and sleep. Once you've slept in the portal, you should have a dream of 3 bell chimes. When you awake, you should be in the liminal lands. The sun will shine bright, no matter what dimension you awake in. If it doesn't, then you are in danger."

When she finishes reading, Harley's excited face drops, changing into a more unsure look. He didn't expect there to be any dangers, hell, he didn't expect any of this to be real! He didn't want to admit how believable the instructions sounded. Meanwhile, Harper is beaming, taking a picture of the instructions with her phone. Then, she looks at him, her smile wide.

"This is so cool, seriously! We're gonna visit our own liminal worlds! I'm gonna have to charge my phone for videos!" She beams.

"Y-yeah...so cool..." Harley says, folding his arms.

"Oh look, there are rules and stuff listed here." Harper scrolls down a little more, and reads them aloud again.

"Follow and memorize these rules before travel. The first and most important rule, leave before the 3rd bell chime. The first is to warn you, the second is a final chance to leave, and if you hear the 3rd and you're still there, you will become one with the land. This isn't a good thing. Rule 2, always keep a smile on your face, no matter WHAT. This will protect you from detection, for this world is far beyond our own. 3, you mustn't be anxious or fearful while going through the portal, and in it. These worlds are in a constant flux and are fed off emotion and thoughts. Failure to stay positive will cause the world to shift into a more dangerous and nightmarish reality. And lastly, trust your instincts. If something is wrong, it is. Your instincts will be your only guide through these dimensions. The liminal spaces are beautiful, personal and even enlightening if visited right, but you must be careful in such a place even Area 51 cannot track. Good luck."

The boy's face held fear. Even if they were real, he didn't trust himself or his sister in these worlds—they sounded dangerous. Still though, he says nothing as he watches his sister take a photo of the rules with so much excitement she could barely hold the camera straight.

"This is gonna be so amazing," Harper says, looking at the time on her phone. It's almost midnight, 11:47 PM. "Hey, we should find a liminal portal now!"

Harley's eyes widened, thinking quickly.

"Uh...hey sis come, on ya know?" Harley starts, uncertainty in his voice. "I mean, this is still just some post on Reddit. Anybody could have just typed this up and promised it fact for people like you to believe it, try it, and waste your time. The internet is full of boredom and trolls."

Harper stays quiet for a moment, deep in thought. Harley hoped she would just say 'You're right!' and leave it be, and they watch a movie together—that was the plan after all. But her eager grin returns, and she folds her arms in a shrug before standing from the plush, red couch.

"Fine. I'll prove to you they're real, and if they're not, I'll leave it alone forever and never mention it again. Promise."

"You said that last time. Hello? The whole standing in a mirror with a candle thing?" He says, standing up off the couch as well, his voice picking up a bit in concern and annoyance and...caution

"Yeah, but last time was bullshit! This looks and sounds genuine. I mean, there's rules and warnings here, and even the comments are adding onto it. Look at this one," she reads a comment out loud to Harley. "'I saw a woman that asked me for directions. Seemed nice enough but I had no idea where she needed to go so I just told her IDK.' See! It's like any drug or drink, as long as you're in a good mood, then you'll be fine!"

"You're missing the point, sis-"

"I've never been this close before! So if you don't wanna go, you don't have to, but I'M going to see the damn liminal worlds!" Harper declares, grabbing her phone and marching out of the room. Harley lets out a deep groan, sitting back down and opting to scroll on his phone, until he hears the familiar creeeeeeeak of the front door.

"Fuck."

He quickly rushes to the front door to see it wide open, Harper standing in the front yard, darkness of night as the backdrop as she looks around the yard. He hears small and quick mumbles of her thoughts as she does.

"This yard might be too obvious, I don't know...maybe the backyard will work, but those mosquitoes are annoying." When she notices Harley, her voice takes on a demanding, determined tone. "Hey! Where's the camping tent dad gave you?"

"This is stupid, ya know?"

"WHERE'S the camping tent dad gave you?" The sister repeats, eyes narrowed. He knew that look, her 'I'm doing this' face, the same one she gave him last time she tried a "time travel thing" she found on Twitter and with the amount of "things" Harper has tried to follow, he stopped believing them, but this one didn't sound like a trend to him. Harley curses under his breath.

"...If I tell you, I'm going with you, and you're gonna stay right by me."

Harper squeals and jumps around in delight, then darts in the house.

"YES! Yes! Whatever!" She closes the front door, waiting expectantly.

He lets his eyes fall closed, holding for a few seconds before opening them.

"Basement, in the blue bin under that big table..."

Harper hugs him tightly in appreciation, then she's flying down the stairs. Harley doesn't move, his mind a flurry of questions and thoughts.

'Is this place real or not?'

'Are we safe? Or did I agree to something dangerous?'

'I just want my little sister safe.'

Harper trots up the stairs, the tent rolled under her arm, along with blankets and sleeping bags.

Quickly, he tries talking her down again.

"So do you think the backyard will work honestly? I don't think it will, it's too small..."

She stops, pondering for a second as she peeks into the backyard through the side door. "Actually I was thinking that too. Maybe we should drive out somewhere! The backyard doesn't really have the look anyway, like you said. The liminal spaces I see are usually a field or a park." Her face lit up. "Oh! There's that park nearby. Come on, I'll drive!" She replies.

Now he wished he kept his mouth shut. Harley knew this was a bad idea, whether it works or not. Still though, he would be damned if he would allow himself to let Harper do this alone. It was this, along with his own hidden curiosity of the existence of the liminal dimensions that kept his mouth from objecting any further.