Audible Illusions Novels & Stories

I exclaimed After 30 minutes of constantly stuffing my mouth with various food, I decided to go and drink water. I was trying to slide open the pantry door *thud* Huh? What was that! It sounded like it came from the kitchen, some utensil must've fallen. *clomp* *clash* What!? that sounds like someone is wandering around the kitchen "A person? Wait- I know what happened last time I thought that the weird sounds were coming from a person" I mumbled to myself

The walls weren't concrete – they were highly polished, floor – to – ceiling mirrors hidden in the dark. Suddenly, I was surrounded by hundreds of reflections of myself. I looked battered, bruised, and dangerously tightly wound. Then, the auditory assault began. "Tell me who owns you, Sloane." The voice didn't come from a speaker. It echoed directly inside my own skull. It was a dark, velvet whisper that sent a violent, treacherous spike of heat straight to my core. It was Lolita. I gritted my teeth. My hands curled into tight fists. "It’s a chemical projection," I muttered aloud, my voice muffled by the makeshift mask. "A biometric feedback loop. It isn't real."

His eyes had sunk deep into their sockets, with a strange light somewhere between exhaustion and madness, as if they held visions he could not see. He could hear things... imaginary heartbeats, footsteps in the empty corridors, whispers that drew near and then vanished. Shadows danced on the walls, and he could not tell if they were remnants of light or illusions born of a mind beginning to crumble. Every sound, however slight, became a threat to him, and every tremor in the walls felt like a summons from another world.

Suddenly, a detail he'd totally missed hit him. That morning, when he was listening to Tyler's chest... "Daddy, my chest hurts so much," Tyler had said, his voice weak. "It feels like there's water gurgling inside." He had heard something weird through the stethoscope. Not just normal breathing sounds. There were faint crackles. But right then, Isabella had called, asking him to come to Emma's birthday party. He'd quickly pulled the stethoscope away to answer his phone. Crackles...

It was as if it was a hallucination. However, as they moved forward after being disinfected, she was sure it wasn't an auditory illusion. It was real! There weren't just groans. There were sounds of suppressed cries, coughs, and pants. These sounds didn't come from just one person. It was discomforting for anyone to hear. Afraid that she might shrink away, Dr. Blanc turned back to look at her and noticed her solemn face. She did not seem to shy away from the noises. As a result, he nodded and motioned for them to proceed.

Fear grips her body as she jerks upright, her heart pounding in her chest as the noise intensifies, echoing through the room like a thunderous storm. The relentless sounds reverberate through the air, growing louder and more ominous with each passing moment. Audrey's eyes dart around the dimly lit space, her breath quickening with each heartbeat as she realizes that the place she is in doesn't have traditional doors, only shutters. The realization dawns on her that she may be in an abandoned warehouse, a place of shadows and secrets, haunted by the eerie presence of spiderwebs and hungry rats.

She stammered, "M-Maverick, these photos, these agreements… they're fake—all fake! How could I ever do something like this? Ophelia is trying to frame me!" Right on cue, tears streamed down her face, making her look utterly pitiful. I calmly reached into my bag and pulled out a USB drive. "Emma, you recorded videos to pay off your gambling debts. Do you need me to help you relive those memories?" Her expression twisted from pitiful to vicious in an instant. She grabbed a cup of hot tea from the table and hurled it straight at me. "Ophelia, you bitch!" She moved so fast that I instinctively shut my eyes and raised my arm to block it. But the pain of hot tea scalding me never came.

She hasn't slept more than an hour at a time since the funeral. "It’s grief, Clara. Auditory hallucinations," I lied, though my own hands were shaking so hard I had to hide them under the duvet. But then, the monitor on the nightstand hissed. The static cleared, and for a moment, the room was silent. Then came a voice—low, distorted, yet unmistakably mimicking the soft "coo" Lily used to make. Except, underlying the sound was a wet, tearing noise, like paper being ripped underwater.

The anticipatory shiver that runs all the way down Mahl’s spine as he crouches, ready to spring. Auden’s fangs extend and he bares them. If Mahl puts one hand on her – A golden flash appears before his eyes, a voice echoing in his mind even though no mouth speaks it – Look away, you absolute fool! He stumbles back a step – stunned – What – how – A huge ringing gong sounds and howls fill the air.

To trick me with illusions. I clenched my fists and forced my feet forward, determined to ignore the illusions. But then all of a sudden, Auren was there again. And then he was here, beside me, in front of me. Everywhere I turned, Auren was there. His tiny figure flickering in and out of existence like a mirage. His cries filled the air, echoing in my ears, sinking into my bones. I was finding it hard to concentrate, I felt dizzy all of a sudden and I quickly grabbed a tree for support.