There was nothing but darkness in front of me.

A wide, gaping hole of nothingness beckoned me to enter it; no doubt, others had probably succumbed to its influence. It was out of place, in a campus filled with lights, exposing everything for the eye to see. But here, the light did not reach. It was as if someone had tore through reality, scooping it out of existence like a shovel into rich soil, and discarded it somewhere else. I was confused at the sight; before long, however, I grew sensitized to it. I stood on the edge of where the amphitheater should've been, standing at the top of a row of singular stone platforms. To my left was a pile of leaves. All of them were perfectly intact, as if they had only fallen from their parents trees within the last hour.

During the day time, the ampitheater was a wonderous sight; it measured hundreds of feet across. Structured not unlike that of the open-air theaters of roman origins, it was instead designed in the shape of a baseball diamond. The stone benches were designed similar to those used in stadiums, except without the actual outline or design of chairs. Everyone sat on one of the simplest forms of a seat: a singular, long, concrete, rectangular block. Stone stairs were present on its right side, carved and inserted into the ground to ferry students and faculty alike up and down the normally steep incline of the theater. At each interval for a new row of seats, there would be a locked metal compartment on the ground. Inside it were mini-podiums, intended to give it a sense of flair and strangeness to invite people to flock to it. These could only be unlocked with special keys, or by the electrical department. The amphitheator shared space with a big, grassy field, but the amphitheater held actual grass instead of turf mixed in, and the only trees present were those lining the edge of the entire field. These made the field and amphitheator a very attractive place for people to socialize and play outdoor sports. The most common were ultimate frisbee, and quidditch, a curious sport inspired from a certain book series that was adapted into several movies. However, it was almost home to many other events, including those not sponsored by the university. More often than not, on any given day, the place would be heavily populated with those wanting to relax outdoors, or do homework.

Tonight, though, there was no one. Or anything, for that matter.

I looked over where the amphitheater's bottom would have been, trying to discern whether or not this was all a grand illusion before my eyes. After several minutes of silent staring, something struck me. My head began to hurt greatly, and I sat down to catch myself. The world began to spin around me, or I began to spin instead. I couldn't tell.  I heard voices speaking within my mind, muttering incoherent noises and taunting me. I played the day over in my mind, trying to make sure I would remember what happened today. The noises of the night gave way to the howlings in my head; the rhythmic sounds of the crickets were drowning out. I felt my ears hurt, and it was difficult to hear anything external. I crouched down, putting my head between my raised knees and legs. I muttered to myself, trying to regain control of my consciousness. I couldn't hear anything, but I mentally recorded it.

"You're ok, you're ok...You'll find something worthwhile...You'll become better...You'll find meaning..."

I repeated my words, trying to verify that I was actually saying what I was thinking. I felt something claw at me; my demons were coming out to play.

"Hahaha, look at this worthless fool. Can't do anything but get fat like a pig!"

"Fattened up for the slaughter! This is what you're life's for - to satiate our hunger and desires!"

The world began to twist and turn, spinning this way and that. It was no longer in one direction - now it was in every direction. I felt my consciousness wake up within my mind, stuck in a prison with bars that could never be broken through.

"That's just the way you are."

I felt like I was watching the world in a glass ball, unable to control anything. I wanted to leave my external shell, but the cost would be too great.

"Stop...it..."

The voices grew louder, beckoning me to make the attempt.

"You're not worth anything..."

The voices began rhythimically chanting, beckoning me to make a decision.

"It can end with one motion...it can end your pain..."

I could hear my heart beating within my ears; it felt like I was going to burst. My veins began pulsing, an unseen figure boiling my blood from somewhere nearby.

"Why stand there idly? You remind me of a duffel bag; you exist to be broken down."

The mental restraints I had created to combat such a situation were failing. My hushed whispers, which gave way to , were doing nothing to help me.

"Ha! As if you could do anything with that rage."

I threw up my head, my eyes attempting to find anyone nearby. In the light and in the darkness, I could see no one. I felt the last of the light from the nearby street lamps on my back, its heat contrasting to the cold from the edge of the darkness that I was sitting on.

"Make a difference, then, if you so please."

I felt bloodthirsty. I could feel power coursing through my body. Invigorated, I felt stronger and happier. The last traces of my sanity were still clinging on, trying to bring my back to reality; and yet, it was the same sanity that drove me into this position. I heard something scraping the ground; the sound seemed to come from behind me. In the brief moment that I turned to face the sound, my imagination ran wild, surrounding my senses and my consciousness.

A mysterious figure, wearing a long black turncoat, approached me. Its feet shuffled in my direction, his intentions unknown to me. Maybe it was going to murder me, and chop my body up into pieces. That's what everyone would think in such a situation. If that was the case, I would be justified in fighting back. In his right hand, a dark weapon was present, its end dragging along the ground. Was it a steel pipe? A sword? A plastic pipe? I wouldn't be able to tell until it came closer before I could distinguish it from the darkness. A low and labored breathing emanated from where a mouth should be.

The being crept closer and closer, the hands and weapon trembling in delightful anticipation. The feet shuffled faster, in parallel with the quicker clinking of the weapon pulled along the ground. For a moment, it stopped. The sounds of the crickets suddenly increased to a deafening roar, and the gentle wind of the calm midnight matched with hurricane-force vibrations. As I continued facing forward, ignoring the danger that laid behind me, I felt the air rising as arms were raised. I silently accepted my fate. "I'd rather end this way, murdered in cold blood, instead of continuing this pointless struggle," I thought to myself. I stayed still, even as a powerful cry emerged from the being behind me. It reverberated through me, bouncing throughout my body and entrails. As I felt it, something awakened deep within me, a primoridal instinct built for the preservation of one's life. A feeling broke out from the center of my body, gripping me like the shackles of a straight-jacket. My composure and reason returned to my body, and I quickly moved to counter the threat.

I swung around, opening my eyes to the violent spectacle that would ensue. But I was prepared for nothing. Several leaves, held in the air by the wind, fell onto the damp ground in front of me. I looked at them; all of them were ripped in half. "Nothing, again...I thought there would be something this time."

I put my right hand to my head, a minor treatment to a weakened headache. My eyes moved from the broken leaves to the streetlamp; it was still there, bathing the area in a calm-yellow aura. It was no longer blinding, though I recoiled slightly from the sudden light. I stood up, patting my pants from the damp grass, and turned back towards the amphitheater. The darkness had finally released it, and the outlines of the ground floor and stone benches now back in place. The sounds of the crickets and wind returned back to their normal whispers. Whatever supernatural force was toying with reality had finally left.

I took out my cellphone from my pocket to check the time. I was surprised - I didn't know so much time had passed.

"Damn, it's already 3 am? I guess I should call it a night..."

Relieved that no one had seen me, I headed back. I could feel the impending wave of hunger and drowsiness just on the horizon. I gave one last glance at the darkened amphitheater and yellow streetlights before walking down the cobble-stone path back to my dormitory.