“What the hell,” Josh groaned as he woke up in a cold sweat. He examined his surroundings in confusion. He felt as if he had consumed drugs. But he never did drugs in life. He shivered as he felt a creepy zephyr stroking his body unexpectedly from time to time.

His left hand felt so weird, as if he had dipped it into a sticky mess. Puzzled, he raised it up to discover a red lump of sticky liquid bulging from the wound. Shocked, he faltered in his steps as he saw the mess unveiling down his trouser onto the floor. He inadvertently lost balance and crashed against an enormous bookshelf which collapsed with a loud thud, books scattering and crushed under the influence of the accident.

And then, all clicked into his head. He had tried to commit suicide.

“Why am I still here? I was supposed to be free!” Josh demanded to the stars.

The eerie silence hit his sanity hard, the loneliness creeping into his soul. His sanity demanded answers, but he received none.

The Night Library seemed to be mocking Josh for his foolish moves. Everyone kept their distance from the library. Now suddenly it had a visitor who could not handle the harsh reality.

The Night Library offered nothing – no answers, no sound, no smell. No sympathy.

But the Night Library underestimated Josh’s new found will.

“I did not die. I have to honour that.”

“I failed at dying. But I will not fail at living. Not for you, Mama.”

Josh ran down the halls, trying to reach the end of the library to escape through the exit but the halls never ended. It was so long. One might even say… never-ending.

“Wait a minute. Did I not just pass through here? I swear I saw Riley’s book a few minutes ago?” Josh pondered.

He scurried down the aisles once more and stopped dead in his tracks some moments later. Yes. He had seen it again. Riley’s book. That was then that he realised it was a loop.

Josh desperately tried to open the windows, but they would not budge. It was sealed shut. Magically shut?

He could not even break down the windows with the chairs.

It seemed like there was no escape from the grasps of the Night Library. It seemed like his only way to escape would be death…

Josh paced slowly along the halls, trying to spot a possible way out and think of an escape plan when he slipped over a rough stud. He contemplated at his bruises in silent agony.

"Joshua Davis." The name gleamed on the book’s spine, almost taunting him. He hesitated, his hand hovering over it. Could this hold the answers he needed?

“If I read further… maybe I’ll know how to escape.” His voice was barely a whisper, trembling with equal parts hope and dread. But as he reached for the book, the shadows around him seemed to shiver, and a cold gust blew through the aisle. The Night Library was watching.

Day 7490 – Hopeless

It must have been days since I have been trapped in here. I do not know how much time has passed by. I do not know what day it is nor the time. The locals must have realized that I was missing by now. Or not.

I have tried everything: breaking the windows, running down the halls to find the end of the library, breaking the walls… but it seemed as if the library was fighting against my effort. It was defending itself. The Night Library is alive.

…

Josh flipped through the pages in disbelief as he assimilated his bittersweet memories.

Day 31400 – Peace at last

…

I sit among the endless shelves, my beard brushing against my knees. I have wandered for what feels like lifetimes. The Night Library has spared me from hunger and thirst but not from age. My reflection in the polished surface of a book spine reveals hollows where my cheeks once were, lines etched deep into my skin.

I have wandered the halls for so long. Now it’s time for me to go on a sleep, forever. Mom, I am coming to.

“So, I just die here?!” Josh’s voice echoed off the towering shelves, reverberating through the endless corridors. “I don’t even get to finish my thoughts?” He choked on his words, his fists clenching as the weight of despair threatened to crush him. “I will die alone in here…”

His body trembled, not with fear, but with fury—a fire ignited in the pit of his soul. “No,” he hissed, his voice low and venomous.

“No books shall dictate my future!” The rage erupted from him, raw and unfiltered, as he slammed his fists against the nearest shelf. Dust cascaded down in a suffocating haze. “I decide my own future!” Josh roared, his words a defiant challenge to the library itself.

Josh snatched the pages from the book. If the book dictated that he had a bad future, he would write himself a new one. He clutched the blank pages tightly, his grip firm with newfound resolve.

Day 7491 – Hope

…