The Holder of Injustice

In every town in every country on the earth, there is one desolate building on the outskirts of the city which hides a dark secret. It seems to be abandoned, and if you ask anyone in town, it has always been abandoned for as long as they can remember. Sometimes, you can find it there, sitting in decay on the edge of prosperity, but other times, it will be strangely missing. In fact, you may have to come back several times on several different days, possibly for as long as a week, before you will finally be able to find the dilapidated structure.

When you do discover the building, you will recognize it rather plainly. It isn't like other abandoned houses or offices around the town; it is much more imposing, and seems to have simply grown out of the ground, rather than being built.

Go up to the front door, and knock. Do not just walk in, as doing so will lead you to a fate that I shudder to even imagine. If someone answers back telling you to come inside, then do not enter. Turn and run, and never look back. If you ever so much as glance at the building again, then a horrible darkness will come over your eyes, and for the rest of your days, you will be rendered blind by its veil.

If no one replies after you knock three times, then open the door and walk inside. At first, it will seem very dark, but as your vision grows more accustomed to the light, you will see that you are in a clean, modern hospital lobby, completely unlike what you would expect from the building's crumbling façade. You will see people sitting around you in the chairs surrounding you, and they will all turn to stare at you. Do not return their gaze. They may rip you limb from limb if you do.

Go up to the receptionist. Do not look at her face. Just ask if you may speak to "The Holder of Injustice". She will hesitate for a moment, but still, do not look up. If you do, she will shake her head, and you will be trapped in this building for all eternity with evils which not even the darkest depths of hell can fathom. If all goes well, she will tell you to follow her. Do so, still looking away, until she guides you to an elevator and tells you to take it down to the sub-basement. Don't. The elevator is a trap. Instead, politely say, "No, thanks. I'll take the stairs instead."

The door to the staircase is next to the elevator. Follow the stairs down what looks like a mineshaft until you reach the bottom. Do not try to figure out how far down you've gone; you don't even want to know. Don't turn around, either. The stairs are littered with the skeletons of those who did so.

When you finally reach the bottom, there is one long corridor leading to a solitary, rusted metal door. Walk up to it, swallow your fear, and knock. If you hear the sound of something metal scraping the ground, pray that your death is quick. If, instead, you hear someone say, "Come in," then it is safe to do so.

The room behind the door is a pretty normal-looking hospital room, with one exception. There is no medical equipment and no chairs for guests, just a single bed with a girl of about 16 with long, blonde hair sitting down on it. When you walk inside, she will look up at you and smile. This is the Holder of Injustice.

You can ask her anything, and she will talk to you for as long as you like. She is very conversational, but nothing that she says really seems to lead you anywhere or make much sense. She will keep talking to you forever (or at least until you die of dehydration), without leading you anywhere unless you say, "Neither of you deserved this."

At the mention of this phrase, you will stop speaking and her face will turn ashen gray. Her smile will vanish immediately, and tears will start to flow down her face. Do not turn around or say anything, or you will learn what it is like to beg for death. Finally, after a few moments of silence, she will tell you how she and her younger sister came to be Holders and about how terrible their lives were from that moment on. She will warn you that what you seek isn't treasure, but that it is misery and pain. Then, she will show you all of the hate and cruelty in the world; everyone who has ever died for nothing, and every act of terrible destruction wrought for the sake of prejudice. There are atrocities upon which the most terrible dictators of recorded history would frown, and you will see them all spread out before you like pages of an open book. Your love of the human race will falter and fail, and your soul will become a black pit, unable to ever feel joy again.

Finally, when she is finished, ask her for a picture of her sister. The Holder will sigh, reach between the cushions of her hospital bed, and pull out a poorly-developed Polaroid. Do not ask anything else about her sister. A few seconds will pass which feel like an eternity, and then you and the Holder will appear on the street outside, and the building will be gone forever. The Holder will have no idea what just happened, and will simply walk away, looking for someone to help her find her home. Now, she is no longer the Holder, and you are. Looking at the photograph, you can see any distance on the earth, so long as nothing obstructs your view.

This is Object 648 of 2538. If they ever come together, then horrors far worse than those you have just seen will sweep the earth.