The Last Memory

The room was cold, the walls bare except for a single window, which was too high to reach. The air was thick with the scent of old books and something else, something that seemed to whisper in the shadows. Maria, the woman lying on the bed, felt a shiver run down her spine. She opened her eyes and tried to sit up, but her body was unresponsive, as if it had been immobilized for days.

"Maria, you need to get up," a voice echoed in her mind. It was a voice she knew, yet it seemed distant, like it was coming from another place, another time.

She tried to move her hands, but they wouldn't respond. Her mind was a blank, save for one memory, a memory that was as vivid as it was terrifying. She was in a room, a room she knew all too well, and a man stood before her, his face twisted in a monstrous grin.

"Maria, you need to remember," the voice commanded. "You need to find the key."

The key to what, she wondered. She searched her mind, but there was nothing. No name, no face, no memories of who she was or why she was here.

She looked around the room, at the objects that were scattered about. A photo frame, a broken clock, a small, ornate box. Her gaze fell on the box, and she felt a strange pull towards it. She reached out, her fingers brushing against the cold, metallic surface. The box opened with a click, revealing a small, ornate key.

"Maria, you need to use this key," the voice urged.

Maria's heart raced as she stood up, the key in her hand. She walked over to the window, but it was sealed, the only exit a door at the far end of the room. She approached the door, her hand trembling as she turned the key. The door creaked open, and she stepped into a long, dark hallway.

The voice in her mind grew louder, more insistent. "Maria, you need to find the truth. Time is running out."

She moved forward, her footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. The walls were lined with doors, each one numbered. She reached the end and turned left, her heart pounding in her chest. The door she pushed open led to a room filled with books, each one more worn and ancient than the last.

In the center of the room was a desk, and on the desk was a piece of paper. Maria approached it, her eyes scanning the words written in a strange, unfamiliar script. She read the message, and her world shattered.

"You are not who you think you are," the message read. "You are the last of the Lineage, the one who must prevent the End of Days."

Maria's mind raced. The Lineage, the End of Days. What did it all mean? She turned back to the door, the key still in her hand. She had to go back, to the room where it all began.

As she turned the key, the door swung open, and she stepped back into the hallway. She moved quickly, her mind a whirlwind of questions and fear. She reached the door at the end of the hallway, but as she turned the key, it wouldn't budge.

"Maria, you need to use the key," the voice echoed in her mind. "Time is running out."

Maria looked down at the key, then at the door. She took a deep breath, and with a determined look in her eyes, she drove the key into the lock. The door gave way with a loud, final creak, and she stepped through into a room bathed in moonlight.

In the center of the room was a large, ornate mirror. Maria approached it, her reflection staring back at her. She saw the face of a woman she didn't recognize, a woman with eyes that held the weight of the world.

"Maria," the voice whispered. "You are the key to saving us all."

Maria looked down at the key, then back at her reflection. She knew what she had to do. She reached out, and with a final, determined gesture, she drove the key into her heart.

The world went black, and Maria felt a strange warmth spread through her body. She opened her eyes, and the voice in her mind was gone. She looked around, and the room was gone, replaced by the familiar sight of her own home.

She was sitting on the couch, the key still in her hand. She looked at it, then at the photo frame on the table. The photo showed her, a young woman with a man she didn't recognize. The man's eyes met hers, and she knew.

She was the key to saving the world, the last of the Lineage. And she had done it.

Maria looked around the room, at the familiar sights. She felt a sense of peace wash over her, a peace she hadn't felt in years. She knew she had a long road ahead, but she was ready.

She stood up, the key in her hand, and with a determined look in her eyes, she walked out the door, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

The End