I’ve written this short story a year ago and have decided to edit it and repost it.
Thrump thrump thrump. My heart was pounding, threatening to jump out of my chest. My body was limp on the dirty, uneven floor. I was covered in hot sweat despite the chilly breeze around me. My breathing was hard, and I was blinking fast, trying to adjust to the darkness around me. I looked around frantically, trying to find something.
But I couldn’t find anything.
There was nothing.
Just darkness.
Everything pitch black.
Wailing, crying, and sobbing sounds drove me awake from my drowse. My eyelids were as heavy as rocks, and I had to muster all my power to open them and keep them from closing. A foul, bitter taste filled my mouth; and it made me frown in disgust. I made a weak attempt to stand up, only to fall back to the ground with a loud thud.
“OUCH!” I hissed.
All the crying from earlier was put to end. A feeling of dread washed over me; and I examined my body only to find that my legs were chained, and my hands were stuck to my sides thanks to the rope that was wrapped around me like a ribbon around a gift box. Blinking away the hazy vague thoughts that had consumed me, proved difficult. For some reason I couldn’t seem to focus.
I heard footsteps, click click. As if waiting on cue my whole body tensed at the sound and I became alert. Who is here? Am I not alone? My index finger started scratching the skin around my thumb, the action soothing my growing anxiety. I closed my eyes and hoped for the feeling of haziness to return, but to my disappointment it didn’t. “Hey, there!” A soft and soothing voice greeted. A thread of hope and alarm were jabbed into my body with a sharp needle of suspicion.
“Do you need my help,” The person asked from above. I didn’t respond and this prompted them to bend down and untie the rope around me and unchain my legs. “There you go,” the person said. I looked up with my eyes wide, and finally took the person in. She was a girl. One with soft features. She dressed in a familiar dress, but no matter how much I searched my brain, I couldn’t pinpoint where I saw it. I stood up and stumbled on my feet, the girl moved to help me but thought better of it.
“Who are you,” I asked, lips trembling. She shrugged, “That’s not important.” Trepidation swallowed me whole. Something was wrong. Why wasn’t she surprised when she saw me in this state? Who is she? And who was crying?
I started walking slowly before I felt an excruciating pain. I touched the source of pain, somewhere around my knee, my fingers were met with a thick liquid. Blood. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes. My mouth tightened with frustration, anger and other dark emotions I usually stirred away from. WHERE. AM. I?
A loud, piercing, tumultuous scream filled my ears. Immediately, I dropped to the floor and raised my droopy hands to my ears, putting as much pressure as I could.
Block the sound.
Block the sound.
Block the sound.
The mantra repeating in my head, was my only salvation. The devastatingly pained scream was agonizing. I looked behind me slowly only to find the girl standing there tensely but a small, tiny smirk painted her face. Everything about her felt eerie. From the way she wouldn’t come near me, to her weirdly familiar dress, up until her peculiar and unexplainable actions. She doesn’t seem normal. Whatever that normal may be.
Finally the last note of the agonized scream quietened, so I lowered my hands off my ears and stood up weakly, eyes glistening from the pain I felt from the loud cry, “W-What was t-that?” I whispered as I wrapped my arms around myself.
Ignoring my question, the girl, whose name I still didn’t know, shared, “I remember my first time here, I was just like you,” Her gaze was looking at something far, far away. A memory. A miserable one. Her eyes look empty, hollow. Goosebumps consumed me like parasites do their hosts and I tightened my grip around myself.
“The loud voice disturbed me,” She spoke.
“Not anymore?”
“No, not even the changes in the weather now bother me,” she says spookily. And I noticed- for the first time- how the dress’ thin straps don’t fit the cold weather around us.
“Where are we?” I asked, trying to pry off answers about our whereabouts. She looks at me knowingly.
“Somewhere far. Very far. And I hate to break it to you, but you can’t leave here, ever.” She spoke darkly, a subtle hint of warning in her tone. She was looking at me, no, looking through me, as if she was reading me and knowing exactly what I’m going through. I swallowed slowly as my brain processed.
Do I stay, run, or fight?
As if reading my brain she said, “Trust me, it’s no use.” The girl’s voice could’ve been mistaken as slightly angry but she just looked resigned to me. I ignored her warnings and made my choice.
I ran.
I was breathing hard, and my heart was pounding. I ran as fast as I could. I ran till I felt heat in my head, I ran until all I saw was red.
I stopped in place. I looked around, and my whole body broke down into a tremor. A non-stop tremor. Around me were teenagers, a lot of them. Teens chained up and locked. Others were crying and some chatting. I felt someone’s presence behind me. I tensed then turned around slowly.
Looking behind I hissed in frustration, “Where am I? Tell me what is this place?” I was only met with silence and a hard glare. It didn’t escape me how the girl caught up to me even though I ran so fast and she didn’t even look like she ran one bit. No sweating, no short breaths, she was as calm and collected as when i’d first seen her. “Where am I?” I shouted. The people looked at me in boredom, as if my outburst was a norm they’re used to. What is wrong with this place?
The girl looked down at me, “I told you; you can’t escape.” Overwhelm filled every pore in my body and I felt dizzy. I ran my hand through my hair in distress. Slow wet drops fell on my cheeks, I touch my face and I was met with wet tears and dense blood. I wiped the tears and blood from my face, when my fingers moved up to another source of throbbing. My forehead. But as soon as my fingers touched the throbbing spot, I froze. My eyes dilated, my breathing turned shallow and my hands shook- my whole body broke into another tremor. The painful spot at the top of my head was hollow. I had a hollow circle in my forehead. I was not yet done processing this realization when I felt a deep ache in my chest. I gasped at the pain, my hands finding my heart and clutching my shirt above it for dear life. Slowly and painfully I tried glancing around. The girl from earlier gave me a sad look, one full of sympathy.
My brain lit up despite the excruciating ache in my chest. That dress. I now know where I’ve seen it. It was what his latest victim wore and what the police found her in the next day.
I looked at her with my newly found recognition, and for the first time she reached for my shoulder and placed her hand there. Sympathy and sadness oozing off her.
I looked at her hand, and that’s when I noticed that her fingers cut through my body like a ghost.
It was really her.
His latest victim.
No- she wasn’t his latest-
.
.
.
I was.
