Thrump thrump thrump. My heart was pounding, threatening to jump out of my chest. My body was limp on 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 franticly, trying to find something. But couldn’t find anything. There was nothing. Just darkness. Everything pitch black.
Wailing, crying, and sobbing sounds drove me awake from my slumber. My eyelids were as heavy as rocks, and I had mustered all the power I had to keep them from closing. I tasted bitterness in 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. 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. I tried blinking the hazy, vague thoughts away, but I couldn’t seem to focus.
I heard footsteps, click click. As if waiting on cue my whole body tensed at the sound. 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 doesn’t. “Hey, there!” A soft and low voice talked. A thread of hope and alarm were jabbed into my body with a needle.
“Do you need my help,” The person asked. 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 around eyes wide, and finally looked at the person. She was a girl. 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 isn’t she surprised to see a chained person? Who is she? And who was crying?
I started walking slowly before I felt an excruciating pain. I looked down at myself and touched the source of pain. My fingers were met with a thick liquid dripping from my knee. Blood. Tears threaten to spill from my eyes. And I closed my mouth shut to stop myself from screaming because, WHERE. AM. I?
A loud, piercing, tumultuous scream filled my ears. I dropped to the floor and raised my droopy hands to my ears, putting as much pressure as I can. Block the sound. Block the sound. Block the sound. I repeated the mantra to myself. The devastatingly pained shriek was agonizing. I looked behind me slowly only to find the girl standing there with a small, tiny smirk on her face. Everything about her felt eerie. From the way she wouldn’t come near me, to her red, sharp nails, up until her weird actions. She doesn’t seem normal. Whatever that normal may be.
I finally took my hands off my ears and stood up weakly, “What? What is it?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around myself.
“I remember my first time here I was just like you,” Her gaze was looking at something far far away. A memory. A sad one. Her eyes look empty, hollow. Goosebumps consumed me like parasites do their hosts and I tighten 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.
“Where are we?” I try to sneak in this question, hoping she doesn’t notice. But she looks at me knowingly.
“Somewhere far. Very far. I hate to break it to you, but you can’t leave here, never.” She spoke darkly. I swallowed slowly as my brain processed. Do I stay, run, or fight?
“Trust me it’s no use,” The girl told me a sad note in her voice. But I ignored her and made my choice.
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 continued running 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 are kids, a lot of kids. Kids chained up and locked. Kids crying and kids chatting. I felt someone’s presence behind me.
I look behind “WHERE AM I??? TELL ME WHAT IS THIS PLACE?” I shout frustrated. None of the kids bother to bat an eyelash at me. What is wrong with this place.
The girl looked down at me, “I told you; you can’t escape.” I felt dizzy, I run my hand through my hair in distress. Slow wet drops fall on my cheek, I touch my face and I’m met with wet tears. My fingers explore my face as I brush my tears, I touch my forehead and its hollow. My eyes dilate. My forehead is hollow? I feel a deep ache in my chest. I gasp at the pain and look around. The girl looked at me sadly, with sympathy. And for the first time she reaches for my shoulder and places her hand there.
“He killed us all,” she said in a low, eerie voice. I look at her hand, and that’s when I notice that her fingers cut through my body.
