Earsplitting screams cut and echoed through the darkness. Ali took a deep breath and sighed. Her throat was raw, her eyes swollen, and exhaustion was on the brink of overcoming her. She had been screaming for what felt like years. But it couldn’t be that long, right? Had she been trapped for so long? She couldn’t even recall when she was first locked away here. There were gaps in her memory and moments that didn’t make sense. Everything up to the moment she woke up in this dark, lonely, empty place was a blur.
She felt the tears well up again, but what was even the point of crying anymore? No one heard her, and no one knew she was there. It was a miracle she hadn’t already gone mad. She closed her eyes again, even though the darkness behind her eyelids was no different from the hell she was in. But there was some level of comfort with just being able to do that one, simple thing.
She took a deep breath and released. The place had no familiar scents, she noted. Nothing to give her even a hint of where she could possibly be.
She felt a light breeze and opened her eyes to peer into the darkness. That was new, she thought. For a moment she wondered if it was just her imagination. “Maybe I’ve finally lost it.” She whispered. But she hadn’t. She felt it again, only more pronounced this time, and warmer. A welcomed change from the cold air she had grown used to.
“Hello?” She always wondered why people would call out in the dark when they knew no one should be there. But it didn’t seem like such a bad idea now. “Anyone there?” She called a little louder.
She heard the sound of tiny footsteps begin to come her way. As each step grew closer, the heat she felt from the breeze grew more intense. She braced for whatever came, not knowing if this was the person – or thing – that would be her saving grace. Friend or foe.
A small light started to move toward her, but she couldn’t see what was carrying the light or even what the source of the light was. “Please help! I’m stuck here and I don’t know how to get out!”
It didn’t respond, the light kept growing and getting brighter as the figure drew closer. It was almost right in front of her when she began to see that the figure was human – a woman based on the outlines. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden shift in the light, her heart sank. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It was…her.
Alice Valentine 