Prologue

The darkness, the fear. Is there an escape?

Prologue

 

Darkness, that's all there was. The rest of the world ceased to exist, vanished as though it had never been more than a fleeting thought after a child has awoken from a dream. Not a glimmer of light was let into the room, if that's even what this prison could be called. Although it might be plausible that there were simply no windows to let in the light, there was still the question of whether the garish sun or eerie moon dominated the sky. Was it daylight already, or was the moon smiling over the innocent who slept in their warm beds? Too many questions, and not nearly enough answers.

 

Dark panic surrounded her, like a slick velvet coat, wrapped tight against her trembling body. Maybe I’ve gone blind, she thought to herself, and that’s why everything seems so dark. Surely darkness this black couldn't be natural. The thought wasn't nearly as comforting as she had hoped it would be. Maybe I just haven’t opened my eyes yet? she considered. But she could feel herself blinking, and was forced to rule that option out as well. Maybe the hospital had lost power and the generator wasn't working. That would explain why the emergency back-up lights hadn't come on. She just needed to be patient and wait to be told what to do, or what was going to be done to remedy the situation. Someone would come in and check on her soon; she just had to sit tight until then.

 

It was then she realized she was in a sitting position already, which was strange. She didn't remember sitting up. Shouldn't she have been lying down in her hospital bed? Logic told her that she should be, were she still safe there. She cautiously reached her hand out, testing her surroundings, to see if she could feel the edge of the dresser that should have been against the wall next to her. There was nothing to grab a hold of, no bed rails or dresser. In fact, during her arm’s length exploration, she found that she wasn't even in a bed. Beneath her, her fingertips grazed hard, cold stone. It felt gritty and coarse, like she was sitting on concrete or cinder blocks. She was propped up in a corner on the floor; she could feel two walls meeting at her back through her thin hospital gown. Perhaps, since she was still in her hospital garments, she had been moved to another part of the hospital. That didn't explain why she no longer had the IV drip hooked up to her hand, or why she was no longer in a bed.

 

She strained her eyes and ears, hoping for something that would give away her location, but it was as silent as it was dark. With the walls at her back, she knew she had to be in some sort of closed structure, even if it wasn't the hospital. Buildings have doors, she thought, which mean there’s a way out. The only question was, could she find it? She was surprised that she wasn't bound and was able to move her hands and arms. She wasn't sure why someone would go through the trouble of taking her from the hospital, then leave her in a room untied and able to escape.

 

When she tried to stand, she felt a sharp stabbing pain in the back of her head. She reached up to feel the spot but didn't notice anything unusual. There was no bump, nor did it feel wet with blood. Despite the lack of evidence, she wondered if someone had hit her in the head. Perhaps she had she been drugged. She had been in the hospital after all; maybe someone had been able to get a hold of something to keep her unconscious. Using the wall at her back for support and a hand flush against each wall, she slowly slid her body upright. The new perspective of her prison didn't provide any more light.

 

With adrenaline coursing through her veins, she pushed away from the wall and propelled herself a few steps forward. Screaming, she stumbled back into her corner, collapsing back onto the ground. With tears streaming down her face, she reached towards her feet. Biting her bottom lip, she felt along the sole until her fingers gingerly bumped against a jagged edge. Feeling her way against the protruding object she realized it was much smaller than the sensation it produced. After taking several deep breaths to brace herself, she pinched her fingers together along the smooth surface and pulled the shard of glass away from her skin.

With a cry of victory she threw the glass aside. Her triumph was short-lived, however, when during further exploration of her feet she discovered at least a dozen other pieces of glass embedded in her soles. They ranged from slivers to large shards. Feeling defeated, she slumped back against the wall, slightly rapping her head against the cool surface. "Just great," she muttered with a sigh of resignation.

 

Above her head, she heard a slight crackling noise. Cocking her head to one side, she tried to discern its source. A few seconds later, the sound transformed into a loud buzz that seemed to make the whole room vibrate. The buzzing began to get higher and higher until it became so piercing that she thought it would puncture her ears, melt her brain, and make it leak out of her damaged ears. The sound made her want to crawl out of her skin. Covering her ears did nothing to keep out the sound that pierced at her eardrums.

As suddenly as the sound had started, it stopped. She was panting, her hands pressed tight against her ears. "What do you want from me?" she shouted into the silence.

 

She wasn't really expecting an answer, which is why the one she received was especially surprising. "I want to see how long you can survive."

Author's Note

Please keep in mind, this is a rough draft.

Reviews

[J.J. Felton]

Hey everyone, I'm going to put up some revised chapters! These are still works in progress, as I know it might take some more to fix them! :) The new prologue will be up by the end of the day. :)

[Norma M Sutton]

Gads . . . that last line is NOT a good thing to hear.

[Calypso]

This is good.

[patricia]

oh this was good! it had me curious all the way through, trying to work out the possibilities of where she was. flawless write, different too. Great write.