Pandora's Box

Chapter 1

NO!!

My mouth opened in a soundless scream, hand rising to stop it but slamming against solid.

Ochi! Ochi! No! I don't want this; I don't want to die! Please, don't!

I threw my hands out, punching, kicking, clawing, my lungs aching as the air I breathed in, gasping for air.

"I-I, I c-aann-aann't-" Wheezing heavily, the panic lashing through me. As if being pulled apart with wax, my eyes opened to groggy darkness, terror lashing around me as I kicked and punched anything in my reach, my lungs begging for air. Panting and gasping, I shimmied up against my small enclosure, scrambling for a hold of anything to claw out of. Something brushed against my legs, my cheeks, something scratched at my lower back, taking a choked scream that made my lungs struggle. With a wheezing cough, I shoved my hand against the wall where my head touched. The wall crumbled easily under my nails as I clawed my way through, desperation pushing me forward, light flitting through, my eyes watering and stinging and I close them, but a surge of desperation pushed as I rolled over onto my stomach, clawing through the narrow tunnel and through the end. My hasty rush pushed me ahead too fast and with a gasp, I fell through the tunnels entrance, landing on my forearms onto flat ground with the crumbled stones cutting against my skin.

On my stomach, air reached me and I drank in heavy gulps of it, my lungs gratefully accepting it all. Once I could breathe reasonably better, my body slumped in utter exhaustion, my breathing shaky, my pulse thundering loudly, sweat dripping along my body, the panic slowly dropping to a terrible chill.

My breathing grew shakier with relief, something warm and wet trailed down my cheek. I shakily raised my hand to it, feelin more wetness run down my cheek and jaws.

Tears. A choked sob, my shoulders trembling without any control, no wonder my sight was blurry. Rubbing my eyes to rid the blurriness and fight the bright light shining down where I lay, a stain on my right hand caught my eye. With a shaky hand I turned my hand around, palm up and the scar - not a stain - stared back at me. Long and the width of my pinkie ran down to the top of my wrist. A long, deep cut I must've gotten when I-

With a cry and jerking out of my laid position, I scrambled to knees, backing away and faced the empty room I was in, light shining through the several windows around the room at the top. I scanned the entire place, especially where the light refused to hit for anyone lurking in the shadows.

Where...where am I?

The grey stone walls were barren except for the wall I just climbed out of. A single empty hole stuck out amidst the wall, the one I just climbed out. Around the tunnel in neat rows were obvious old breaks in the stone, words carved beneath each square. Each square, wide enough for a single person.

Shakily, I glanced down around me where blocks of stone splayed around. Flipping some over, I found a couple words and with pained cry, crumbled against the wall - no the tomb in which I just awakened in.

Pandóra, Theós proikisménos

Pandora, God endowed

Staring at the words, my throat felt hot as did my eyes as I stared at the words and glanced up at the tombs I sat against. With shaky breath, I focused on breathing as I glanced down at my hands, my normal flesh and bone hands. My arms, I touched along my face, neck and along my back, my breathing growing heavier as I took in everything.

I wasn't dead...not anymore.

I slowly opened my palm up again and stared at the scar that stretched out against my hand. The memory lashed out at me, making me cry in pain and terror as if the horrors of that day were happening right now.