Darkness

Ch.1: Where the hell am I?

Darkness.

My forehead slammed against something hard. In an instant my body followed suit, the rough collision sending me across the unforgiving floor. For a moment I laid there stunned.

This wasn't right.

The cool floor seeped into my skin, and I felt a spark of fear. Slowly I became aware of the silence. It roared eerily in my ears, weight growing, pushing me against the ground.

It broke. A distant beat. Slow and heavy. Hiding in the beat were other noises: sliding, hissing, metal against metal. A machine? Where was I? I opened my eyes and an eternity seemed to pass: there was nothing, only darkness. For a brief and panicked moment I thought I had gone blind. My gut screamed that this wasn't normal. I knew I was missing something. Something massive. Something bad.

I pushed myself to my knees, and held a hand out, slowly bringing it in until my palm touched my nose. Not even an outline, not a speck of light to be seen. Where in the world was I? How did I get here? I closed my eyes, not that it made much of a difference. My thoughts dragged and twisted as if I was waking from a dream, existing in those few moments before memories rushed back. Perhaps this was just a surreal dream. I would open my eyes and see my bedroom. But the chill brushed against my skin sending goosebumps up my body. It seemed awfully real. There were small things, details. The faint smell of metal hanging in the air, the fine particles on the smooth floor pressing into my palms, and the dull ache of fresh bruises.

This was real. I opened my eyes once more. The images of my room faded into the black with a whimper.

This was real.

"Hello?" I called. There was a faint echo and I shivered. "Is anyone there?" My voice was tiny in the massive space, but something had indeed caught it: some distant wall. I forced myself to stand. Without any bearings, my body swayed. Every ounce of my being told me to sit back down. To wait. To freeze in place, and let darkness dissolve on its own. But I refused.

I wanted out. There had to be a way. I had to wake up.

With arms outstretched I shuffled forward. Each step was distance. Each step was progress. I was removing myself from the dark, from the nightmare I had collided with.

I was in control.

My shoe collided with something. I lurched back, nearly losing my balance. The blackness formed terrifying shapes in my mind. Something was here. Was it alive, was I alone? Could it see me? My whole body trembled and I tried to get a hold on my breathing. I let my mind focus back to the steady beat of machinery. Its rhythm slow and heavy: I was alone here, just me and a sound.

Gathering my courage I crouched, and let shaking hands feel the path in front of me. Fabric brushed my fingertips. I reached out and tested it against my hand, the material felt familiar. Could it be? I pulled it towards me. It was a backpack. My backpack. I held it in disbelief. I must have had it when I...

I froze. When I what? When I appeared here? I forced myself to be still. Slowly my racing heart calmed and the fog in my mind shifted. I knew who I was, I remembered my house, my room, my school. I remembered making breakfast with my Dad. I remembered the final bell. Waiting for my Dad's car to pick me up. My backpack.

Pain rippled in my head as another memory tore through my thoughts: a white tile floor blindingly illuminated by fluorescent lights. Noises. People running. My Father yelling for me.

A flash.

Then darkness.

I clutched my head as the pain receded. I had been at my father's work, his team had been showing off their project. My heart beat faster. I pushed myself to my feet again, nearly losing my balance. Clutching my backpack close, I forced my legs to move forward. My Dad's team had been working on a new form of transportation. He explained to me what he had been allowed to: they were pulling something apart, and piecing it back together in a new place.