𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 - ʰᵖ

17.

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SEVENTEEN:
LOCKED DOORS

    Free falling through darkness wasn't as scary as Elsie thought. In fact it was almost peaceful.

    It lasted only seconds, but Elsie enjoyed it none the less.

    But her temporary peace soon ended as she landed harshly on a firm, yet bouncy substance.

    The girl grunted and looked around for her friends, luckily they were lying near her. Elsie narrowed her eyes and examined their cushion.

    It seemed to be a sort of plant, with black vines and leaves. "Woah, lucky this plant things here," Ron sighed in relief.

    "Yeah," Elsie grunted trying to stand, but something wrapped around her ankles and wrists, holding her down. "Woah!"

    "Elsie!" Someone called for her but the plant had forced her on her back, all she could see was up. "Help!" She cried struggling against the plant.

    "Stop moving, all of you. This is Devil's Snare. You have to relax. If you don't, it will only kill you faster." Hermione ordered.

    Elsie sputtered at the girls words, "I'm sorry, what!"

    "Oh now I can relax!" Ron bellowed.

    From somewhere in front of her the vines stopped moving. "Hermione!" Harry and Ron shouted.

    "Whats happening?" Elsie cried trying to sit up but only succeeding in becoming more tangled in the vines.

    "She fell through the vines!" Harry called back.

    As Elsie attempted to speak again a vine wrapped tightly around her throat, cutting off her air.

    The girl felt her self begin to panic, her vision blurred and her lungs screamed for air.

    Elsie had experienced fear before, but for the first time she feared for her life. What if this was how she died? What if she never saw her family again?

    Elsie choked and thrashed, but she was running out of energy.

    From miles away Elsie could hear her friends screaming for her. But Hermione's voice was the one that stood out the most. "Elsie you need to relax! Stop moving!"

    Elsie prayed that her friend wouldn't fail her now. She stopped moving and squeezed her eyes shut.

    To her surprise the vines stopped squeezing, instead they began to retreat away. Soon Elsie was free falling again.

    This time she landed on a harder surface, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.

    As soon as she was free from the vines Elsie gasped for air. Her eyes were blurred and her head pounded. She coughed until she was hoarse.

    Someone patted her back unsurely, "You alright?"

    It was Harry.

    Elsie coughed once more before climbing to her feet. "Yeah,"

    She looked around and saw Ron and Hermione breathing heavily and staring at the others with wide eyes.

    "You almost died!" Ron gaped.

    "I'm okay now," Elsie smiled weakly before examining their surroundings. The vines slithered above them, but didn't make any more lunges. They now stood in an empty room, the only object was a wooden door.