𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐄

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃

METAL CLANKING. That's all I could hear. Different shades of cool colors were flooding beyond my conjunctiva; there was black and there was blue. I didn't know where I was—where I am. But I could feel the metal underneath me shaking, vibrating, and clanking. The metal was cold. Chilling even. I was scared and confused. What was going on? Am I being punished?

I opened my eyes; I couldn't take it anymore. I felt fear. Why was there fear rising in me? Why was I freaking out? I took in my surroundings. There was metal everywhere. I could smell the steel. It was sickening. Suddenly, my stomach began to contract, as did my chest. My chest began to rise up and down rapidly. I was hyperventilating. Why was I hyperventilating? What is hyperventilating? Why am I here?

My body jerked forward, and I landed on my knees and elbows. I was panicking. I felt something sour rising up my chest. It was disgusting. The sourness transferred to my mouth and my tongue. I was throwing up. The liquid escaped the canvas of my mouth and landed on the metal flooring, seeping through the many holes. I began to cough. Cough. Cough. And cough. I couldn't stop coughing. My body felt light. I felt breathless.

I heard whispers of names circle my brain. I felt pain. Betrayal. Disgust. I felt like I was not in my body. Anger coursed through my veins, electrifying my body as I began to yank on the metal flooring. I yanked and yanked—releasing my anger on this place. I let out another cough, encapsulating my hands around the holes of the floor. Suddenly, everything went dark.

.

My body jerked up from the steel I was laid upon. My throat was dry, as was my mouth. I tasted the sourness on my tongue and grimaced. Flickering red shone into my vision despite my eyes being closed. I felt the gravity pull me back onto the bottom of this enclosed place I was placed in. My head hit the steel and I groaned out of pain.

Memories began flooding my brain of when I first woke up. The shaky breathing, the vomiting, and the confusion. I tried to search for any memories that would provide me with intel as to why I was here—in this cage. I felt one. It was so close but yet so far. I couldn't grasp that memory; it was fading away—disappearing into the depths of my brain.

I was getting frustrated. As I opened my eyes once again, I was met with a sudden halt in movement. Whatever I was in had stopped. I began taking in my surroundings once again, but observing as much detail as I could. I was in some sort of metal box. And it wasn't just me inside the box. Accompanying my presence, there were several different boxes and containers—all highlighted by the red that shone down into the cage.

If I wasn't confused and on the edge of freaking out again, I would've called it almost beautiful. Except it was everything but that. I was caged. I was caged inside a metal box that was surrounded by concrete walls. And I had no memories. I couldn't remember anything. My family, my friends, my name. My name! What was my name? Why can't I remember my name?