A Taken Life

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Crystal

It was all dark. Too dark. I was totally consumed in pitch black darkness that seemed to wrap around me. I couldn’t see anything, it was just black. But how could that be? I was standing here, wherever here was, and looking around. It was like I was standing in a pitch black room with no light. But there were no walls. It was just infinite darkness.

Was I dead?

After all I had been stabbed and there’s no way somebody would have found me and got help. Yep. I was dead.

But where was I. Was this the afterlife. It couldn’t be heaven surely. Heaven, you think, was full of light, goodness and purity. This certainly was no heaven. Maybe it was hell. After all it was dark. But where was the fiery furnace of hell and the torture everybody feared after they died. Also what had I ever done to deserve to go to hell? Nothing, I hoped.

Perhaps this wasn’t heaven or hell. Maybe it was purgatory, where I would wait until it was decided whether I would go to heaven or hell. The question was where would I end up?

As if answering my questions a blinding flash of light erupted from beside me, sending me staggering backwards. I shielded my blue stinging eyes, bewildered by the light. After the brightness and the stinging in my eyes faded I cautiously peered over the top of my arm.

The bright light seemed to look like an engaging doorway. I don’t know why but I seemed to be drawn to it, as though I was being sucked in to it like a vacuum. I just wanted to touch it, and to walk through it. Slowly I lowered my arm to my side and glared intently at the light doorway. I was transfixed. So, my curiosity taking over me, I reached out and edged slowly forward towards it. My fingers were inches away from its dazzling light until...

Suddenly my legs went from underneath me and I was falling. Falling through endless darkness. What was going on? I had no idea. I was just falling. Falling away from the light. Falling into... Nothing. I was falling deeper and deeper down, but I had no idea where. Was I going to hit the floor, if there was one, or would I just fall endlessly.

My heart suddenly leapt in my chest. It was like one of those moments where you’re asleep and then your heart jumps and you wake up. Instantly my eyes shot open and blinked against the light of a nearby warm burning fire. My head was banging like a sledge hammer and I had to press an aching hand to my forehead. For some reason I couldn’t recall the day before, or anything for that matter. Except for that weird dream. Where had I been anyway? And what was that strange light?

Hold on a minute. Where was I now anyway. Cautiously I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around. The scene was unfamiliar to me so abruptly I sat up right and glanced around. Where was I? I seemed to be in what looked like a cave. It was cold dark and damp and in the middle of nowhere. There were flamed torches hung up on the walls and red fire in the middle of the rock made room seemed to cast a warm creepy looking glow

It was only now that I realised I was totally freezing cold and that I desperately needed the heat from the fire. I dithered and shook violently in the cold night breeze and I hugged myself closer to my body. Also I noticed that there was an old ripped blanket draped over my goose bumped shoulders and arms. So using that to my advantage I wrapped it tighter around my fragile body trying to get as much warmth as I possibly could.

I looked around some more before peering to my left and I noticed that I wasnt too far away from the caves entrance. No wonder this place was so cold. I couldn’t stop the curiosity anymore. I just had to know where I was. So slowly and steadily I rose to my feet taking small steps, pain hurting my body with every step I took. Finally I managed to peer out to the darkened world and notice that I had no idea where I was. I noticed that outside the mouth of the cave it was a beautiful night with stars and a glowing full moon. The cave must have been set in a cliff, I guessed, because there seemed to be a green clutter of trees which made up a forest below it. I was so high up and I thought I would faint from the fact of being to high.