Equinox

Chapter 4

 I came to at the sound of a waterfall. A wondrous sound, one many seek out. But one you don't want to hear when you're in a cell with no windows.

Sitting up, I scanned what was going on. The air vent was pouring out water at an alarming rate, flowing over my head and onto the ground. I looked over at Soul, who was already out of his cell, and trying to coax me through the bars. Tears streamed down his face as he begged that another one die.

But I won't die, I'll just wake up in another torture. I'll be fine. But his tears, shaking and uncontrollable tears, convinced me otherwise. I got up, and rushed to the bars. Wading in knee high water, and getting deeper every second, I tried to slip out.

The bars were too thick. They were too close together. Whatever the case, it was designed to keep me in and let him out. I wasn't in my own torture, I was in his. Needing to watch everyone else die, while you have the opportunity to escape. Ragnorak must of really hated him to make him go through this day after day, year after year. Living with that guilt is enough.

"I'm sorry, I can't," I tell him, the water now past my stomach. "It's... It's too close, too thick. It's pointless. You go and save yourself. Just make sure you punch a guard for me, will ya?"

He smiles weekly at my request. Turning back at me, he took one last glance before slipping out into the dry hallway, the water staying locked at the door.

The water was up to my armpits now. I had about an extra three feet before I would be out of oxygen. Plenty of time to think. Always with the thinking.

I looked down at my chest, trying to imagine what would come next. Spiders crawling out of my eyes? A snake instead of a large intestine? I smiled at the thought, but my throat caught when I saw it.

My necklace from the dream.

It was only there for a second, but it was long enough to know that it was real. As real as this, anyway. Solutions to every problem imaginable came rushing into my head at once. Unable to sort them all out, I followed one in particular.

Detailed plans of the cells.

The vents only started producing water right at the exit, which was sadly my cell. Meaning, if I take off the grate, the water should still be coming out of there. There would be something that could fit the screws directly underneath my bed, in a little outcropping where my pillow would be if I slept upside down. I could remove the grate, and enter the vent before the magic wears off in ten minutes, breaking the seal on the vent and the hallway. Assuming I didn't die before then, at which point the magic would be reversed and everything sucked back into the grate.

Taking a deep breath, I dived down as best as I could, which is hard when you're about a foot from the ceiling. The water had stopped increasing at the rate it was initially going through, as though to savor my fear. But I wasn't fearful this time. I was ready for anything they send my way.

I reached the bed and went under, careful to land on my back. Feeling around, my lungs began to ache. Desperate for a breath, I still searched for the key. After agonizing seconds of pointless searching, my fingers wrapped around a key. Clasping them close to my chest, I prayed that the water hasn't overtaken the whole room yet.

My lips almost touching the ceiling, I take my last breath. I had to hurry, or I'd drown before I could even get the grate moved.

Swimming towards the grate, I was pushed back from the force. It was just like the filters at my grandparent's pool growing up. I always wanted to stick my fingers in them, seeing what was causing it to be like that, and they'd just get pushed back.

The memory hit me like a baseball to the gut. Doing my best to ignore it, I used the key as a screwdriver. Taking much longer than I would of liked, I began to loose focus on my surroundings. Within seconds, it had stopped pouring, as my ten minutes of no oxygen began.