Random Writing

Dark

She feels for the lock in the dark. She knows it is there, it is just a matter of finding it.

The damp darkness reveals little. It will be up to her other senses to find the way out. She was tossed against the far wall from the door- that much she remembers. And so that is where she will start, slowly tracing the dirty walls with her calloused, bleeding hands.

For a while, there is nothing but rock solid wall slowly eating away at her palms, but then something different rubs against the raw skin. Cool and smooth and metallic to the touch, the girl takes hold of what she believes to be the lock. She reaches behind her head with her free hand and pulls free a single bobby pin.

Jamming the end into the small keyhole, she wiggles it around. She can feel something moving inside the lock and hopes that she is close to opening it.

A soft click is heard over the sound of her raging heartbeat. Silently the girl rejoices. The bobby pin falls to the floor as the door is, ever so slowly, pushed open.

Light floods the room causing the small girl to flinch. She slams her eyes closed against the obtrusive glow but doesn't give herself long to adjust. She knows that she does not have the time.

As she peels open her eyes, the world comes into a fuzzy focus. A torch is in its hold on the far wall casting that brilliant glow. The walls of the hall are the same as the walls of the cell. At least as far as she can tell. The rough stone is covered in mossy growths and drippings of water and some other liquid the girl can only guess to be blood.

She climbs to her feet and nearly collapses. Her legs are like jelly from disuse. Taking a deep breath, she leans on the walls for support and, pulling the torch from its hold on the wall, presses on.

The corridor stretches on for what seems like miles before anything else appears and when it does, it is nothing like what she expected. The door ahead of her is the only other thing in the hall beside her door. Of course, her door blended in with the wall seamlessly while she was inside, what's to say it's not the same on the outside. And if so, how many others are being kept prisoner down this same hall. She casts a glance behind her and after just a moment turns forward and keeps going.

This new discovery, the only visible door, seems to be made of some white stone or metal. It stretches from wall to wall, ceiling to floor, with no cracks or blemishes on the surface whatsoever. She takes a step forward, wondering how it opens, when a deep rumbling starts in the ground beneath her feet.

She leaps away from the door in surprise as the rumbling grows into an enormous creak and the slab of metal beings to disappear into the ceiling. The girl watches in shock. It is all she can do. Never has she seen something like this- at least that she can remember.

As the door disappears, more and more of the room beyond is revealed. From what she can see, the room is just a continuation of the hallway- stone walls dotted with the occasional torch- except, it's larger. Much larger.

Taking a cautious step forward, careful not to make too much noise, she peers into the enormous cave. The roof of the cave is at least three stories up and the walls are just as far apart. She drops the torch, for there is no reason to keep hold of it. There is something in the ceiling letting in more light than she could ever need.

The ground rumbles again and she spins around, facing the door. Just as it rose into the ceiling before, the opposite happens now. The slab of metal descends to the ground and a hollow click sounds once it has nestled into place.

Panicked, she runs toward the door. What now? She asks herself. Am I stuck in here? How do I get out? She pounds on the door hoping it will open again. She is pleasantly surprised when it opens after only a few hits. She backs up and watches it ascend into the ceiling.

With the mystery of the motion censored door solved, she sets her mind to exploring the large cavern at her back. Slowly she turns around again and comes face-to-face with the instrument of her nightmares.

Once, his face brought memories of happiness and joy. Now it brings fear and dread. She gulps as he smiles at her.

"You're awake." He looks her up and down and she can't help but blush under his scrutiny. "What happened to your hand?" he reaches down and takes her hand into his much larger one.

She flinches as he turns it over to inspect her palm where the rough stone walls of her prison cut into the soft flesh. Frowning he reaches into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulls out a small handkerchief. He gently dabs it on the wound causing the girl to hiss in pain. Their gazes meet, his filled with curiosity, hers with worry.

He drops her hand and takes a step back. "You shouldn't be out yet." He doesn't meet her gaze and instead stares at the ground.

"But I am," she says, her voice scratchy and hoarse from so long in silence. "And I'm not going back."

He shakes his head. "You must. You aren't meant to be out yet. You aren't even meant to be awake."

Again she says, "But I am." Her voice cracks and she clears her throat. "And unless you are going to physically force me back, I am staying here."

"Fine," he says. "Answer me this one question and you can stay." He pauses to give her time to object. When she doesn't he continues. "What is your name?"

The girl ponders his question. What is her name? She knows that she has one for she must in order for him to ask this question, but she can't recall it. Come to think of it, she can't remember much at all. Only the dark cell and the person who placed her there in the first place. She meets his challenging gaze with one of her own.

"Michelle," she lies struggling to keep her voice even. "My name is Michelle."

The boy shakes his head. "No," he says. He pulls something from his waistband and that is the last thing she sees before the world goes dark once more.