Hunted

Chapter Two

Slowly I started to regain consciousness and my eyes gradually opened. Instantly I was blinded by a light directly above me, I gritted my teeth and inhaled sharply as I felt it burn my eyes. Everything was blurry; I blinked hard and squinted in an attempt to observe my unfamiliar surroundings. This was difficult as I still wasn't fully awake, my eyes were feeling heavier than ever and my whole body felt weak. I tried lifting my hand to rub my eyes but soon discovered I couldn't move them. Panic crept in; I couldn't move my arms as they were tightly strapped down to the table I was stuck on. I started to throw my arms about in an attempt to break free from these chains but was unsuccessful. After many painful attempts to free my hands, I quickly realised I was stuck here. I set my head back on the metal table I was laying on, in defeat.

I was awakened by a loud crashing noise next to me which echoed around the small room I was in, I turned my head to inspect but couldn't see much, all I could see was ripped walls running down a long dark corridor. The walls had been painted but they were covered in mould and falling apart, the ceiling was much the same it was uneven with occasional holes. Lights hung from the ceiling swinging back and forth making an eerie squeaking noise sending a shiver down my spine. There didn't seem to be an end to the corridor, however, every time the lights flickered on, even if only for a second, a new area was revealed.

It appeared this place was abandoned, that nobody had been here for years yet I couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched.

I didn't like this place one bit, why was I even here? Maybe someone had saved me from the repulsive creature. In an attempt to get answers I yelled out for help.

"Hello?" I shouted as loud as I could. My voice echoed around the small room I was trapped in and down the corridor but there was no reply. "Hello" I shouted again but this time louder. Again, there was no response.

Frustration kicked in as there was no other sound to be heard other than the sound of my own heart beating and the occasional screeching sound coming from the lights swinging in the corridor.

I scanned the room for any sharp objects that I could use to cut these chains off of my hands. However, my sight was restricted and I could only see to my sides and at the bottom of my feet. The more I struggled the deeper the chains dug in so there was no point trying. A poster at the far end of the room caught my eye, it was pinned to the mouldy wall. It read "Topeka State Lunatic Asylum, spine chilling stories being released years after the asylum was shut down". The bottom half of the poster had been ripped off so that was all that I could read; it was all that I wanted to read.

My mind was racing with questions. Was I safe? Is this real or am I hallucinating? Am I in danger? I didn't want to wait around to find the answers to those questions so I desperately looked around for anything I could use to my advantage. However this was proven very difficult as the only thing in this small room was what looked like a surgical tray. Was I in a surgery room? I looked closer at the objects that were on top of the tray, squinting to get a better view. Panic kicked in when I saw five scalpels all lined up, the blade increasing in size as they went on.

Once again I wrestled the chains digging into my wrists which were now bleeding due to the tightness. It was no good. I decided to scream as loud as my lungs would allow me in hope of someone coming to save me. But nobody was there. Fear began to overwhelm me and I began to sob uncontrollably, the tears stung as they streamed down my cheeks. My breathing got heavier by the second and eventually I was gasping for air. I tried screaming for help as much as I could but no sound was made in response. The silence was driving me insane. I had to get out of here.