Picture Perfect

hi guys this is for a regional competition i'm entering in and it would mean the world if you could check it out for me–

For as long as this mosaic stands, I lie immobile. I never should have come down here because now, now I’m cursed to stare up into this nothingness forever. I can’t move, I can’t blink, I can’t breathe. An invisible force keeps me still; no matter how my eyes burn, I cannot shut them. Like the scream frozen in my throat, my lungs burn for the breath I will never breathe again.

How long have I been here? I don’t know. I don’t know.

I’m not dead; I’m not alive.

Just trapped.

_

It was cold, rainy and thundering. I really do hate the city sometimes, thought Cam. His sopping clothes clung to him like a second skin as he and Duke hobbled into the dimly lit lobby, shuddering and dripping. Not two steps inside, Duke shook out his fur and sent water everywhere, meeting his owner’s glare with an innocent grin and a happy wag of his tail.

“Good evening, Cam,” the doorman nodded as they passed.

“You, too, Walter,” he replied and continued through an archway and up the stairwell. They were halfway up the set of stairs when they heard it– screams coming from the basement beneath them. They were high-pitched and blood-curdling, and Duke’s ears stood alert.

What in the world was that? Cam thought. He looked to his dog, whose eyes were locked on the old basement door. Duke slowly stalked towards the source of the screams, his hackles raised and a low growl emitting from his throat. Cam followed him close behind and placed a comforting hand on his back, but Duke didn’t acknowledge him. Cam craned his neck towards the lobby, but Walter seemed to be busy helping a couple of tourists navigate through the twisting, winding city streets. He debated whether or not he should wait for the doorman to finish, but after several minutes of listening to the tortured screams, Cam couldn’t stand waiting around when someone was in trouble.

“Okay,” he mumbled, more to himself than his dog, “let’s have a quick look then.”

He twisted the crusty doorknob, and a sharp creak echoed throughout the empty space. The darkness was thick, black and opaque. It was cold, and it was terrifying, as if every light had been extinguished, and even then, it would be brighter than it was now. Cam ran his hand along the peeling wallpaper for a lightswitch, but his clammy hands only met smooth wall. Flipping on the LED flashlight from his phone, he ran the light across the wall of shadows but still couldn’t make out much of the basement.

“Hello?”

Silence.

“Hello?” he reiterated. “Do you need any help?”

Still, they heard nothing.

He took one step down, and the boards groaned under his weight. Immediately, a frigid darkness seized Cam and Duke’s figures in a strong grip. With every step Cam and Duke descended, the air became increasingly thick, cold and musty; they forced oxygen in and carbon dioxide out, but by the last step, their breaths came out as wispy puffs of air. Cam’s weak flashlight beam did little to dispel the blackness.

“Hello?” His voice wavered.

The quiet didn’t startle him, but a sudden presence behind him did. It breathed heavily in his ear, and Duke began growling even louder than before. Cam started forward, but it followed. Turning in circles, he desperately tried to illuminate whatever it was behind him, but before he could, his foot caught on the corner of a rug, and he tumbled to the stone-cold ground in a heap. Duke was immediately at his side, his wet nose nudging his owner’s shoulder gently, and Cam gave him a pat on the neck to tell his dog that he was alright. He sat up slowly and tugged at the object he had tripped over, revealing an intricate mosaic.