Control

Prologue

The tendrils of ivy curled around the thin, paper pages of the book and eagerly felt around, devouring the fragile words of the story. They reached out in all different directions in greed, then froze as it touched something warm and alive. It started to curl and take hold as the rest of it searched for something else to take hold of in the safety of the darkness. The plant cringed as it had to get closer to the light of the lamp in order to grab onto more skin. She tried to turn to her other side in her sleep but the strands were a bracelet with a vise-like around her wrist. She moaned in her sleep.

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I flew through the clouds soundlessly, exhilarated and free. Mist sprayed at my face from the clouds as I looked upward at the bright, morning sun. I listened to the early little robins from below singing their songs peacefully. I tried to get a glimpse of the birds under the foliage of the forest below, but to no prevail. I floated on as the trees started to thin out and large rocks would spring up between the trunks and underbrush. I had to work a bit harder to breathe as the air thinned out and the elevation inclined.

The cool, morning wind rushed past; fanning out my hair behind me and sending pleasant goosebumps up and down my arms. I closed my eyes and let whatever force was taking me just, take me. Now I heard hawks cry from above and pictured them circling the crags, looking for their next meal. My eyes snapped open as I realized I could be their next meal. I looked up to the mountain peaks above me and I combed the skies for large wings flapping against the light blue sky. The hawk's cries died down and faded to my right. I let out all the tension from my limbs and relaxed again, but this time a little more cautious. I allowed the gusts of refreshing, icy air take my breath away but listened intently to the sounds around me.

All at once the wind stopped whooshing past my ears and heard water drops echo as they splashed one by one into the darkness. I could barely see a thing as I opened my eyes, but I could just make out a narrow tunnel ahead; which I was flying through at an alarming rate that seemed to be increasing by the second. It felt as if the dank walls were closing in around me and I tried to grab at them to slow myself down but just managed to scrape my knuckles and ended up doing somersaults as I unwillingly hurled myself deeper and deeper into this stale cave. I had no idea what was going on or how this was happening. My body jerked up and then fell against the cave floor.

I lifted my head and looked upward as I scanned the cave encircling me. In the distance I saw light and tried to shakily get up on my feet, but I was too exhausted from my long trip here. I slumped against the cavern's wall in defeat and closed my eyes, waiting for some strength to return. I felt something tickle my wrist and my eyelids ripped open. I peered down through my damp, stringy brown hair at my arm. A small vine growing out of a crevice had just fallen on it. I peered at the fissure on the wall inquiringly. It seemed out of place; a small crack in the otherwise perfectly smooth surface. I gasped as the vine enveloped around my right wrist. I tried to jerk away but it only aggravated the plant more and it fastened even tighter around my wrist. I followed the skinny tendril with my eyes watchfully as it appeared to grow longer about an inch every few seconds and its grip around me dug in even more. I risked trying to cut the vine with my nails and rip it off but it started to curl around the fingers of my right hand and forced my hand into a fist. In a flurry of panic I shot up onto my feet and lunged for the light coming from the end of the tunnel. The green rope just yanked me right back and I fell to the ground, the plant my own personal ball and chain. I could not move my hand anymore as more vines started to creep out of the slit in the wall and seemed to feel around for me.

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I bolted awake in my bed and tried to look down at my hand, but I realized I could not move my head anymore.