How Can I Escape?

ONE

Dark.

That is the first thought I have when I wake up. Dark and cold, why is it so cold?

I can't remember a time when I wasn't shivering. My eyes won't focus no matter how hard I try, it's as if there isn't a single ounce of light for miles. No crack in a door nor the sliver of light from behind a window curtain, nothing. I might as well be in a room with no entrances. When I think about how I got here I only come up with blanks. Shifting my thoughts to my other senses, I try to forget just how much I'm freezing. I also refuse to think about what might be waiting for me in the dark.

"-ELLO?!"

Someone is talking.

That is the next thing I think about. It's loud and I don't know how I didn't notice it before.

What do they want? Who are they talking to? I should feel relieved, you know, because I'm not alone here but I can't bring myself to care at the moment. I guess it isn't the most pressing thing to me, trying to figure out where all of humanity went. Instead I kind of space out, I think about what the room feels like.

It doesn't feel big, if anything it feels small but I can't be certain. I don't know where I am, or even what I'm sitting on, only the context clues help me. It is dark and cold, someone is talking, and well, if I let myself get really into it- the air smells like.... rain.

"-ELLO!? IS ANYONE THERE?"

I zone back in and this time I try to listen. The person's voice sounds raw, like they'd been yelling a while and no one had answered yet. I wonder what the rush is, nothing seems to be too wrong. Not knowing where you are can be a bit troubling, I guess. I try to say something back but find there's something in my throat and- I don't remember the last time I spoke. It's quite hard to push out a sound and I suppose I'd never really thought about how difficult it was to talk until now.

The first sound I made, if it can be called that, was more of a grunt than anything. I try again and keep having to clear my voice, I'm sure I don't sound the greatest at the moment.

"-CAN ANYONE HEAR M-"

I don't even know what to say to them really, I should try to be friendly, I don't know this person and I don't want to be on their bad side.

"Uhm, HI!"

Its eerily silent and I'm somewhat afraid that I've scared off a potential companion until-

"OH! HELLO! WHERE ARE WE? WHY CAN'T I SEE ANYTHING??"

I kind of laugh and I swear I don't mean to but this is sort of puzzling, why would I have the answers to these questions? They seem.... well, distraught and I wish I could say that I did have the answer.

"I'm not sure," I take a second to clear my voice again, "to be completely honest. I can't see anything either."

The silence again, until-

"OH. SO YOU'RE TRAPPED LIKE I AM THEN?"

Trapped? The idea hadn't occurred to me, though I guess that is what we are, trapped. No escape. Huh.

"THAT'S SOMEWHAT OF A RELI-"

I wonder if they know that I can hear them fine without all the yelling, I haven't been yelling back to them.

"-EF 'CAUSE I WASN'T SURE IF I WAS ALL ALO-"

" You know you don't have to yell. I could hear you fine if you talked regularly." I don't want to have a conversation if it's going to sound like them trying to get my attention at a concert, like with all of the.... wait, what was a concert anyway?