On a Rainy Day

1 - The Waking

The rythmic sound of water dripping, which had started as a distant echo, gradually grew louder, tapping on the door of my unconcious mind, pulling me out of my involuntary slumber.

Confusion flooded my mind, half attributed to my drowsiness, the other half emerging from my current circumstances. Putting together fragments from my memory, I jolted up, finally registering the feeling of the biting cold of the floor against my skin. I groaned as a numbing pain slowly crept up to the base of my skull, reaching out for the spot with my right hand instictively.

Panic surged from the pits of my stomach as my eyes struggled to adjust to my dark surroundings. Bizzarely enough, within this darkness, the dripping water served me with an odd sense of familiarity. However, it couldn't counter the countless scenarios that swamped my brain, each more terrifying than the last. But the one question that reigned victorious was one I had witnessed in several thriller fictions.

Where am I?

I felt my breath hitch and my heart pound heavily against my chest, mimicing the throbbing against my head, as I heard a subtle shift of movement, my sense of hearing empowered by the lack of sight. Someone was in here with me, their presence now declared, which made the silence even more omnious and suffocating.

"H-Hello?" I called out meekly into the darkness. My feeble greeting was met with a continuation of the domineering silence.

I waited, my stiff muscles gradually easing as I strained to hear any response. Time seemed to stretch on, each passing moment marked by the slow release of tension from my shoulders. As my breathing fell back into rhythm, my eyes slowly started adjusting to the darkness, fixated on the area from which I had heard the movement.

My mind must be playing games with me.

"How unoriginal." A deep voice echoed, accompanied by a chuckle that completely shattered the fragile calmness that had settled over me. Instantly, I felt a sense of dread coil itself around my heart, the panic once again surging at a rapid pace.

Then, as if a veil had been lifted, my vision finally registered the silhouette of a man seated on a chair, a chill ran down my spine.

***