Frenzied (Book I)

I walk downward. My feet propelling me further and further down the spiral stairs. The flickers… the red flames the candles hanging on the stone wall of the corridor cast, barely give enough light to see two feet in front of you. A gong sounds echoing through the vacant corridor, making me shield my ears with the palms of my hands. The shrill cry of the metal bending and reverberating causes a brief but effective shock of pain in my body.
My eyes widen as I realize that if I don’t quicken my pace I’ll be late. No… I-I can’t be late! I scream in my head. My feet pound on the solid stone steps; jolting my body up and down, I keep going down… down further than the light shines. My breath come out ragged, and burns my aching lungs as each new gulp of stale air flows down my throat. I keep my eyes steady and focused on making my way down the small stone steps, which get smaller and smaller with each passing flight.
My eyes meet a brighter light than they were accustomed to in the bleak darkness of the stairwell, when I burst through the large black doors to the meeting hall of the Blocks. “It’s nice of you to join us, Fayt.”