The metal door refused to budge no matter how hard Kimi threw her weight against it. Her fists pounded the cold surface until her knuckles turned raw and bloody.
"Let me out!" Her voice cracked as desperation consumed her. "I haven't done anything wrong. Why are you punishing me like this?"
The sound of her own voice echoed back mockingly in the suffocating darkness. She pressed her ear against the door, straining to hear any sign of life beyond these walls. Surely someone would walk by. Someone had to hear her cries for help.
But the hallway remained eerily silent.
Kimi stumbled backward, her hands frantically searching the walls for anything that might help her escape. No windows. No light switches that worked. Just endless, consuming blackness that seemed to press against her from all sides.
Her chest tightened as panic began to set in. The air felt thick and stale, making each breath a struggle.
