Pitter Patter...
My eyes burst open—burning, searing with a stabbing pain like blades piercing through. They dart around, cracked and dry, erratic. My breath comes ragged and heavy, a faint wheeze echoing with each gasp for air, every one more painful than the last. My chest heaves, begging for relief. My eyes scan the surroundings, desperate for anything to ease my misery.
My mouth... my lips... the pain is excruciating, like a million needles. Blood trickles down my chin, seeping through broken, chapped lips and unseen wounds. I scream in agony for what feels like an eternity, my grotesque cries echoing above and beyond. They don't last long—silenced into whimpers as the last of my strength drains from my trembling legs.
Silence. Ominous, yet... peaceful.
I lie there, each breath a mountain of effort, ensuring it isn't my last. My chest aches with every rise and fall. My mind is empty, a crushing force tightening around my skull, throbbing at the temples.
"Death doesn't seem so bad."
That's the conclusion I come to in that moment of overwhelming pain and confusion.
But then—my eyes, long since abandoned in my torment, give me a lifeline. The glistening of light catches them, flowing down the green moss-bedded stone walls of my prison.
"Water..."
Like a rabid dog, my limbs scramble against the ground. My nails grind into the rocky floor as I muster every ounce of strength, slipping, collapsing, yet pushing again and again. My nails bleed, crimson droplets lining the stone, dirt and gravel wedged beneath them. But in my desperation, I feel no pain—only the thought: Water. I mutter it over and over like a madman, until I finally gain enough purchase to lunge toward the glistening light, praying my eyes don't deceive me.
Fumbling forward, swaying like a collapsing tower of cards, my bleeding hands press against the wet wall. My tongue darts out, unbothered by disgust, thoughts occupied only with the sweet relief of water. Cool rivulets soothe my lips, washing the blood from my mouth. I close my eyes, and though I wish to weep, no such precious tears remain. I lap at the moss, drinking as long as I can.
My relief is short-lived.
A dazzling white flash floods the room, followed by a garbled sound and a searing heat stabbing into my chest. I stumble backwards, falling hard. Clutching my chest, I grit my teeth—the burning pain fierce but bearable. The light shines brilliantly, illuminating my confinement for a fleeting moment before dimming, like a candle snuffed in the night. Darkness swallows me again.
I remain still, unsure what to make of it. My head feels heavy, clogged, my body swaying before I collapse flat onto my back. A distinct thud echoes through the ground as my eyelids grow heavier. Drowsiness, almost blissful, overtakes me. With a helpless sigh, I let my consciousness fade. My small, wretched world dissolves into black.
"Hello, Mister! ...Can you wake up?"
My eyelids flutter open. My eyes search for the source of the childish voice that pulled me back. I lie sprawled on the floor, haunted by flashes of my torment moments before.
My body feels numb. Lifeless. As if severed from all sensation. An invisible weight presses on my chest. My fingers twitch uselessly at my sides as I fight to command my battered frame.
"Get up. Get up."
I order myself, grunting as I force my body upright. Every movement demands herculean effort. My hands clutch at my throbbing head, the lingering pain like a thousand nails hammered into my skull.
"Ughh... bloody hell," I mutter, pressing my forehead.
Wait... wasn't I bleeding?
I jerk my arm back, examining my fingernails—still broken, scarred, but healed. My trembling fingers brush across my lips, bracing for torn flesh, aching wounds. Nothing. Only skin. Scarred, but whole.
"What is... how... why?"
My mind spirals, questions racing without answers. My gaze drifts left, to the faint light spilling from the opening of my cell. My eyes adjust, faintly making out another cell across the narrow corridor.
"I'm not the only one?"
I whisper, scrambling weakly to my feet, nearly toppling. A spark of energy replaces my dread.
"Hello?"
My raspy voice echoes through the damp corridor, swallowed by the stone. Only the chittering of rodents replies, their tiny claws scratching in the dark.
I sigh, part disappointment, part relief. My gaze falls on the rusted bars of my cell—decayed, streaked with moss, like the ribs of some long-dead beast.
"A dungeon... a prison maybe?"
Giving up on answers, I focus on myself. I drag my feet, pacing slowly. My fingers run through my long, unkempt black hair, wild and cascading past my waist. My ribs jut from my chest, threatening to tear through the skin.
"Clearly I've been here a long time... and CLEARLY, I wasn't fed all that well."
"I?"
The word stabs deeper than the pain.
"Who am I...?"
Panic gnaws at my thoughts. A criminal? Why was I imprisoned?
A loud growl silences my spiraling questions. My stomach churns, the beast within demanding food, not answers.
I scan the cell desperately. Nothing. Moss clings to the walls, but I know better than to trust it.
"Guess the only way is out."
I mutter, steeling myself despite my frail body. Stretching my limbs, I lock eyes with the iron bars and rap my knuckles against them. A sharp metallic clang rings out. Flecks of rust crumble, scattering across the cold stone.
I step back. Muscles coil. I draw a deep breath. The trickling drops of water mark the countdown.
Drip... drip... dr—
I lunge. My shoulder slams into the bars with a brutal crunch, pain exploding down my arm.
Silence.
The bars groan, joints screaming under the strain. Then—
A crack. A shudder.
With a deafening roar, the structure collapses, dust and rust erupting in a choking cloud.
I stagger back, clutching my shoulder, my chest heaving. Sweat trickles down my temple as I stand, bathed in the dim flicker of light.
"Shit... definitely broke something."
I mutter, staring at my limp arm as I stumbled my way out the cell.
I freeze as my eyes roam over my surroundings.
Both ends of the corridor stretch into shadow, torches flickering faintly along moss-clad walls. Cells line either side as far as I can see, a dusty brown carpet stretched beneath my bare feet running along the length of the corridor.
"What... the...hell."