It was an awakening like no other; a birth by darkness. Her eyes- set of piercing ice-blue- opened for the first time to the overpowering black abyss of endless, suffocating surroundings.
An unspeakable force weighed down upon her, so strong it were as though all the malice of the human race was contained in its unseen depths.
The girl remained immobile in a crumpled pile, suspended midair. She was afraid to move, wanting to keep as secluded as possible from the indescribably deadly power that attempted to embrace her. She engaged her mind in far-off thoughts- using the power of her sense of self to deter the dark force relentlessly trying to invade the space she occupied.
Yet the power that surrounded her seemed to dislike her presence, as the weight that compressed her body grew greater. She opened her mouth as though to scream out, only to allow darkness to fill her insides and swallow her voice, writhing slowly down her throat like a fat black snake.
The girl felt as though she was going to die; she was an unwanted guest in what appeared to be the realm of Satan himself.
Though she possessed no understanding of the power that held her in such a chokehold, the girl knew she would have to defend herself from it. Her life depended on it.
With the strength of her will she created a mental barrier, pushing out the presence that tried to consume her. She knew her resistance was futile and that the evil force was merely toying with her, holding back the full extent of its power. Still, knowing such a thing was not making her own feeble defences any stronger. With every moment that passed she felt herself weakening slowly, and she could sense that the darkness was piercing her being; crushing against her spirit. It would only take a littlemore to destroy her completely; this much she knew.
She was beginning to forget herself – all of her fondest memories dissolving into nothingness. She didn't want to let go of herself, but giving in seemed so much easier an option than fighting the inevitable. She lost track of who she was and gradually allowed herself to succumb to the greater power, closing her eyes and waiting for her existence to draw to an unfortunate and untimely close.
Glued to the spot and trembling from uncontrollable fear, the girl began to wonder if there were many others to have been swallowed up in this way. Something lead her to doubt that she was to be the first, or even the last.
By now her ankles had ceased to be. It was as though they were numb, but looking down at where the mass of nothingness had reclaimed their place, she knew better than to think so.
It was slowly eating her alive from the feet upwards, and it felt so cold as it claimed her skin, wrapping itself around her so possessively; drawing further and further up, reaching her neck and then higher…and higher…and…
"Hey!"
A voice?
Was she dead?
A hand grabbed hold of her by the roots of her hair and roughly pulled. She gritted her teeth with the pain to her head, screwing her face up into a distorted wince.
Was this some new form of torture, or had she entered hell itself? She groaned, wishing that it could all end sooner and not keep her in limbo.
But then she was free. To her utter amazement her limbs were all perfectly intact, although they felt like jelly as she attempted to move them. Abruptly her eyelids swung open, and she gasped for air. She was alive.
"You…you saved me!" She wheezed, staring up at the eerie dark clothed man who stood before her, entirely covered in a long hooded robe. She was barely able to distinguish him from the darkness in which he stood, at her side.
Although she knew better than to trust strangers, in this bizarre place everything seemed so different. Another human had to be a good sign, and she felt safe when she was near him.
Unexpectedly, her rescuer took her hand in his own, almost shattering her fragile bones in his vice-like grip. He dragged her along behind her, and she submitted willingly, as she had no desire to remain alone in that place.
His strides were large and rapid, and her own short legs had difficulty keeping up as the man paced continuously onward for what seemed like a lifetime. She began to question in her mind whether there even was an exit to this place that seemed to stretch on into the distance as far as the eye could see; miles and miles of empty space.
But then they stopped.
The man made some kind of flowing gesture with his hand, and suddenly a large door appeared in the middle of nowhere. The girl frowned in confusion as she realised that upon peering around the door she could see to the endless blackness on the other side. What good was a door if it did not lead to a room, she wondered, knowing not that she was soon to find out.
The man released her hand and stepped forward towards the door, grasping a firm hold of the aged looking handle. As he opened it, the girl was forced to squint for the brightness of what lurked inside. All she could see was pure untainted white.
"What's that…?" She interrogated.
The man did not answer, he simply stood at the side of the door, signalling for her to step inside.
"Not the talkative type I take it?" She mumbled quietly to herself…before stepping closer to the door. She took small precise steps, dreading what could possibly happen if she stepped into a doorway that led to no earthly room.
She paused, leaning her upper body forward to investigate the doorway. She placed a cautious hand into the whiteness, only to see it disappear before her eyes. She withdrew it instantly, panic-stricken.
She inspected the hand, and it seemed exactly as it always had been; no harm done.
He didn't seriously expect her to go in there? Anything could happen. Thoughts flooded her head of possible realities in which she could explode like a balloon or even disappear completely.
She was frightened; teeth-chatteringly so. In the depths of her stomach, butterflies danced to the tune of her worry.
"I'm…I'm scared…" She blurted out, flushing red.
The dark figure offered no words of comfort. He did however, approach her and place a leather-gloved hand on the bare skin of her shoulder. She shivered at this unreadable gesture, her two enchantingly large eyes peering upwards to search for his face, hidden beneath the hood he wore.
That was when he pushed her. It took her by surprise and she stumbled off balance, letting out a high-pitched squeal as her body toppled forwards. She was going to land right in the doorway.
But then she stopped herself. She regained her footing and was able to pull back to standing. She was safe. Or would have been, were it not for the second push, more forceful this time, knocking her tiny frame directly into the source of her fears.