Cold walls. Hard floor. Stiff body.
Cris opened her eyes to nothing but darkness, her body propped up against a smooth, metal wall. Confused, she rubbed her eyes and tried opening them again, but was greeted by the same pitch blackness. This wasn't a dream.
Panic began to set in, making her heart pick up speed. How did I get here? She wondered, running a hand through her hair. The last place I remember was falling asleep at... Um...
Oh god, what was her last memory? Her mind came to a complete blank as she tried to focus. Where was I last? Do I have a family? She strived to remember, coming up with nothing no matter how hard she thought.
C'mon... I have to remember something, she told herself. Think Cris, think!
Cris! A small smile crossed her face, despite being trapped in a dark box and having amnesia. At least she knew her name. It was a small victory, but she felt relieved that she wasn't completely clueless.
Creeeeeeeekk... Cris froze at the sound.
Her dark prison moaned as it shifted softly to the right. Suddenly, it shot up at an unbelievable speed like an elevator going a million miles an hour. Cris barely had time to scream before bile rose in her throat.
Right now she knew three things:
Her name was Cris.
She had severe motion sickness.
And she was going to die.
Fear surged through her veins almost as fast as the shaft was rising. Hands shaking violently, she gripped the wall and hoisted herself up, only to fall back down again. She could feel her heart pounding so violently that it threatened to burst out of her chest.
Lying on her back from her fall, Cris didn't bother to get up. She was going to die here, alone and in the dark. She couldn't bear this crazy elevator ride for another second...
And then with a quick jerk, it was all over.
First relief, then dread. Cris's heart sunk as she realized something: this shaft had been taking her somewhere all along, and now she finally reached her destination. But Cris would never, ever agree to riding in that dark box. The only explanation was that someone took her here by force, kidnapping her from the family she couldn't remember. The idea made her beyond hysterical.
Suddenly, with a loud creak of metal, came a small crack of light. The shaft was being opened.
With more metallic screeches, the doors above her were being pried apart. Cris could hear excited chirps of conversation, but too many people were talking at once for her to make anything out.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash as somebody jumped into the shaft with her. Oh god! Are these people my kidnappers? She thought, her blood turning cold. She was still lying on her back from the terrifying elevator ride, so Cris came up with a quick plan:
First, she would play dead. Right now the shaft seemed to be entirely surrounded by people, so her best bet was to have someone drag her out.
Next, she would make a run for it when she was above ground, which hopefully meant she could use the element of surprise to escape.
And finally, somehow retrieve her memory and find a way home without taking the darn box.
