This story does not belong to me, neither does the song or title of the fic.
The room is pitch black with a faint clanking of chains in the background. The room is always black, until she opens her eyes.
That's when she starts to shriek and scream until her throat turns raw and she's lost the ability to make any noise above a whimper.
She screams every time she opens her eyes and everyone else knows it is pointless – they aren't ever leaving this place. This hell. It's a concrete room with chains for ankles and wrists. Sometimes even a neck. Each person is positioned so they can see everyone else in all their "glory." The blood fills nostrils until someone starts to gag at the stench.
Every time she opens her eyes she pulls at her hair and claws at her own face. They sit and watch as she slowly goes insane and turns inside out. Her hair becomes thin and wispy, her cheeks are hollow scars. Blood pools around her hands against the cool ground, but they all know it's self-inflicted.
Whenever the door scrapes open the men clench their jaws and the women curl into balls. All except her – she just watches with wide-eyes as they torture everyone one-by-one. They always save her for last now.
After a few hours the door shuts and the room goes silent once more. But sometimes she whispers as she leans against the wall and stares blankly at her lap, sometimes she mumbled for him to appear and save her. He never does.
Every day is exactly like the one before. No one knows how long they'd been there. One girl tried to keep track with her blood on the wall, but after a while the sight made her sick. No one knows how long they've been trapped.
They are fed a slice of bread or two every so often, one boy guessed about every two days. Depending on the guard they may have also had moldy cheese thrown down in front of their faces.
The chains around their wrists and ankles are so thick now, they originally barely fit. No one dares to try and slip them off, not after last time. He did it a few hours after the guards had gone – slipped all but one ankle out when someone heard the noise and came back to check. His body was left as a reminder. A reminder that they couldn't leave even if they died.
She looks awful; like a ghost of a once beautiful girl. Her eyes are sunken in so deep they look like small pebbles. Clothes hang off her body in strips – mostly just covering her breasts. There is no point in modesty anymore.
One morning, or they at least think it was morning; they're awoken by a strangled call and a muffled boom. Everyone sits up groggily in confusion, except for her, of course. She starts to scream, but something silences her quickly and she grabs at her throat and whimpers as huge hands release her from her chains. They're all being released.
"Come with me," a deep voice whispers from the door. It sounds so familiar. Yet no one can place. "Come on then."
But it's all too good to be true and suddenly guards pour in from all directions shooting spells. The world goes silent as a girl shrieks from the corner. Their saviors start to push them out the door, doing their very best to protect them from harm.
She's running down the hall somehow. Colors are aimed at her head, but they keep missing her. It's like an old instinct. Like riding a bicycle. Why do they keep missing her?
You were standing in the wake of devastation
And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown
And with the cataclysm raining down
Insides crying "Save me now"
You were there, impossibly alone
She sees a light just ahead of her and she wants to reach it so badly. She needs to reach it desperately. Her fingers are outstretched and her legs are slowly giving out beneath her…
Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?
You build up hope, but failure's all you've known
Remember all the sadness and frustration
And let it go. Let it go
He grabs her hand and tugs her forward. The one that saved her. The one that she dreams about – whenever she really dreams. He pushed the door open and the light makes her squint and stumble onto the grass.
And in a burst of light that blinded every angel
As if the sky had blown the heavens into stars
You felt the gravity of tempered grace
Falling into empty space
No one there to catch you in their arms
Sound rushes back in with a burst and she collapses against the ground, gasping for breath. The man beside her is saying something and she leans towards him.
"Hermione!" He moans, pulling the woman against his chest and cradling her against him. "Oh fuck, Hermione…"
She grips his shirt, bawling, and pushes her cold nose against his neck.
"Ron," she rasps, pulling him closer by the collar. She can feel his tears hit her forehead. "Ron, Ron, Ron…"
I really don't know what to say… Thank you for reading! Please review and tell me what you think. It's darker than what I usually do…
Oh, if you want to draw a picture or two that were inspired by this – please just send me the link.
Kiwanis Girl