I wondered in my sleep.
Could this be the tunnel's end?
I was running, running away from the darkness that was approaching. My feet slapped the puddles of water as they dashed across the stone floor. I was breathing hard, my eyes wide with fear. All I saw was pure darkness; in front of me and behind me.
But I knew deep in my heart that I was dying. I had visions; flashes of Death, in his robes of black and scythe, reaching out to me, clawing toward my heart with a bony hand. I saw my reflection on the cold metal: a white skeleton, sitting motionless in a cavern.
I shook it off. It couldn't happen. I pounded on faster, escaping the tendrils of darkness that reached out for me.
My feet skid as I reached a dead end.
"No, NO!"
How quickly had the wild ride ended. This was the end of the tunnel, and I will die right here. I might as well built a gravestone from the rock in the tunnel. Agonizing pain gripped at my neck and grabbed at my legs: who else wanted me to die? First it was Death. Now the devil? Oh, who's next? God?
I was screaming this time, my knuckles bleeding from frequent pounding on the rock. The walls seemed to contrast, closing in on me with a mirror twist. The darkness sitting by, waiting for me to die. Time seemed to slow down with my heartbeat as my breathing slowed.
Suddenly time sped up. The walls expanded, and all I could see was the flash of light in front of me, opening a hole in the ceiling, revealing a tiny illumination above.
Death took a step back, nodding in respect. "I shall see you again soon, Victor Kravitz." I nodded back, watching his army of darkness withdraw into the pitch-black of the tunnel.
Looking up toward the hole, I knew I should be thankful. I had survived the first part, and I knew it wasn't over.
"Thank you."
I climbed up into the hole and woke up.
