The dull throb in her skull was the first thing Clara Oswald noticed when she woke up.
She squeezed her eyes tight and pressed her fingers to her temples. The pain didn't subside. Clara pushed herself up into a sitting position on the mattress. When her head protested, she laid down again and curled into a tight ball.
The second thing she noticed was that she wasn't in her bed.
Normally, Clara would have realized that instantly, but the pain in her head dulled her senses. She struggled to remember how she got there, but the throbbing was too great. She could barely focus on anything else. Everything was a blur.
Clara forced her eyes open. She blinked a few times, dazed. Pitch black darkness completely surrounded her. She waved her hands in front of her face to confirm that she couldn't see anything.
Panic started to set in. Clara frantically felt around the mattress, looking for any clue to help her figure out where she was. Her hand struck a warm arm. "Doctor?" Clara asked hesitantly. Her voice was groggy, and she had trouble forcing the word out.
Clara moved her hand down to the other person's hand. It felt like a women's hand. She squeezed it tightly, afraid that it might disappear if she let go. "You 'wake?" she managed to ask.
The other women groaned. "Sh'lock?" she slurred. Clara's heart calmed as she recognized the voice.
"Molly?" she asked. "'ts me. Clara."
"Clara?" Molly groaned. The hand Clara held gripped back. "Where 'm I? Why'st dark?"
"C'n you 'member 'nything?" Clara slurred.
Molly only groaned in response, "Head hurts."
Clara forced herself into a kneeling position. The ache in her skull was starting to lesson. She gently felt Molly's forehead to check for fever, but the other girl felt normal. Clara laid down again. She let go of Molly's hand and pressed her back up against the pathologist's.
Memories of the previous night were starting to come back to her. She could remember being at home, waiting for John to return when someone broke down her door. Anything after that was fuzzy. Clara felt around her head, looking for sign of injury. She found nothing.
With relief, Clara decided that she was drugged, not concussed. Hopefully whatever was in her system would wear off soon. Then, she could try to find a way out. "You 'lright?" she asked.
"'m sc'red," Moly replied.
"Me too," Clara stated.
Molly pressed closer to Clara. The warmth of her friend was all Clara needed to keep calm. When she travelled with the Doctor, she ended up in situations like these more times than she cared to admit. However, this was the first time she was without the Doctor. It was also the first time she had been completely unable to see. Still, despite the extra difficulties, Clara was confident that she would find her way out.
"We'll be fine," Clara said reassuringly. "I promise I'll get us out of here." Though sleep still clung to her voice, talking was getting easier.
With her headache nearly gone, Clara pushed herself up and crawled to the wall. The mattress was in a corner. She felt her way along the wall, still crawling. She didn't have the energy to stand yet. Molly groaned at her absence, but Clara hardly registered it.
The floor was cold cement. It hurt Clara's knees to crawl over it, but she was determined to get her bearings and find out as much about the room as possible. As she continued, she kept one hand on the wall for reassurance, and the other felt the way in front of her.
She hit the next corner sooner than she expected. There had been nothing in her way. Clara turned, continuing to feel her path. She crawled a little ways before her hand came into contact with a large, steel door. Using it as support, Clara pushed herself to her feet. Her hands explored the door, looking for a knob or a window. Though she had hoped, she wasn't surprised when she found nothing.
"Clara?" Molly called out. "You still there?"
"I'm here," Clara answered. "I just thought I would map out the room."
"Good idea," Molly returned. Clara could hear her weight on the mattress shifting. After a second, the sound changed into Molly's hands hitting the cement floor.
Clara continued to slowly feel her way along the wall. Each footstep was cautious as she maneuvered to the next corner. Besides the door, there was nothing out of the ordinary along that wall.
"Clara?" Molly called out again, sounding panicked. "Where are you?"
"I'm at the opposite corner from the mattress. Where are you?"
"I don't know," Molly replied. Her voice rose a pitch in fear.
"Don't tell me you just crawled out into the darkness," Clara said.
"Yes," came the meek reply. "Clara, help me."
Molly's breaths came in faster as she realized that she was lost in the darkness. She sat up and grabbed her shirt in her fists. She could feel waves of panic rushing through her as a stray tear streaked down her cheek. Somewhere in her mind, she knew that she needed to calm down, but her thoughts were too disorganized.
"I can help you, Molly, but you need to calm down first."
"Okay," Molly responded. Her body was shaking, and her breathing only quickened. She clenched her fists tighter, but it didn't seem to help. Molly was spiraling fast into panic.
Through the darkness, Clara's voice broke through. It took Molly a few seconds to realize that the teacher was singing. Using all her willpower, Molly focused in on her voice. The calming effect was almost instantaneous.
"Okay," Molly repeated. Her heart was still pounding, but she was in control of her body again. "What do I do now?"
"Can you crawl towards the sound of my voice? The room isn't very big."
"Alright," Molly agreed. She turned to face where she thought Clara was standing and started to crawl. "Keep talking."
"As soon as we get out of here, I'm going to personally kill each alien that's keeping us here."
Molly's hand came into contact with a foot. "Clara?" she asked.
The person in front of her knelt down and took her hand. "Yes," Clara answered. "It's me."
Relief coursed through Molly as he clung tightly onto the hand. With Clara's help, she stood up and brought her other hand to the wall. The two women held to each other as they made their way across the room. "You really think this is aliens?" Molly asked.
"Who else could it be?" Clara responded.
Eventually, the pair made it back to the mattress. They collapsed onto it with great relief. It seemed to be the only thing in the dark room. Like before, Clara and Molly pressed their backs to one another.
Clara's confidence comforted Molly as her eyes drooped. She had to believe that they would get out, or she would lose all hope. Her exhaustion claimed her, and Molly fell into a deep sleep.
