Minutes stretched into hours as Ari slowly regained consciousness. She was
in a dark, dank room that smelled slightly of mold. All she could make out
was a slightly brown, gray, and green-ish stonewall. Somehow, she had
gotten into a cave. She was in a bed, or at least something like a bed for
it wasn't very comfy. She closed her eyes and slipped back into
unconsciousness.
"Ari, Ari!" a dreamy voice called out to her. "Be careful Ari, be careful. You must be careful. Be cautious. Don't move too fast and overlook important things. Don't hurt yourself. Be careful Ari, careful, careful, careful..."
"Are you awake?"
Ari sat bolt upright, looking wildly about to find the person who had spoken whilst her eyes adjusted to the bright light.
"It's ok, it's ok, I'm not going to hurt you." Ari studied the man who was talking to her as he put down a lantern. He was tall, with dark hair and eyes. He leaned over and applied some green solvent on her arm where a deep gash was still slowly oozing blood. Ari looked at the man who had spoken to her. 'Man' isn't exactly the best word to describe him. He was thin, a little too thin for Ari's taste, and young, about 16 or 17.
She finally stopped studying the poor boy and glanced down at her arm. There were a couple nasty looking gashes accompanied by a lot of dried blood. She could also feel some dried blood on her scalp as well. She put her hand up to feel how bad the cut was on her head but he gently pushed her hand back down. "Let those heal on their own," he said.
"Uhh, are you hungry?" he asked hesitantly. Ari suppressed a chuckle at his amusing behavior and nodded her head yes. "Ok, then follow me."
Up a passageway they went. Literally, up. They emerged from a cave that looked more like an over-sized rabbit hole, into a little clearing. But the clearing didn't seem natural. There were small mounds of dirt where Arianna guessed trees might once have stood, but were torn up by their roots. There were also burnt stumps littered throughout.
"Sorry I don't have much. I usually just live here by myself, and scavenge for food. But I'll try to find something decent for you," he said, still a bit nervously. She gave him a slight smile. There were so many things she wanted to ask him, tell him, demand of him that she didn't know where to start.
Then came the horrifyingly deafening sound again.
"Ari, Ari!" a dreamy voice called out to her. "Be careful Ari, be careful. You must be careful. Be cautious. Don't move too fast and overlook important things. Don't hurt yourself. Be careful Ari, careful, careful, careful..."
"Are you awake?"
Ari sat bolt upright, looking wildly about to find the person who had spoken whilst her eyes adjusted to the bright light.
"It's ok, it's ok, I'm not going to hurt you." Ari studied the man who was talking to her as he put down a lantern. He was tall, with dark hair and eyes. He leaned over and applied some green solvent on her arm where a deep gash was still slowly oozing blood. Ari looked at the man who had spoken to her. 'Man' isn't exactly the best word to describe him. He was thin, a little too thin for Ari's taste, and young, about 16 or 17.
She finally stopped studying the poor boy and glanced down at her arm. There were a couple nasty looking gashes accompanied by a lot of dried blood. She could also feel some dried blood on her scalp as well. She put her hand up to feel how bad the cut was on her head but he gently pushed her hand back down. "Let those heal on their own," he said.
"Uhh, are you hungry?" he asked hesitantly. Ari suppressed a chuckle at his amusing behavior and nodded her head yes. "Ok, then follow me."
Up a passageway they went. Literally, up. They emerged from a cave that looked more like an over-sized rabbit hole, into a little clearing. But the clearing didn't seem natural. There were small mounds of dirt where Arianna guessed trees might once have stood, but were torn up by their roots. There were also burnt stumps littered throughout.
"Sorry I don't have much. I usually just live here by myself, and scavenge for food. But I'll try to find something decent for you," he said, still a bit nervously. She gave him a slight smile. There were so many things she wanted to ask him, tell him, demand of him that she didn't know where to start.
Then came the horrifyingly deafening sound again.