Darkness.
That... that was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. Or... were they still closed?
No... I couldn't know.
It was a gloom so dense, so suffocating, that for an instant I thought my body had simply ceased to exist. My breathing... if I was still breathing... was so faint that I couldn't even hear it.
"Ugh..." my voice came out as a whisper, faint, broken... distant. It was mine... but it sounded like it was coming from somewhere else, like someone else was trying to speak using my throat.
My hands... I could move them. Or so I wanted to believe.
I did not feel them. I didn't see anything. I didn't know if I was directing them somewhere or if they were just floating in that infinite nothingness.
Am I dead?
Is this dying?
The thought of it terrified me... but it was the only thing I could do.
There was no light. There was no sound. There was no body.
Just that feeling of emptiness...
Heavy.
Crushing.
Stifling.
What... what happened to me?
Where am I?
I wanted to form a clear thought. Something. Anything that would explain why I was there... but my mind could barely hold on. Everything was fuzzy, slow... like trying to run underwater. Even breathing hurt.
Maybe... maybe this isn't real. A bad dream... yes... just... a bad dream.
It had to be.
I just had to close my eyes -if they weren't already- and let everything disappear. Sink back into that world where nothing existed.
No memories. No pain. No thinking.
Sleep...
Sleep...
I'm... tired...
So, so tired...
...
Wake up! Wake up, damn it!
SLAP
A dry sound pierced my ears like a brutal echo, and the stinging burn on my cheek came just a second later.
"Agh!" I shrieked, bringing my other hand to the sore spot. "I used more force than intended..."
But it was fine.
It hurt.
And that... that meant i was still alive.
That made me feel as if a switch had been flipped in my brain, finally making me aware of everything around me. I was still trapped in the dark, but at least my mind was with me. Or well, at least enough to feel my body again.
I brought a trembling hand to my chest, trying to catch my breath. Just seconds ago I felt like my mind was threatening to leave me, so feeling in control of my senses again made all the heaviness in my body fall like a bucket of cold water.
The darkness was still around me, which made me think again that maybe I just had my eyes closed. Of course, that idea was discarded after blinking several times without my vision changing at all.
This time I tried to move my legs, which made me realize that I had them lying on the floor. I hadn't even noticed I was sitting until now.
Naturally, the first thing I tried to do was to get up. I put my hands on the ground to support myself, and then-
"Damn!" I pulled my hands away as soon as I felt the cold catch my fingers. Had I left them a second longer they might have frozen on the spot.
Almost as if it had been a chain effect, I began to shiver from the cold that had begun to invade my body. And it was then that I remembered my situation.
I am in an unknown place, with no idea how I got here.
I didn't know if the shiver that ran down my back at that moment was because of the low temperature or because of the fear that began to take root inside me.
Well... calm down. You're just in a dark, desolate place, with no knowledge about it, and you don't even know how to get out of it.
...
...Now I'm just more scared...
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale...
First things first. Find a way out. I don't want to stay much longer in this place...
I just have to get up and start looking- Ouch!
The sound of a thud echoed in my ears, just as another pain now presented itself in my forehead, bringing me back to the ground.
"Ouch... What now...?" I looked up, trying to identify the cause of my pain-
Oh, right.
I still don't see shit.
I sighed heavily, and felt my cold breath hit my hand. Staying here any longer will not only end up with me taking more hits, but at this rate I might even die of hypothermia- No. Less negative thinking, more looking for a way out.
Still somewhat dazed, I tried to get up more carefully. The moment I felt something start to press against my head, I stopped dead in my tracks.
What is this?
With my hand, I wanted to check exactly what it was that I had on top of me. Since I could not see what it was, I limited myself to trying to identify as much as I could of that object by touch alone.
Cold, was my first thought. Like the ground I was on, that feeling made me want to shrink in on myself to regain some warmth.
"Am I stuck inside a refrigerator? It doesn't make sense that it's all so cold." This time I couldn't help the bitter tone in my voice. Was it too much to ask for some warmth? Faced with a situation like that, the cold only served as a perpetual reminder of the inclement darkness that surrounded me.
My hand moved hurriedly over the texture of the surface. Anxiety was starting to eat me up inside and all I wanted was to find a way out of there so please there had to be something around here that would help me escapebecausethiscoldmetalwasstressingme outsopleasepleaseplease-
Wait- What?
*CLANK* *CLANK*
As i hit the roof with my fingers, another sound resounded again throughout the place, this time metallic, even industrial. That made me put my hand to my mouth, somewhat surprised to discover that, indeed, the roof was made of metal.
Now in a hurry, I tried to check my surroundings using my hands. Even with the drop in temperature that this caused on my already frozen skin, it was more the anguish of discovering that everything around me was nothing but metal. Hard, oppressive metal.
"...This is not funny."
Of course it had to be metal. From the moment I hit my head I should have realized it. But I guess between the pain and the stress I found it impossible to do so.
How was I supposed to get out of that place? If the only thing keeping me company at that moment were four walls of such a hard material then my chances of escape had been reduced to zero.
I leaned against one of the walls, and let the weight of my body drag me back to the ground. What little energy I had gained vanished to give way to apathy and despair.
What if I stayed locked in there forever? What would kill me first? Hunger? Cold? Or maybe I would end up succumbing to the darkness and plunge myself into an eternal sleep?
"...Tsk, it's going to turn out that I'm actually inside a refrigerator..." I laughed. A laugh devoid of any hint of emotion. As if my body itself had given up long before I did.
So, this is how it will end.
Trapped between a metal coffin, not even knowing how or why, and in a fetal position praying that whatever my fate was would be quicker than painful.
...
...
...
"...Damn it, I can't give up just like that. If nothing else I must try to find a way out..." And i was right. I gave up the moment I discovered the nature of the cell that contained me without having thought of some way out before. The darkness was taking its toll on what little will I had, but I couldn't just lie on the floor and do nothing.
That willpower, though weak, was enough to lift me up once again, now with the intention of getting me out of this situation. Details, focus on the details.
I didn't know exactly what kind of container i was in. Just knowing what it was made of was not enough; I needed specific details, not trifles like that.
And the first thing I noticed was its size. Small, small enough to force me to slouch while standing, but not small enough to keep me locked in one spot.
Was this some sort of container? If so, then its small size would serve no purpose whatsoever. Those things are for industrial use, not for transporting people.
...Unless it was some shady business deal, and I honestly hoped it wasn't because otherwise that meant my situation was even worse than I thought at first.
I shook my head fervently. Thinking about that kind of thing didn't help me at all.
I focused my thoughts on looking for anything, anything, that could help me get out of here. My fingers gently roamed over every available surface. The cold had gone from painful to just annoying. I couldn't help but thank my body for adapting to the temperature.
If I was right and for some reason I was in a container -a weirdly small one- then it would be logical to think that there would be a way to open it from the inside. At least that's what I wanted myself to believe.
"Let's see... Metal... Metal... Metal... More metal... A small gap... Metal- Wait what?!"
My eyes widened at the discovery - finally, some good news in the midst of so much suffering!
I brought both hands to the spot where my find was, and gave it a gentle push. The wall creaked in the same way an old rusty door would creak, refusing to be opened. That sound that in any other situation would have made my hair stand on end this time served to plant the seed of hope in me. The opportunity to escape from here seemed to become real with every second. Even I couldn't believe it.
With renewed strength, I pushed harder. The first thing I noticed was that there was resistance on the other side, something preventing me from opening the door all the way.
But that thought paled in comparison to what came next.
It was only for a few seconds, but the second time I tried to push the door, I saw something. Something that had slipped through the small opening. A sight that seemed so far away just a moment ago manifested itself in front of me for such a fleeting moment that I thought it was imagination. But another push on the wall confirmed that it was as real as it looked.
"Light." I whispered, my voice barely a trickle.
There was light on the other side of the door.
The flower of hope finally began to bloom in me, and with it a smile burst from my lips. That action felt so unreal, to smile in a situation like this, is what I would have thought a few minutes ago. But now I had every reason in the world to do so.
Freedom was so close to me, Just a piece of metal away!
Push!
*CLANK*
Something seemed to move on the other side, and this time the door opened a little wider.
Push!
*CLANK*
All the walls shook and vibrated loudly. Even if my shoulder had begun to go numb, the excitement coursing through my body overcame any pain I might feel.
"One last effort!" my cry bounced in that small space, cheering me on each time the echo of my voice returned to my ears. And with that, I built up all the strength I had in being able to achieve my goal.
PUSH!
As soon as I hit the door again, it felt as if I had lost total control of my body. A whole world of different colors invaded my eyes, but they were so fuzzy and blurry that I found it impossible to make anything out. I tried to lean back on the floor, only to realize that my feet touched nothing but air.
That finally brought my euphoric mind back to reality, and it didn't take me long to realize what was happening.
It was going straight into free fall to the ground.
"Oh shit-!"
*CRASH*
For the fourth time in the day the pain was present again, only now in a generalized way in my body.
"Auughhh..." the rough floor I was lying on seemed like the most comfortable bed in the world compared to the agony that was slowly spreading up and down my side. Whether that was caused by the force of the fall or the multiple knocks on the door were a mystery for which I had no desire to find an answer.
But that pain faded into the background as soon as I remembered what happened.
I had managed to break down that door. I was outside, in the outside world.
I was free.
I've made it, i've escaped!
And as if the universe itself had wanted to recognize my achievement and reward me for it, a soft, warm breeze blew towards me. After having spent what felt like an eternity trapped, feeling the air and the sun's rays on my skin again gave me back the will to live.
With some effort and still breathing heavily, I forced myself to turn around to stop facing the ground. Having been in the dark for so long made my eyes close to the abrupt change in lighting, but it took only a few blinks to get used to it and contemplate what I wanted to see so much.
And my God, I felt as if my soul had returned to my body just by looking at that landscape.
The sky, a beautiful blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see. White spots as soft as cotton candy painted that huge canvas to give it a more magnificent appearance. Pure, even.
While that view was more than enough to bring peace of mind, the sight of the sun on the horizon only served to confirm that my efforts had indeed been worthwhile. That giant orb seemed to greet me with its warm rays, as if to say "well done, champion".
"Hehehehe..." I couldn't help but laugh. It was the first time all day that I could do it without fear of passing out the next minute. Without the stress of not being able to see anything. Being able to breathe clean, pure air.
"God, I can't believe I actually made it..." I laughed again, finally releasing the stress I had built up and feeling relieved that I was able to get out of that situation. I felt my eyes water, and it didn't take long before I started to shed tears as I continued to laugh with joy.
I was free, for God's sake, i was free!
How could I not feel happy after that?
I closed my eyes, smiling at the world, and especially at the sky, for giving me the opportunity to appreciate them again. It felt like being born again.
"Which wasn't so different from the way I got out of that container, come to think of it." I laughed once more. I had every reason in the world to keep doing it for thousands of years. But if I did I'm sure that sooner or later I would run out of voice, and my throat was already starting to dry up, so I stopped my laughter, but my smile didn't disappear in the slightest.
Well, that's enough celebrating. It's time to go to the next step.
"...And I still don't know where I am." I felt some of my energy dissipate as soon as I said those words, but that wasn't going to stop me now. The worst part was over; if I lowered my spirits at that moment then nothing would have made sense.
I took one last breath to channel all my strength into moving forward, and picked myself up off the ground. Which immediately reminded me why I was lying down in the first place.
Right, I just recently came from banging on a door.
I started rubbing the sore area of my arm in an attempt to mitigate the pain. My body had taken a lot of abuse so far that day.
The best idea was to make sure I hadn't received any serious injuries during-
ยก...!
...W-What the hell-? What the hell is this?!
All the euphoria completely evaporated from my entire being as soon as I finally took a good look at the state of my body.
It was not a wound or a simple bruise. No. What I saw was more sinister. Surreal. Impossible.
Because instead of seeing my skin, what I found was something else.
Darkness.
No, seriously, darkness was what was there.
My arm, from my shoulder to my hand, had the appearance of an abomination that no longer even looked like a normal arm, but could only be compared to the limb of a completely inhuman beast.
Where my skin was supposed to have been there was nothing but something that looked like aberrant and unnatural looking rocks. The light did not reflect on them, it was as if it was devouring it like a void - because maybe this is what it was, a void.
This... this can't be real...
That thought was the only thing I could clear up in my once again disordered mind. For all joy was gone, and fear once again attached itself to my soul like a parasite in the same way this horrifying substance did to my arm.
And my panic only grew as i took a look at the rest of body, and it took all of my willpower to not threw up inmediatly.
My legs, arm, everything was covered in that horrifying dark substance. Only my torso was spared, and even then there were a few of those void-like rocks protuding from my sides.
This whole morning had been nothing but one misfortune after another.
First wake up trapped with no way out.
Then i got out and felt like things were finally starting to look bright.
And now? Now my body didn't even looked like it was mine anymore.
Fear, frustration, and exhaustion were already tearing me apart inside. So I took the most appropriate reaction at the time, and let my instincts kick in.
And so, I screamed.
I screamed until I could scream no more.