Out of the Darkness

Chapter 4

I stared into the darkness. How long had I been there? I couldn't be sure. There were no days or nights. When I slept it could be minutes or hours. I was starting to feel like I had always existed in that place. A place with no beginning and no end, time merging into one endless continuum.

There was no way to quantify time. I tried keeping track of meals, but their appearance was so sporadic. I was certain days passed between each one. My once full frame was now emaciated. I could feel my ribs through my thin clammy skin. If I could see myself, I imagined I would look like one of those anorexics I've seen on TV: flesh, bones, and sharp corners.

My stomach grumbled at the thought of food. I pressed my hand to my stomach, wondering when the man with the green eyes would return. The last time he'd brought me fresh bread and warm milk, which made me so happy, that for a moment, I thought maybe I wasn't trapped here.

I laid back down on the mattress, willing myself to sleep, despite not being tired. Sleep was my only means of escape now.

Images swirled through my mind. Different images of faces, figures, and things danced behind my eyelids. Some of them were familiar, and some were strange. Even the familiar seemed blurry now, time slowly erasing them from my memory. I felt like I knew these people well. I can almost remember what they looked like. But then they disappeared, leaving a blank space in my mind. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't conjure any memories beyond that brief glimpse of a face.

I rolled over onto my side, hoping a more comfortable position might bring the memories closer. It didn't help.

One figure stood out though. His features were crisp and clear as if holding a photograph in my hands. It is him. The man driving the van that night. His eyes were full of malice. His mouth twisted in a sinister smile. He's the reason I'm here, why I can't remember the rest of my life. He's the reason everything turned dark.

"Shut her up!"

I shot up from the bed, frantically searching the darkness. It was his voice, but he couldn't be there. Where was the voice coming from? It couldn't be real.

"Who's there?" I cried into the darkness, causing the skittering of tiny feet above.

Then I noticed those eyes staring at me from the corner of the room. Not again. I was getting tired of seeing those eyes.

"What do you want?" I cried in desperation.

The eyes start moving closer. In the darkness, shadows moved, like a creeping thing slowly creeping toward me, threatening to engulf me.

I scrambled back off the mattress until my back was against the wall. I tried screaming for help, but my throat was dry, and my voice didn't respond. The man who robbed my life from me was now inches from me, his face twisted into a demented smile. He grabbed me around my neck, leaning forward. I can feel his breath on my face.

"Shut her up," it came out in a whisper.

Then the sound of the service hatch opening broke the illusion, the light caused it to dissolve away. I scurried toward the service hatch on my hands and knees, my heart beating wildly, and tears running down my cheeks.

"Let me out," I begged. "Please, let me out."

There was no response.

"If you're not going to let me out, then just kill me, " I continued to beg. "Just kill me. You don't have to hurt me anymore. Please!"

Then I heard footsteps approaching. I stopped talking, breathing heavily in anticipation. Familiar green eyes peered in at me, followed by the meal tray.

"Help?" I sobbed out, in one last desperate plea.

The man didn't answer, quickly returning to his work.

I looked down at the meal tray in my hands. Two pieces of bread, each covered in cheese. A cup of cold tea. I smiled faintly. That was enough for now.

I sat back on the edge of the bed and stared up into the gloom again, trying to calm my nerves. My stomach growled hungrily as if I were sitting before a banquet of the most exquisite fare. I finished off the food quickly, washing it down with the tea.

Finishing the meal, I threw the tray aside, causing it to clatter across the floor toward the door. Only then did I realize the service hatch was still open. Usually, the hatch closes almost immediately. This was odd. I crept to the service hatch and peeked out. No one was waiting outside. Had he left already?

"Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing down the hallway.

At first, there was no reply. Then another voice, faint, but there.

"Is someone there? Please, help. Help me." The voice sounded familiar, sending chills down my spine. It wasn't the voice itself I recognized, but the sound of desperation.

This time it didn't come from my mouth, but from someone else. I knew I wasn't alone. How many are here? How many other souls have been brought to this hell?

They were all pleading for help in vain, begging to be let out. Their voices mingled together into a horrible chorus, creating an unceasing wail of misery. They echoed down the hall, filling the emptiness, and causing my body to shake. My ears started ringing painfully. I held my head in my hands, attempting to silence them. I tried desperately to block it out, the noise, the pain.

I wanted to block out the nightmare, but I couldn't because this nightmare was real. They were real. They were all real and they were suffering. Just like me.

"Who's there?" I called out into the hallway. My voice shaking, cracking.

"Anna," The reply was barely a whisper, but it was a reply.

"Anna?" I almost screamed back in joy. "Do you know why we're here? What's going on?"

But the voice didn't respond. I couldn't hear anything except cries of misery from the other side of the hatch.

"Anna, please," I sobbed. "Don't leave me." The words came out as more of a whimper than anything.

"I need you, Anna," I whimpered again. "I don't want to be alone. Someone, anyone..."

"I'm here," the voice whispered, barely audible. It was weak and quiet. But it reaches me nonetheless.

"Oh thank god," My entire body quivered at the relief that flowed through me at hearing her voice.

"Do you know why we're here? What's happening?" I asked, wiping away my tears with my free hand.

"I don't know. I'm scared," she replied. "Help me."

"It's okay" I replied, trying to console her. "We're both here. We'll stay together."

"Are you alone?" She asked, her voice breaking. "Is someone looking for us?" She sounded so frightened. So lost.

"No," I replied. "It's just me."

"Can you tell me your name? Who are you?" Her voice changed, becoming stronger and clearer, although still laced with sadness.

"I... I'm Kat," I replied hesitantly, unsure of how much I should reveal about myself.

"You're here by yourself?"I questioned.

"Yes," She answered softly.

"Are we going to be alright?" Her voice was soft but insistent, almost as if she knew I needed reassurance too.

"I don't think so," I replied truthfully. I could hear her starting to sob.

Fuck.

"It will be alright, we'll find a way," I promised her, hoping to lessen her fear. "We'll find a way out of this."

Her sobs turned into wails, and I knew she wasn't convinced. I wasn't convinced either.

I returned to the mattress, pulling my jacket around my ears to block out the wailing. I listened to her cry until I fell asleep again.