Ash crept through the long narrow hallway, confused and disoriented. Her pounding heart was almost deafening, dulling all other noise. She clenched her fists tighter as the anxiety that was filling her stomach became more unbearable at each passing moment. Her breathing, no matter how hard she tried to contain it, became unsteady and loud. Her mind raced in thought, wondering where she was, or how she had arrived there. And all she could do was walk. Walk the corridor that grew smaller the farther she went, constantly filling with more of the dark cloud making it difficult to breath. The deeper she went, the more she walked, the more fatigued she became. She found it difficult to stand up straight, to even take a step.
She could feel the hallway becoming narrow, and before she knew it, her shoulders squeezed against the damp stone walls. The urge to run was all that was keeping her moving. She started to find it more difficult to breathe now than before, and any sound started to deafen. She was forced into a sidle between the closing walls, and the impending sense of doom started to overwhelm her. Her body stuck between walls, with nothing but silence to greet her. Though she had stopped moving, the walls, darkness, and silence continued to set in. Her ribs squeezed between the stone, pressure building in her lungs. Her silent gasps for air were in vein, as she could only inhale the black cloud surrounding her.
Her eyes opened wide in panic, as the ground beneath her feet gave out, sending her into a free-fall. She hit the floor of a new room. Finding that she was unable to move from her position on the stone set ground. With her body paralyzed, she began to sense a second presence. Someone else, something else, was in the room with her. The urge to run filled her mind and body once again, but no matter how much she struggled, she could not move. Then, all that remained was deafening silence. Silence that was occasionally interrupted by the sound of breathing. Breathing that was not her own. She struggled to move her heavy body, as the breathing got closer. Then she felt the warm exhale on her face, the smell as foul as death. Her eyes searched for the source, but found nothing outside of the darkness that had plagued her vision.
Ash’s body jerked violently, as she rose from her position on the wagon. She leaned over her knees, attempting to catch her breath. Lupos placed a hand on her shoulder in worry, now kneeling at her feet. “Another nightmare,” she spoke softly, out of breath, “and they are getting more vivid.”
She could feel the hallway becoming narrow, and before she knew it, her shoulders squeezed against the damp stone walls. The urge to run was all that was keeping her moving. She started to find it more difficult to breathe now than before, and any sound started to deafen. She was forced into a sidle between the closing walls, and the impending sense of doom started to overwhelm her. Her body stuck between walls, with nothing but silence to greet her. Though she had stopped moving, the walls, darkness, and silence continued to set in. Her ribs squeezed between the stone, pressure building in her lungs. Her silent gasps for air were in vein, as she could only inhale the black cloud surrounding her.
Her eyes opened wide in panic, as the ground beneath her feet gave out, sending her into a free-fall. She hit the floor of a new room. Finding that she was unable to move from her position on the stone set ground. With her body paralyzed, she began to sense a second presence. Someone else, something else, was in the room with her. The urge to run filled her mind and body once again, but no matter how much she struggled, she could not move. Then, all that remained was deafening silence. Silence that was occasionally interrupted by the sound of breathing. Breathing that was not her own. She struggled to move her heavy body, as the breathing got closer. Then she felt the warm exhale on her face, the smell as foul as death. Her eyes searched for the source, but found nothing outside of the darkness that had plagued her vision.
Ash’s body jerked violently, as she rose from her position on the wagon. She leaned over her knees, attempting to catch her breath. Lupos placed a hand on her shoulder in worry, now kneeling at her feet. “Another nightmare,” she spoke softly, out of breath, “and they are getting more vivid.”
