Drip. drip. The faucet just out of reach continued to send the clear liquid down into the dirty sink. The rust-covered the metal, brown with tinges of red-spotted over it, as if scarlet blood had been drenched over it, then dried out completely. The only light source was a small flicker of flames, the orange licking against the air, yet it was no match for the inescapable darkness. The walls, oh the walls that seemed to be absorbed by the shadows in corners, just reaching out to try and swallow me whole. Each stone piece, decaying with age placed precisely in a way that escape was impossible. How the ceiling stretched upwards towards the blocked sky, the ladder that provided the means to escape now lifted and raised, waiting for tomorrow to be lowered again so food can be brought to me in this Hell we call a prison. My body shifted, skin scratching against the cold floor, unpaved, allowing rocks to slice at my skin, my body covered in scabs that have yet to heal because of the constant change. And oh how they itched, my fingers clawing away at the skin, bringing more pain and blood. Even now I itch, though my mind tells me not to, I claw at my skin, ooze dripping off of the few rags I have, the faint red telling me I should stop, and yet I continue, worsening the wounds. With every movement brings a new wave of pain, pain that makes my eyes roll to the back of my head, that makes me want to scream, and yet I cannot, for they have cut my tongue in such a manner speech will be forever gone for me. They don’t allow me the privilege to cry out, for I must suffer in silence. Another wave of pain, another silent sob into what appears to be an endless night for me. My throat dry, as it craves for the water that falls onto the sink with a splash, wasted. I drag myself upwards, the clinking of my chains echoing against the stone walls. My scars reopen, stretching open with my movements as my muscles tense, only making it worse. Gasping noises come from my chapped lips as I limp to the faucet, dragging a boulder behind me that has been wrapped around my chains. My wrists, torn to shreds by the pressure of bringing this boulder along, fingers reaching for the faucet as a spray of water bursts from the rim. 

I lower my head, my mouth opening, my lips cracking as I take greedy gulps of the cold water. Slow down, but I don’t. I continue until I have to pull away coughing, choking on the liquid tinged with blood, sputtering as the sounds of rushing water fills the air. My eyes glanced upwards at the mirror just above the sink, caged to prevent me from smashing it to itty bitty pieces and ending my suffering. Matted curls of black hair sticking to the blood on my shoulders, mouth slightly agape showing the shadows and lies that hide inside my mouth, the small piece of tongue that remained a hollow stump. If only I could speak, then I could lie to myself and tell me it would be okay. My eyes closed as I glanced away from the truth. How long had it been? How long had I been trapped here for crimes they accused me of? And how long would I remain? She promised to save me but that hasn’t happened. And her eyes, why did they look so sad, why did they look like the lies that hid in my mouth? Perhaps I was too wicked to be saved. Rumors finally reached that gullible mind of hers and they took her away from me, just like they took everything else. My hand reached upwards towards the sky, the tight chains dragging at my skin, peeling me essentially but I was in such a haze of pain, I could no longer feel the small things. Freedom was so close, just out of reach. My stomach growled in hunger. I had never felt the feeling of starvation before, nor have I ever felt the burning sensation of thirst. It was a new feeling to me that I was sure I must adapt to. But as something clawed at my stomach, death perhaps waiting for me to take my last breath, my eyes fluttered open trying to peer through the darkness. Something clicking against the stone above, as if one were dragging their nails against the stone, curious. The noise circled me, whatever it was it was following the shape of my cell, a perfect circle, or so they claimed; nothing was perfect and neither was my cell, no matter what they claimed. For on one side, just out of my reach, there was a curve, as if the building itself wanted to escape from the darkness. Creating a more oval or egg-shaped prison. 

And when they landed on that side of my little quaint home, the dragging of nails stopped. I had been holding my breath in anticipation and hadn’t even realized it until the burning of my lungs as they gasped for air. I inhaled but still, they asked for more, more, my noises of pain turning into pants for air. My fingers clawed at my throat; the chains sliding down slowly and painfully, not enough air, not enough space. I dragged myself to where the noise had stopped and desperately pounded my fist against the stone, small booms emitting from it, though to me it sounded thunderous as if the gods themselves had helped. My fists pounded on the stone, so desperately that I could feel the cracks, my bones ready to snap in two if I continued and yet, I must. Hands can be fixed but opportunities can be lost forever. Unless I had already lost this opportunity. That moment of hesitation, the dragging of the boulder and the curious stranger had disappeared. My heart thudded against my chest, my eyes filling with tears as my hand gave one last strike. I slowly slid down, arm still raised triumphantly, my knees resting on the cold ground that cut wounds deeply. Blood trickled out of the holes, smearing against the rocks when a voice called out, so quiet the words couldn’t be heard against the thick wall of stone. And yet, with that confirmation that someone else truly was here, I dragged myself upwards, my fist slamming once more against the walls, desperate gasps of inaudible words that I couldn’t form calling out. 

The same dragging noise shut me up, like nails scratching at a chalkboard, it seemed to get louder and louder as it circled around to my only exit, where the ladder and the doorway hid. A loud clang made me flinch, probably the lock that held me captive snapping off. But the thought of suspicion slithered into my mind, wrapping its hands around my thoughts of safety, dragging me back out of the sea of hope and into despair. The guards, it whispered, where are the guards? The guards never left their post, waiting patiently until the next set replaced them. So where were they now? The question pounded against my head as another lock was snapped off, so loudly it was clearly heard through the stone. I limped my way to the opposite side of the wall, back pressing against the sink that continued to drip. Drip. drip. The noises were deafening, filling my ears as my heart thudded against my chest, pounding against my skull. Silence, I needed silence but it wouldn’t come. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as my hands dragged themselves upwards, flesh so raw and blooming with red. Fingers pressed against my ears and yet the noise powered through, a clang of metal interrupting the usual fall of water. Panting now joined the noises as I fell to my knees, huddled over, rocks digging into flesh. A bad decision on my part. When suddenly, peace finally came. Silence fell over me like a mother’s love, wrapping its arms around me and taking me back into the drug-laced world I had tried so desperately to form, to take me away from Hell. my fingers slowly slid away from my skull, brushing against the matted locks of hair as my head slowly raised. My mouth opened in horror, a scream that would never be heard. Eyes bulged as daylight streamed through the door, silhouette blocking the majority of it. It made no sound, but the silence itself was deafening. Drip. Drip. Blood slid down from the entrance, pooling at the bottom, so clean it offered itself as a mirror. And as I stared in horror, it too stared back. 

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My eyes tried to grasp what I was looking at, though the wave of confusion and panic blurred my sight, creating dizziness that made my fingers dig into the cracks of the stone so I wouldn’t fall downwards. My eyes slowly traveled upwards, though its body was made out of swirls; as if a child has colored in the thin limbs, traveling out of the outline with waves of white before it retracted back into the darkness only to be sent out once more. It made me think of the drowning torture I had endured, let out just for a moment so death wouldn’t come but only to be dunked back into the waves. Staring at it, I could feel my brain unraveling, yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away as they studied the beast of insanity in front of me. Its arms were as long as its body, traveling down the sides, but the hands themselves made my mouth open to scream, but only a gasp came out. Drenched in blood, it was different than the mess of black in front of me; as if it were sharpened to be blades. They were glistening with red, flesh still caught between the fingers. So this is what took care of the guards that so fearlessly protected my dungeon, torn to shreds. I hadn’t heard any chaos outside, so how could it be? The torso was the only thing that looked naturally human, yet it still kept that scribbly blackness; but that humanity was surely lost when the neck turned into more like a stick, no larger than one of my fingers. Its head, how it leaned to the side and then switched to the other, like a bobblehead, clearly the neck couldn’t support its weight. Scrawls of white that appeared to be a smile and large orbs of white for eyes, though it was clear to me that this beast was not smiling; negative emotions poured off of it, sliding down with the blood of the guards. 

Heavy panting filled the air, but not from me, instead whatever stood in front of me. Hot breath left its body but where did it come from, for its ‘mouth’ did not open in any way. It took a step, and I prepared myself for a thunderous, booming step that no human could ever hope to make, however, there was only a barely audible slap, as if no step was made. Then it jumped, yet as if it were just born, its movements were clumsy; as if not knowing its own strength, its head bashed into the doorway frame, causing it to topple over and fall through the doorway. At the moment that the beast jumped, the light was lost, absorbed, but when it fell daylight burned my eyes. Even from the top of the tower, it overpowered me, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut as I heard the thud of the body on the opposite side of the room as me; but what surprised me was the metallic clank that joined the chaos. My arm cautiously rose, fingers curled slightly towards my palm, to block the stream of sunlight that burned through my eyelids, causing me to see a soft orange. When I saw the darkness, my lashes fluttered open, and what I saw surprised me and made me almost cry with hope. The monster’s foot had entangled with the ladder, the crash of the body bringing it down. An escape. The beast itself seemed to be not moving; one could only hope that it had died in the crash. I sprinted towards the ladder but my excitement had caused stupidity; for as I took another step, I felt the yank of my boulder, the tearing of flesh as the speed and the sudden stop tugged me backward as if I were a dog on a leash. In a way I was. I fell down, my bottom half clashing with the rough ground as I let out a gasp, unable to even weep out loud at the pain I felt. Slowly I forced myself upwards, blood trickling down my legs as I turned to face the boulder with such anger I never thought I could have. 

It didn’t matter anymore; desperation was the only thing that controlled me, which forced me to go forward. If I stayed, I would die, surely that’s what that beast had come to do. Approaching the boulder, my bare feet pricking against the stone, I slammed my hands down on it. I heard the satisfying crunch of my bones. This wasn’t my intention, but I knew it would happen. My eyes glanced downwards at the restraint that kept me here, the thick piece of metal welded to keep both hands attached to the boulder. If I could just break it, I could leave. I slammed down my hands once more, gasps of pain leaving my mouth, my entire body shuddering. Again and again, I slammed my hands down, hot tears running down my face. Desperation, the thought of leaving, it made me feel the happiness that I hadn’t felt in a while. And so when the metal finally gave way with a clang, I gasped, my fingers running to my face, cupping it in such a way that blocked the world out. This wasn’t a dream, it couldn’t be for I haven’t dreamt in months. This was real. I forced my hands away from my face; I couldn't celebrate, not yet, I had to escape. Walking, I stumbled ever so slightly. The lack of weight, it made things so much easier. If only I could laugh, or scream out to the world, to tell them that I was free. I limped towards the ladder, stepping over the sprawled out body of the beast. My hands shakily grabbed the cool metal, fingers cracking with forced movements. Surely I was doing some permanent damage to them but I didn’t mind; I would find a way to mend them surely. My body was pulled upwards, my bare feet slapping against the smooth metal; finally, something that hadn’t torn my skin to shreds with every step. After all the planning I had done, it was anticlimactic in away. No fighting, just climbing. Follow the strand of hope for salvation. It was as if I was invincible, no pain could touch me. Almost there, yet I froze before I could take the final step. Something stirred beneath me, like a hibernating animal waking up to spring. Its body shifted, a low growl filling the dungeon. My breaths quickened, my movements were shaky as I dragged myself upwards, my hands slapping against the ground just outside, fingers slipping against the red liquid yet regaining itself. 

Pulling myself upwards, I exhaled with effort. My eyes squeezed shut before they reopened, readjusting to the sunlight, the orange glow shining down on my beaten body. Beneath me, I could hear the beast regaining its composure. its claws scratched against the flooring, sending a screech that echoed through the cylinder. Heart caught in my throat I dragged myself upwards, gagging on the sweet smell of blood that filled the air. I crawled through the puddle, my legs lifting over the stone. The air wasn’t clean, but it would do. So much energy spent and I could feel the effects trying to drag me back into the depths of sleep. It amazed me in so much pain that sleep was so easy, but I couldn’t, not when happiness was so close. And yet, my determination couldn’t do much. Ooze and blood dripped down my body along with sweat; eyes so desperate to live. I could feel the hot breath of the monster on my body, its claws on my side. I heard the horrible sound of something tearing apart. Was it my flesh? I made the mistake of looking backward to see its claws tearing its white spot that was counted as a mouth being torn open, blood spilling out. It was too much; my eyelids became heavy and soon I succumbed to my internal wishes. Eyes slowly closed, the last thing I could see were the wispy clouds of fog that covered me so deeply I could no longer see past it’s white.