My heart pounds in my chest as I fall to my knees. I give up fighting and turn around to face him. He slowly moves closer to me, his heavy breathing laced with a deep growl. Water drips from his body as he hovers over me.
I try to remain completely silent, hoping and praying that he won’t be able to detect my presence. When I realize that my efforts are futile, I scream and beg for help, terrified for my life.
He throws his head back and roars a guttural cry before looking down at me. His enormous predatory teeth hang just inches above my face. His breath falls hard and fast on my skin.
He tilts his head to the side as if studying me. His liquid black eyes meet mine and for a fleeting second, I see humanity within him. It quickly fades as he snarls loudly and drops his head closer, coming in for the kill.
1. TURBULENCE
Darkness surrounds me. Water drips slowly and echoes nearby. A chill rushes over my body. Where am I? I blink my eyes several times trying to adjust my vision to the endless black hole around me. My father’s lifelong words of warning resonate in my mind—if something throws you off course, get out as quickly as possible. Stay safe. Come home.
A heavy, biting staleness hangs on to the damp air. I’m not where I intended to be. This isn’t right. This wasn’t the plan for tonight. How did I get here?
“Zoë?” I call out with a shaky voice. There is no response.
I’m alone, and not by choice. Zoë is always with me. Solitude does not equal safety in this world.
The darkness closes in around me, taking control of my rational thoughts. My heart thrums fast and steady in my chest as my mind is blankly filled with dreary, somber emotion. This isn’t me—these aren’t my thoughts.
I angrily fight against the force that is attempting to command me. I can’t let myself lose focus.
Whispering voices surround me. They come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. No, I won’t let this happen. There is a way out. I just have to find it. I have to change something before I can change everything.
Matches. I have matches in my pocket.
Through my nervously labored breathing I feel the pocket of my jeans for the bump of the small paper box. I squeeze my fingers into the taut fabric and clumsily remove it. I fumble with the box for a moment, sliding the drawer of matches out and feeling for the flint-covered edge. The scratch of the wooden stick along the side of the box resounds in my ears as the tip of the match sparks to life and an intense, warm glow illuminates the space.
The sudden burst of bright light forces my eyes to squint and blink. My surroundings are not yet registering. Where am I? I see my backpack a few feet away and rush over to it.
The hot light on the matchstick painfully reaches my fingertip and I drop it on the cold, wet ground where the light quickly fizzles out. In the dark once again, I unzip my backpack and hastily dig through it to find a flashlight.
Flipping on the switch of the flashlight gives me my first real look at where I am. It’s a small cave. Dark and cold, wet yet dry at the same time. It smells like a combination of dirt and musty water. I pull my jacket out of my backpack, slide it up over my goose bump covered arms and zip it over my t-shirt. I look around the empty cave and whisper to myself, “where am I?”
I throw my backpack over my shoulder and walk around the rocky room looking for a way out. I press my shaky hand against the rocks as I search. My efforts are futile. Focus, Emma.
I force myself to stand still and close my eyes, concentrating all of my attention on getting out and to where I'm supposed to be tonight. Taking a deep breath, I center my thoughts. One of the giant rock formations miraculously gives way and falls out of place under my touch, disappearing into thin air.
The gaping hole continues to grow, transporting me to a wholly different world. As I walk through the space in the rock wall, my senses are completely overwhelmed with everything bursting in abruptly from nothing. My head vibrates from the intensity of the intrusive sensory overload.