The Blackbox - Chapter 1

allyo.stories (48)in #story • 7 years ago (edited)

❖ Chapter 1 - My Darkest Ally ❖

If you haven't read the first part (prologue) of this story please click here

If you would like to view the Table of Contents where the links to all the existing chapters are, click here

*it's recommended that you read the prologue before this so you have more context :)

The darkness is so intense.
I can feel the weight of it crushing heavily on my heart. I run, not knowing in what direction I'm headed, only knowing that I must get away from the solid mass of dark nothingness, whose only ambition, I know for sure, is to engulf me, choke me, annihilate me.

I cough and gulp, but when I inhale I realize all the oxygen around me has been sucked away. I slow my pace in an attempt to catch my breath. I long for the scent of fresh air, the feeling of it rushing down my throat. But instead I am met with the stale odour that the darkness brings, it fills my nostrils and my lungs. It makes me shudder from my head to the tips of my toes.

Stumbling every few feet I struggle on realizing that, at this point, my will to escape, to stay alive, is my greatest ally. My feet are slipping with every painful step I take. I can feel beads sweat rolling down my face, but I dare not wipe them away. I'm convinced that I'm all alone now - I have long since stopped screaming for help, if only to conserve my energy which is quickly dissipating. The only response to my cries has been the profound, almost deafening silence.

Suddenly, after what seemed like days of eerie quiet, a figure emerges out of the darkness. A tall shape that glides towards me silently, it's even darker than the darkness, blacker than black. And as I squint my eyes trying not to lose sight of it, it appears right in front of me, it's cold aura chills me to the bone. But then I hear it. I hear my name being emitted loudly from this strange figure. It's voice like a thousand voices engulfing me tightly. "Serene!" it calls me. I want to reach out, I want to go to it. But my feet don't move and my arms hang limp, useless at my side. The voice is unlike any other. It's warm. Kind, almost. I know that voice...

"Serene!" I jolt up straight. I curse at myself as the echo of my own shout carries across the room. I just hope they didn't hear it. This is the same nightmare I've had ever since I can remember. It's me, running away from the darkness in a frenzied panic. I try to shrug it off. The darkness is not to be feared, that's my personal belief. The darkness is simply a neutral being who can be your friend when you need him, and turn you a cold shoulder just as fast. Ever since the nightmares started, I've tried to make the darkness my ally, my friend. I didn't want to keep being scared, somehow I figured that I was going to be here for a while, if not forever. Funny enough, that thought calmed me. It helped me take back the control and stop being fearful all the time.

As I recall the details of my dream, I notice I'm sweating heavily. And shivering. I wipe my face with the back of my hand. I've dreamt this very same dream hundreds of times. It hardly ever affects me emotionally, let alone physically. Ever since I was brought here, I've simply been accustomed to... well everything.

I was only 5 years old when I was brought here. That's when the dreams started. I remember kicking and screaming and putting up some sort of fight, but I remember nothing from before the Blackbox. I was purely terrified during my first month, I refused to talk, eat, or sleep. They probably let me get away with this because I was so young. I was practically depressed, at the age of 5. I was also the first person to arrive here. I was living alone here for at least a year before Grace, the second person to be brought to the Blackbox, arrived.. Grace being there helped me, I was no longer alone and I had a friend I could talk to. As scared as I was at the beginning, I'm over it now. I shrug off those dreams as nothing more than an annoying interruption to my designated sleeping time.

I sigh to myself. I should be sleeping right now. I take a glance at the 5 other beds that form a circle with mine. They're all fast asleep. Of course they are, I mean they don't want to be punished. One night when it was time for bed, Raven decided that she wanted to stay awake. So she jumped on her bed, chewed on her pillow, she did everything she could to not fall asleep, just like the rebel she was. The next morning Raven's bed was perfectly made, and she was nowhere to be found. It wasn't until bed time that Raven appeared. She was limping. We all asked her what happened, but she hardly spoke a word. This all occured 3 years ago. Ever since then, the old rebellious, rambunctious Raven who danced and pranced and jumped around with her long dark locks trailing behind her was gone, replaced with a quiet broody Raven that sits in the corner and mutters to herself all day long. We never found out what happened to Raven while she was gone to make her the way she is, but needless to say, none of us ever stayed up after bed time again.

I lean back to rest my head against my pillow. I know that if they find out I'm awake, something unthinkable might happen to me. I close my eyes and try to steady my breathing, which I realize is still rapid and uneven from my sudden awakening. I feel my body relax and I take one final deep breath before I drift off into a deep peaceful sleep.

Chapter 2 coming soon!