Part IV

“*Am I dead? I don´t feel like I´m dead. I…could be dead, but am I?*”

I hear nothing.

“*I could be dead. But if I am dead…where’s Heaven? Or…maybe…I´m where no one would ever want to find themselves…Hell?*”

I feel nothing.

“*Hell – that’s where I am! I´m living one of my greatest fears! I´m afraid…afraid of being alone…afraid of loosing my senses… Afraid…of the darkness.*”

There is nothing but the darkness.

“Do not be afraid.”

I cry out loud, screaming like I have never done before; screaming from the deepest part of my soul until there is nothing left. It lasts for an eternity, my entire being screaming out with every single emotion that has been building up inside me for so long. Screaming with the pain inside my head and that which throbs in my ankle.

Silence falls, though I can still hear my own scream echo inside my head. I tremble and sob softly, finding myself finally free. And now, I feel nothing. My fear…it freed my soul.

My eyes remain closed as I take a slow breath, feeling the life of my body surge as the air fills my lungs. I can feel the beating of my heart, the flow of my life’s blood coursing through the veins of my body. I can feel…the energies of my body; feel it move within me like smoke wafting about an enclosed room. I can feel it…I can see it within my minds eye.

“Am…am I…dead? Is this…my hell?”

My voice is course, my scream having strained my throat, but soft…without emotion. And taking another breath, I wait in the darkness. I don´t expect an answer…but my voice brings me a sense of calm.

“No, you live.”

“Are you sure?” I hear myself exclaim before I can stop it from slipping between my lips. And immediately, I wince in fear, expecting something to happen to me for my sudden remark. But nothing, to my surprise, happens.

“Quite.”

“*Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! You are such a stupid twit!*” I belittle myself, mentally smacking myself for blurting out loud before I can stop myself. It happens when I least expect it – I think of something and before I know it, I hear myself say exactly what I´m thinking. “*Gods I hate myself! UGH!*”

“Once more, I will ask you again, and this time, do not faint – who are you?”

For some reason…I can´t recall fainting. I can´t even remember clearly how Aicha and I ended up in that dark room, alone – nor how I injured myself. I don´t have an answer to his question and I don´t know what to tell him. “*Improvise!*”

“Eh…I- my name is Dawn.”

“Why are you here?” The dark silken voice questions, sounding as if it were closer than the last question.

“*Is he moving closer to me? Where am I?*”

When I don´t answer fast enough, I feel something wrap about my throat, slowly, agonizingly, squeezing.

“Why are you here?” The voice questions, growing anger adding a sharpness to his words. There is a darkness that attends his very voice – a darkness that is deadly…unforgiving.

“I…I…” I can´t think, my thoughts, my words fading before they reach my mouth. I find myself hesitating, fear rising in the very sound of my voice as I try to say something – anything that will appease my captor.

Instantly I feel hands grasp hold of my arms, holding me in a painful grip, and I cry out in terror as I find myself looking deep into eyes that stare hard into my own; eyes golden like the sun and as red as blood. And they stare with such intensity that I can´t break free of their embrace…until…I am drowning…

“You will answer me, woman!”

But I can´t answer him. I don´t have what he wants and tears well up in my eyes as I see my pathetic existence flash before my eyes in a matter of seconds.

“I don´t know!”

As I am caught in his eyes, I can feel – see them move as if searching, looking for the very answer in my own. They are hard, filled with such anger and darkness… They are painfully…beautiful. But, as if finding what he searches for, his eyes seem to pull away from me, allowing me to breathe – escape their endless depths before I become lost in them for all eternity.

“So you speak the truth.” Then he releases me, taking several steps back from me, but not once moving his eyes from my direction. “Rest now, we are not done.”

And as my captor turns from me, I finally realize I have full view of him. He is tall – taller than the average male; his shoulders are broad, as well as his back, giving me the impression that hidden beneath the layers of black fabric that adorns his body, are muscles perfectly chiseled from many years of hours of training. But upon his head is a deep and wide black hood. It had hid his full visage from me except his eyes, hiding him in complete shadow. No, he is a shadow! Darkness seems to waft about him in thick tendrils of inky blackness – emanate from him as if he were a living black flame giving off an almost visible black smoke.

I cannot help the groan of relief…and…something else, that escapes my lips when my dark captor disappears from my site. There is something about him… something… I shake my head as if to shake the very thought from my head and looking about me, I realize that I can see my surroundings. I find a bed, small but adequate, with a blanket and a small pillow, in a corner of the room to my right; a small table with a cup and a pitcher upon it beside the bed and looking to the wall on my left…I find chains upon the walls. Instantly a shiver races up and down my spine. I can only imagine what those would or could be used for.

Turning back to the bed, I carefully sit myself down upon it. It is hard under me, but I lie down and try not to think about what might be to come. Instead I try to think about Aicha and hoping that she is ok. No doubt that our captor is interrogating her as he had me, I just hope that she is more…clearer in the head than I am.

Suddenly I find myself yawning. The recent events seem to have exhausted me, and before I know it…I´m fast asleep. But hidden, waiting in the darkness of my lids, I see a pair of glowing gold and red eyes watching me without once blinking. And I don´t just see him in the darkness of my eyes, but I feel him in my head – I can hear him like a faint whisper drifting along my thoughts. He has such a hold over me that it effects my very dreams.

“Sweet Little One…it has been so long,” I hear a voice in the darkness speaking to me. I don´t know who it is…but I do. It is filled with such longing…such passion and desire… And…I cry. I cry for the voice I hear… I cry for the person who is the one who is longed for, desired for… And somewhere…deep within the darkest depths of my being…the voice…longs for me.

“Little One…”

Gasping, I wake.