Revised 1/23/2024
I sit on a cot, wrists shackled to a chain attached to a wall made of damp, musty rock. I walk ten steps and the chain pulls tight.
The scent of damp earth and excrement fills my nose with every breath.
There is squeaking and scratching from above. My skin crawls. The hairs on my arms rise.
Pitch black. Time skewed.
The darkness swallows me, except for a tiny light flickering through the keyhole. A beacon of hope temps me to believe there is something beyond this chamber.
An escape?
A lie.
Footsteps shuffle and drag and a shadow passes by the door. The light disappears as a key enters the hole. A click echoes through the room.
The door groans open. Light blinds me.
An enormous shadow stands in the doorway. My eyes adjust.
Someone screams.
It is me.
Author Note and Random Reflections:
I wrote this piece of micro-fiction for a class project based on a visual prompt. It was one of the first pieces I wrote and I fell in love with short-form prose doing this small project.
It is also the muse for a novel I am currently working on called A Light Within (title subject to change).
***Disclaimer*** This is a work in progress and as such is likely to change before reaching the finished product. Thank you for your understanding.
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Jenn J Brewer 