Always For You. [Snape Romance] [Harry Potter]

Arc 1: Chapter 10: Grains of Sand

....a bright white flashed and then there was deep darkness. My fingers twitched, then my toes and then my larger limbs one at a time. My eyes flushed open to a hard rock floor that my body pressed firmly up against. It was agonisingly cold and my flesh felt like it was about to fall off from frostbite. It seems that I was in a deep cave with the only light source coming from the far away exit. 

My wand was missing. I'm defenceless. I could call for help but it's unlikely anyone would hear me. Plus, I don't know who or what brought me here. If the voice was correct and I was in the Forbidden Forest, any wrong move could lead to my death. However, if I made no move at all, my demise would be certain from the cold, starvation or the enemy lurking nearby. 

Then what is the right course of action? First, I should establish my well-being. My heart was pounding like a bell in my ears. The first call for survival is to calm yourself so that you do not make any rash decisions... I began to take deep breaths, placing my palm to my chest to slow down my heartbeat and focus. 

Alright... Step two... Analyse your surroundings. What can you use to improve your chances of living? Going outside was off the table... that would certainly lead to perishing in the cold. It was unlikely to be a way out if I was brought here regardless. The only thing at my feet was the rock flooring of the cave and its matching walls surrounding me.  That leaves the only option being... to progress deeper inside. 

Every footfall felt heavy and caused echoes to reverberate off the circular cavern walls. A small rock flew a short distance after my foot collided with it, creating a deep noise. It wouldn't be much but it was a better "weapon" than having nothing at all. At worst, it could be a good distraction. 

The cave was essentially pitch black as it took a curve. A small round in shape chamber formed as the cave's ending. I couldn't hear a single thing and could make out some basic shapes to which I believed to be mere rock formations. The hand that was gripping the stone was shaking. Hesitantly, I threw the rock and it fell somewhere in the middle of the room, making the same noise it had previously. 

There was no movement. It was empty. If there was nobody here then why was I brought here? Had they left for some reason? There was no apparent cause to keep me with my back exposed so I went inside the room. As expected, most of the shapes were identified as rock formations but others were so much smaller and... unnatural. I need some sort of light source... 

I could see some sort of torch beacon perched on the wall. There must be some flint and wood to strike a flame somewhere... I knelt down near the beacon, trying to ignore the sharp pain from the dirt digging into my knees. My hands shuffled everywhere in front of me, picking up countless bits of debris in my nails until I felt a wooden substance hit me. Perfect! A sharp rock sat slightly to its left. 

Carefully, I struck the flint to the wood and a light spark erupted. Knowing that it was flammable, I repeated the action to the beacon and it quickly erupted with flames. Turning around, I witnessed a sight I wish I could take back. 

The walls were covered with deep claw marks and splatters of blood of all different shapes and sizes. But that wasn't nearly the worst of it... 

To the left and right of the cave laid four bodies progressively going through the stages of decomposition. That was when the stench of rotting flesh hit my nose. I wanted to throw up but no substance left my stomach. My entire body was telling me to stay away but I had to see if I could confirm the bodies...

Heading to the left, the body of a girl in pre-adult development lay. She was by far the most decomposed. A broken pair of spectacles was discarded by its side. Her bones were showing and her skin was infested with maggots, creating the worst of the putrid smells. This must be the remains of Jessica Marin...