In The Shadow of Our Choices

Chapter 60 - Ensnared

CONTENT WARNING (ish):
Nightmare
Kissing (Warning you for the cringe, not because it's particularly spicy.)

Sebastian

Sebastian sat in complete blackness, but it was peaceful, almost soothing. Until the serene darkness was shattered by a scream of pure, wordless agony that pierced through the air. Panic surged through his veins, heart pounding in his chest so hard it left him feeling dizzy. Elizabeth. Moonlight seemed to filter through the scene, illuminating his desperation in eerie shadows so that he could see as his fingers tore uselessly at the impenetrable door to the cell, trying to find purchase to pry it open. To get to her.

"Sebastian!"

She screamed his name, but he was stuck, helpless. He scrabbled at the walls, hoping for a loose stone, a crack, anything. She screamed for him again, and her voice only fueled his frantic efforts, his hands raw and bloody in the dim light. Every second hearing her scream felt like an eternity, every second without her a torment of its own. As the weight of his helplessness bore down on him, he slammed a fist into the wall with a roar of frustration. But the walls remained resolutely solid, mocking his futile attempts even as she screamed again.

"Sebastian!"

"ELIZABETH!"

Tears of frustration welled up in his eyes as he bellowed her name back. His voice was raw, a desperate plea for her safety. The tears seemed to drain him, each a drop of his own strength. Time blurred as he fought against the unrelenting prison, the fear of losing her engulfing his every thought. The echoes of her screams haunted him, driving him to the edge of madness. Every fiber of his being screamed for action, for escape, for the chance to be by her side again. Yet he waned.

When his strength was fully gone, exhausting gripped him, and trembling, he slid down the wall to the floor. Elizabeth's agonized screams still reverberated through the walls, through the air, seeping deep into his very soul. He clutched his ears, desperate to block the harrowing sound. Time entirely lost meaning as he tried to hide from the sounds, from the bloodstained walls. His heart never slowed - pounding in his chest, a relentless drumbeat of panic.

In the midst of this torment, the screams changed, and he looked up to find Anne, skeletal and frail and wracked with unbearable pain. She reached out to him, seeking comfort and aid. But Sebastian had nothing to offer her. He curled in on himself, his eyes averted and his heart heavy as a stone, unable to bear the weight of her suffering.

Time crawled at a torturous pace now, stealing away any and all hope with each passing second. In a bittersweet twist of fate, the door to the cell flew open, and salvation beckoned, but his eyes raised to find Anne lifeless before him, her outstretched hand forever unmet. Through tear-blurred eyes, Sebastian's gaze shifted towards the doorway, his heart seizing at the sight of Elizabeth. But before he could react, an unseen force sent her hurtling out of his line of sight. Panic ignited within him, fueling his desperate scramble to his feet, his legs carrying him towards the fallen figure on the floor.

He fell to his knees as he reached her side, his trembling hands cradling her motionless form. The weight of her lifeless body pressed heavily against his chest, as fear gripped him, threatening to suffocate him entirely. Tears mingled with the stains of blood on her torn robes as he whispered her name, his voice a desperate plea for her to return from the abyss. But she remained unmoving.

Sebastian awoke with a shuddering breath, his heart hammered in his chest, heavy with the weight of lingering fear and sadness. Tears mingled with sweat on his face, evidence of the torment he had just endured again. But as his senses slowly adjusted to reality, a comforting warmth pressed against his side, reminding him that he was not alone. Lizzie was there, safe and alive. With a deliberate effort, Sebastian breathed deeply, attempting to calm the storm of emotions raging within him. He wiped away the tears and sweat, his trembling fingers trying to restore some semblance of composure, just as he had every other time he'd had that same blasted nightmare.