Killer Instinct. (larry au)

Trapped.

I woke up in a darkness that blinded me. I felt myself being jostled around as if I were in the back of a vehicle. The hair on my arms stood up from the cold air surrounding me, and I drew myself tighter together and squeezed my eyes shut. 'This can't be happening' I thought. As I went to yell for help, I discovered that my mouth had been filled with cloth that tasted vintage and of soil. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I acknowledged the entirety of the situation.

Don't give up now. Figure it out. Stretching my legs, I kicked the carpeted wall beside me several times and felt around me for a tool to cut the ropes that bound my hands and feet. I'm in a trunk. Just great. Suddenly, all motion stopped and I heard someone approaching me. Freezing, I squeezed my eyes shut and lay very still. Light quickly flooded in and formed shapes under my eyelids as I heard someone open a door. A few annoyed grumbles sounded and I realized someone had unlocked the trunk of the car. My heart stopped as I waited for what was next.

"Stop making such rukus or I will skin you myself. It's not me who values your existence. I couldn't care less about you. Now, shut up and don't make me come back here again." A low voice angrily growled out. I subconsciously caved more into myself as I felt the door slam shut once again and the darkness spread over me like a blanket. I couldn't move, my entirety absolutely horrified at the sight I had just witnessed. When I peeked my eyes open during the encounter, I saw some sort of animal, a monster, that spoke to me with a voice so haunting it shook me to my core. It had the face of a demon, with a double set of horns protruding from a fur-covered head. It's teeth were brown but strong- looking as they pointed upwards from its bottom lip. One eye had been gouged out, leaving an egg-shaped pocket that was void of the eyeball that once had been, but not completely empty as yellow puss filled the hole. It's body, or the part I could see from the position I had been in, was covered in shaggy brown fur. It smelled of death.

It felt as if my stomach was trying to turn itself around inside of me as nausea overcame my senses and I clamped my lips together in an attempt to keep everything inside of me. I crunch myself even further into the fetal position and try to let my unconscious pull me into sleep.

In the short time that my mind had allowed me to dream, the only thing I could see at first was emerald eyes. They belonged to a face that I didn't recognize, but somehow felt familiar. This person was searching for something, concern written all over his face. He was beautiful. Glowing, even. Thick, chocolate brown curls framed his pale, skinny face perfectly.

"Do I know you?" I heard my own voice call out. The eyes stared deep into my soul, and warmth flooded my body. In that moment, I felt safe.

"You will. Soon. I promise. I'm coming for you. Just hold on."

My brain was confused, as I had heard this man speak without him opening his mouth once. But I had this definite feeling that he was the one speaking to me. His voice was throaty and friendly, but authoritative.

"I'm scared. What's going on? Who are you? Please help me!" I told him, hearing my own voice wavering with fear.

"Just hold on. Just hold on. Just hold on. Just hold on. Just hol-"

Suddenly, I was blinded with a soft, white light that exploded under my eyelids. This jolted me awake, opening my eyes to something I'd see in a horror film. The trunk was once again opened, and this time, two beings were grumbling in their language. Thankfully, they were facing each other and had not seen that I had woken; for that I was grateful. I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for what was next. I held my breath to hold back my tears as I felt two thick arms picking me up from underneath my back and legs roughly. There was a strange whirring sound that I could hear, and somehow feel, reverberating under my skin, but I couldn't distinguish what it was coming from. I could feel that we were outside, and the wind was starting to pick up. I peeked an eye open to try and see where they had taken me, but the only thing I could see was blackness. Outlines of rock walls loomed against a night sky, illuminated by billions of stars. What a beautiful night to be kidnapped, I thought, trying to provide myself some comedic relief to calm down.

We came closer and closer to a deep, never-ending opening between the rock walls, the beasts shuffling slowly through the grass and grunting every few steps. I started to feel my heartbeat quicken even more, my pulse thick throughout my body. This is crazy. This is all a dream. This isn't happening to me. What did I do to deserve this? Then, the memory of the strange email I had received a few days earlier came flooding back into my mind. It had told me that "I had been chosen". Maybe this was what it was referring to? I still had more questions than answers, and it infuriated me.

We came up to the crack between the rocks, and the creatures starting talking again in deep, growling voices. Suddenly, I felt a shudder in the ground beneath the beast's hooves. As I cautiously opened my other eye slowly, I saw the ground in front of us shift and drop down. There was now a ramp leading to a dark red aura, and the creatures promptly started walking down it. We approached the aura, and the beasts picked up the pace, running straight into it. Immediately, I screamed out. I was in free fall. My eyes searched the darkness, but all I saw around me was the deep red light. What was happening?? I started sobbing violently, my entire body convulsing with fear. This is it. This is how it ends for me. I looked down in the direction I was falling in, and saw a black ground coming up fast to meet my body, and closed my eyes in preparation for the landing. Miraculously, I felt myself slowing greatly before slamming into the floor, the sheer force of it all knocking me out instantly. But I was alive.