The Sacrifice of Ava Black

Chapter 2

Floating. That's what it felt like. The blackness had already taken hold of me and now I was just suspended. In what? The air? I didn't know, but I was somewhere and it was just nothingness. There was no cold, no heat, no light. It should have been overwhelming. I should have been terrified, but I felt more at peace than I had in a long time because there was also no pain.

My head felt clear. I could actually form a coherent thought. For the first time in six months my body, my mind, was free.

Are you free, Ava?

It was a voice from within the darkness or was it in my head? I turned my head from side to side, but it was pitch black, there was no way I could see anything.

Do you want to stay here? Here in all of this black?

Who are you? Where are you? Where am I?

It's nice here away from the light isn't it?

I...I don't hurt. It feels...good.

Good enough to stay?

I...I don't know what you mean.

The voice was raspy, but I couldn't make out if it were male or female. It sounded far away, but it was hard to tell since it bounced off the walls of this place, whatever it was. The way its voice echoed, it made me think I was in some sort of cave.

There was something picking at the peace that had settled over my consciousness. It's claw like fingers, digging until it hurt, digging until I realized how uncomfortable I truly was.

That's it. You see it now. You see it for what it really is, don't you?

Who are you?

Don't give in, Ava. You're stronger than...

Nothing. The voice just stopped talking. For a while I remained silent, wondering where it could have gone. I listened until I couldn't take the silence any longer.

Hello? Are you still there? How do I get out of here? Hello? Hello!

There was a rustling sound in the distance that made my entire body freeze. I don't even think I was breathing. It sounded like a bug, with thousand of tiny hairy legs, scurrying across a stone floor. I shivered, goose bumps forming all along my body.

For a while the silence had taken back over. It lasted so long that I was starting to believe I had imagined the sound all together. Then, a bit closer, I heard it again. This time I knew it wasn't just a trick my mind was playing on me; there was someone or something in here with me.

This once peaceful rest was now a thing of nightmares. I had no idea where I was or how to get out. My hands and feet could feel nothing. The only thing I could feel was the sensation of a light breeze across my face.

Again, I heard rustling in the distance, each noise sounded closer and closer. The nearer it got, the clearer the sound became. Deep within me I knew it was someone. It was that same someone who had found me lying helpless on the locker room floor. I had to get out of here, but I was at a complete as to how.

Over here.

The voice was back. I jerked my head around, tyring to find it.

Hello? What do I do? You have to help me.

I can't.

Then why are you here?

You have to help yourself.