Dark Embrace

Chapter One

A cold sweat runs down my back. I shift and whip around, aching to get free. The once peaceful sleep I was entranced in, gone in a blink. Darkness pulls at me, tempting me into its cold and stretching arms, scratching at me, tearing at my skin. Cold water freezes me, preventing me from moving. I struggle to move, whipping and thrashing. Oxygen escapes my lungs, threatening to drown me. White blurs my vision and I let my eyes close.

“No, don’t sleep,” a soft whisper lures my eyes open.

My stark black hair floats up and around me, blinding me from the light. Fluid fills my lungs, grappling me farther down.

    “Join us, Amber.” overlapping voices thrust their hands at me, clawing at my skin. I pull my arms from their grasp.  

    “NO!” my head flings up and I find myself in the warm comfort of my bed. I see my pillows and blankets flung violently around my room.

    It was a dream? But it felt so……. real. I pour over the question until I hear a high, deafening screech.

    “AMBER!! AMBER!!” I fling myself out of bed and speed down to the kitchen.

    “What!?” I yell as I ram myself into the counter.

    “Kill it!! Kill it NOW!!!” Dian squeals, pointing to a small speck of a spider. I look at the counter. Its blood red eyes look up at me as its long, hairy legs stretch along the counter, going only a small centimeter from its plump, black chest. White speckles litter its whole body.

    “What? That little thing? You have got to be kidding me. I get up from my comfy bed to kill a spider?” I look at her with a look that can only be described as really?

    “Yes! Now kill it! I don’t want it in the food.” She counters, closing her eyes as if she's gonna cry and looking like a five year old in the process.

    “Fine but that food better be made from Zeus himself. And give me magical abilities to see if I am needed for a sensible reason.” I say, giving the small amphibian a light wack.

    “Yeah, yeah. Thank you by the way.”

    “No problem. If you you need me I’ll be in my room ASLEEP.” I call as I start to walk up the stairs to my room. “And if you need to kill another spider, there’s a shoe by the door.” I snicker up the wooden stairs

    “Oh be quiet.” I heard Dian yell as I shut my door.

Looking around my room, my bed pressed up against the wall, my dresser facing the other wall but against the foot of the bed. I walk over to the empty side of my room and look out the bay window.

    What if?, my thoughts start to whirl. W-What happened? What happened to ME? That- it was just a dream. It had to be a dream. What else could it be? Knowing trying to go back to sleep will only waste my time, I grab a graphite pencil and start to draw.

    200 hundred failures later I give up and go see what Dian was doing.

    “Dian? Hey, where are you?” I call from the top stair. No answer. “Dian? Hey David Hayes is on the tv!” I yell as I turn on the tv.

    “Missing cases are everywhere. Reports have been coming in all morning. Women and children abducted right out of their homes. Back to you Carloe” the news catches my attention before I click away.

    “Missing case files? We never have those…” I back it up to the part about the missing reports.

    “This morning we have some horrible news. There have 53 missing persons since November 11. We have not found any evidence of murder or who the abductor is or where to find them. A mother and her child were abducted this morning at 8:53 am.” I blink out then. November 11th? That was just two weeks ago. “Dian!?? I yell, growing more frantic as I realize she’s not here.