~~~~
As I awoke on the cold, wooden floor, the only thought in my head was the question of what the hell I did last night. My head was throbbing, my limbs were sore, and I felt unclean. Not in the sense I was covered in dirt or anything; it was more of an abstract feeling. Speaking of feelings, does confusion count as one? Because if I didn’t make it clear earlier, I was pretty confused. I don’t know what I had planned for today, but I can say for a fact that waking up in this strange place was not it.
The room I was in was posh looking but not lived in, like a guest room in some rich person’s mansion. In fact, that’s probably exactly where I was. The large ornate windows, the massive bed with a dozen pillows, the leather chairs, and grand nightstands gave it away. Now the real question is, why am I here?
Was I out drinking? Partying? Was this on a dare? Did someone slip me something nasty? I don’t remember. In fact, I can’t remember much of anything clearly, but yesterday is a complete blank space. It’s like, I can remember things, but it’s all fuzzy. The memories are there, but something is preventing me from seeing them. It’s like trying to solve a puzzle, you’re 90% done, but you can’t solve the last bit. It’s frustrating, it grates at you in the most uncomfortable way, but there’s nothing you can do.
Let’s start with my name, a few come to mind, but I’m not sure which one fits me. Allison, Jamie, Lynda, Katherine? All familiar, all of them sound sort of right, but I don’t know which one is mine if any of them are. As I looked down at myself, hoping to jog some memory, I rapidly became more and more confused.
My body didn’t feel right like I was a stranger in my own skin. Or maybe, the skin was the strange part? Well, at least I found out why my limbs were so sore. Manacles were wrapped around my wrists, upper arms, ankles, legs, neck, and waist, linked by long, thin chains. It wasn’t to the point that I wouldn’t be able to move, but it would undoubtedly be uncomfortable. As long as I walked slowly and didn’t stretch out much, it’d be fine, but there’s no way I could run like this.
As for the clothes underneath, well, I’d say they were designed by someone who learned everything they knew about clothing from drunken sailor’s ramblings. It was kind of like a dress, kind of like a worker’s garb and a complete mess of design. I’d say it was somebody’s poorly drawn fetish outfit brought to life. How I ended up wearing it is a whole other question.
Well, I won’t figure out what’s going on from here, might as well explore my surroundings and find my way home…Wherever that is.
As I exited the room, I briefly glanced out the window, noting it was a dark and foggy night. The hallway outside was dark, a long row of windows bringing in the occasional spot of moonlight. It was dead quiet, with only the clatter of my footsteps creating any sound. I’d call these things on my feet heels, but again, it’s like they were designed and built by someone who had no concept of shoes, let alone heels. They were uncomfortable footwear, and they were linked up with the chains on my ankles, so there was no removing them.
Much to my relief, I found someone fairly quickly or rather ran into them. I turned the corner and almost crashed into someone dressed the same as me. They were literally wearing the exact same thing (I refuse to call this an outfit) as I, but strangely they made no sounds when they walked. Her hair was this dull silver-grey, as were her eyes. Her mouth was so tightly closed and expression so thoroughly blank, I almost thought she didn’t have one.
The woman stared at me for the briefest moment before silently walking right past me. I tried to call out to her, ask her where the hell I was, but the words died in my throat. I opened my mouth, I could feel my vocal cords try to do their things, but no sound came out.
Now I knew something was wrong, supported by the fact that the other woman still made no sound. Even though she’s wearing the same shoes and walking on the same floor as I was. I wanted to run after her, but I knew I’d just trip over my own two feet. Instead, I just carefully followed after her, trying to match her stride. Maybe, she’d lead me somewhere I’d find answers.
I followed her up, down, and around this odd mansion. It felt like every hall led to three or four more. This twisted maze of corridors was so bad I’m sure I’d never find my way back to where I started. Yet, this woman in front of me moved through them with purpose. Like she knew the whole place like the back of her hand.
Finally, we started to reach somewhere…familiar? The latest hallway she walked through gave me a serious sense of déjà vu. This wasn’t where we started, but I had been to this hall before. At the center of the hall was a massive set of double doors that the woman walked up to, knocked twice, and slipped inside. As those doors opened, my stomach twisted into a knot as disturbing sensations bubbled to the surface of my memory. I began to sweat profusely, and my heart raced laps around my chest. I felt like I was going to throw up. Then the door closed and I could relax again.
Well, there’s my chance for answers, but you know what? I don’t think I want to know anymore. I turned on my heel and raced away. I needed to leave this place, clear my head and remember who I was. Being here makes my mind so fuzzy. The atmosphere here is so oppressive it could just suck the life out of you.
After falling flat on my face several times as I ran through the hall, I found a set of stairs that led down to a grand foyer. At the front of the hall was a magnificent set of doors leading outside. I wasted no time moving down the stairs and dashed right up to the door. I pushed them open and breathed the sweet taste of fresh air. I took one step out onto the cobblestone path outside, and suddenly I could go no further.
I felt the manacles all around my body tighten, and like a dog with a choke chain, I was forced to take a step back. Actually, no, not like a dog, like a puppet on strings, I was forcibly pulled back. I peered around to see a set of ethereal chains tied to the manacles, leading right back into the mansion. My heart racing again, I pushed forward, but the harder I tried to escape, the harder I was yanked back. I tried, I really tried to escape, but I was forcibly dragged back inside, the doors shutting before me on their own.
Before I had a chance to even process this and realize the full terror of my situation, the chains yanked harder again. That’s when I realized they didn’t just lead back into the mansion but back up the way I came. I clawed for a handhold on the ground, but the smooth wooden floor of the foyer provided no aid. I was pulled back, retracing my steps up the stairs, dragged down the halls, and returned to those double doors.
My heart sank as I looked back to see that the chains originated from beyond those doors. I began to breathe heavily again as my skin crawled. My chest tightened as I saw the woman from before holding the door open, as expressionless as ever. I tried to break free from my predicament one last time, but I had even less success than before. At this point, I was practically floating, like a fish being dragged along a line.
As I was pulled past the threshold of the double doors, I grabbed at them, wrapping myself around them and holding onto the handle for dear life. The woman took one look at the spectacle I was making of myself, grabbed my hands, pried me off the door, one finger at a time, and shoved me inside. The inside of the room was pitch black, aside from the light from the door. Even that vanished as the silent woman closed that behind us.
My whole body shook in terror as I was pulled further into the darkness. Someone or something was behind me, pulling at these chains. I could feel them. I could sense them. I knew them. Their presence was terrifyingly familiar to the point it cut right through the fog in my memories. I turned to face my captor, and all I could do upon seeing them was scream.
~~~~
You don't need to be behind bars or in a cage to be a prisoner. Chains, both physical and metaphorical, are more than enough.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy
~~~~
Support me on Patreon: [link]
