Running alone, deep in the wilderness. Heart pounding ferociously, faster you push yourself just trying to escape. The smell of pine fills your senses, as branches whip across your bare skin. It stings so badly, yet releases a touch of relief; as it’s deserved. The sky is black, not even the moon has come to aid with light; further proving undeserving thoughts. Faster and faster, your feet crash into the earth, taking you as far from that place as you can get. You begin to see a break in the trees, a clearing ahead. Causing both comfort and adds to your fears. What could be waiting over yonder?

Each step taking its toll, amplifing the pain. Nearly every step screaming, as the next could bring us to the ground. Focuses the traumatic rush of emotions getting as far away as possible centers in your mind. The tree line growing thinner. Alas, your body as though being thrown by the gods is thrust into the clearing.

 

The frost In the air, soothes the burning soul. Tears burning, struggling to calm your breathing. Through watery eyes you see the black sky has somehow gathered a reflection off the lake before you. You look over the water line scoping for a safe place to find shelter. It’s so dark it proves hard to be sure. You slowly follow the waters edge and come across a break in the massive rocks that look as though the mountains have had babies. Cautiously you enter hopeful to find it empty and not some home for hungry wild animals bearing sharp teeth. The cavern opens up larger than the entrance would have you think it could be inside, and luckily it’s empty too. Realizing that your lighter is still in the lower pocket of your ripped pants. You quickly gather some firewood hoping not to freeze to death, as the air cools further still.

 

The warmth of the fire brings a sense of ease, as you look over your body in the light it provides. Astonished, you see red welts on your arms and you can feel the burn from the ones on your face. In this moment you wonder how far you made it from the cabin you escaped from, if your capturers had even given chase, or what would become of the one you left behind. You attempt to get comfortable as your body aches and feels weak.

 

Your eyes close, but your mind is racing. You envision yourself trapped in your own mind, scratching and clawin, trying to find a way out. Causing a dizzy feeling as internally you spin faster than a compass needle sitting on a magnetic pole. Your screams echo, bounces of the walls of the cave, like a distrubed pinball wanting solice as multi-ball commences. Sending painful vibrations to your ear drums. The sky in your mind’s eye is filled with bright stars with trails as the spinning seems to be picking up speed. While still feeling as though an inner you is still attempting to break through the skin, as though it’s prison walls that withhold it.

 

Your eyes open as A screetching sound echos through the cave, it’s still dark, cold and the fire is just ambers.. a shiver rushes over you as you reach for more wood. You keep one piece to use a club, as you get up to peak outside to see what made the awful sound. You see nothing, but don’t go out to explore either. Back to the fire only this time you get a little closer to stay warm. You can’t help but wonder, what time it could be, and what could have made the sound. Your eyes slowly close once more.

You can hear a voice off in the distance, it sounds so familiar, but you can’t put your finger on it. It slowly gets louder, closer and you can feel the emotion it carries. Louder still the emotion so fierce you can feel it in your bones. It’s anger, it’s hurt, it’s frustrations. The closer it gets to you, you realize it’s attack, one side of argument. But the other is unheard, the words like daggers, cut through to your core. Unaware who they are aimed at, you fight the need to defend the voiceless target.

 

As the voice gets louder still you recognize that it’s yours. And the voiceless target, is you! Your body tenses, and begins to contort. Bending in ways you never knew possible. Your fingers cramps and lock in the most unsettling ways. Feet pushing themselves underneath you forcing your body to bend backwards into a bridge, all the force then pressing to your neck as your head supports the weight of you body. Feet pushing harder bending you further in excurtitating pain. As scream leaves your mouth as tears build in your eyes. Confusion waves over you wondering how any of this is possible, and what have you done to deserve this? Further pressure contorts your body so much it feels as though your joints are popping out of place as they are forced the wrong directions.

 

Feeling the pressure growing more and more, then bones themselves begin to feel compressed by the muscles that encase them. Squeezing them so tight it feels as though they could shatter at any moment.

 

Facial spazims are next, you feel almost as if your face has morphed into one not of your own. And you begin to notice the voice that once felt so far away is screaming in your ears. Cutting down at your confidence as though a lumberjack and a tree. The tears now flowing up but down as your hairline is now against the sand. Feet still pushing your backwards bridge forcing your belly to the sky. Feeling vertebrae pop in your back as your spine bends to what seems to be 90°. The voice booming “You did this to us! You put us in to this spot! And you left the other part of us behind in the cabin! The only part of us who is innocent in all of this you left behind to suffer!”. You notice it’s your lips moving this time the words are said.

 

The dizzying feeling comes rushing back, with the thought of the compass needle. Only this time it has so much more pain as your head twists like the girl in ‘The Exorcist’ poor Ragen you think, now knowing the pain she felt.

 

Once more a scream echos the cave, though this time the pitch is nearly deafening. No longer painful, but piercing through the ear drums. While the contorted face that once was yours fills the cave with an evil laugh and you can see the wicked smile that has become of your lips, like one wall within the cave has suddenly become a mirror.

 

Your mind's eye now watching this turn of events as though an astral projection of yourself now floats above while the body continues to contort, and be morphed.

Again, a scream is heard though now, sounds that of a child..

 

With that your eyes snap open once more, terrified, and soaked in a cold sweat…

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And in your big comfy bed.