Monster in the Dark Room

The only thing Emory can hear is her heavy breathing. She can't see anything, so she doesn't know what her surroundings look like. It's cold though, by several degrees. It's noticeable as soon as Rome shoves her inside, with the way goosebumps rise on her skin. She shakes her hands out in front of her and swallows, the sound audible in the now quiet dark room.

She holds her hands out in front of her and walks forward until her fingers graze against a cool, smooth wall. She spreads her palm along the surface, and based on the feel alone, it's smoothly cut stone. She shuffles along it, eyes wide and desperate for any sign of light so she can see.

Emory has already tried to cast a light spell, but then she remembered the block that's been put on her, now that she's here. It's highly inconvenient. Not that her magic would've been a lot of help anyway, with the way the curse makes it go haywire.

Emory pauses where she is when she feels the stonewall cuts off and turns right. She almost immediately follows, but hesitates. What if she's in a hallway and chooses the wrong direction?

Stealing her resolve, Emory shuffles to the left and finds the stone wall also opens up into another hall. She carefully moves forward, and finds that she is in a crossroads. She's right on the edge of a panic attack because what if she chooses a path that leads her to her death?

I believe in you, but the most important thing for you, is to believe in yourself.

Walker's word's from yesterday come to mind and her eyes blur. How she wishes she could go back in time to make sure she never summoned that demon. Walker would still be alive, and her coven wouldn't have been torn to pieces. She'd take being the Covens weakest witch over them being dead.

Emory straightens her back, glaring at the abyss. Now is not the time to grieve. There's some monster on the loose in here, and she can't waste Walker's sacrifice just for her to die here.

So, Emory turns left.

When she finds herself zig zagging through corners and turns without allowing herself to stop, she's a panting sweaty mess despite how cold it is in here, and she finally pauses to catch her breath. This doesn't make any sense. They call it the dark room, but she thinks it's only a reference to the dark. Because this isn't a room at all, it's almost like a maze.

And Emory still hasn't heard that beast again, or whatever it is.

She's about to climb back on her aching feet when there's a chuff, a large deep breath that no human can make, as if a large wet nose sniffed the air, and she freezes. She doesn't know if it's right in front of her, a few feet away, or around the corner. The sound is so loud and seems to echo within the stone walls. So Emory keeps still, waiting and listening for a clue or a sign that she's been found by whatever is down here.

The huffing seems to get further away, so she slowly backs up the way she came, hoping the next path she takes brings her away from it.

Rome's words come back to Emory.

Find somewhere to hide.

But how? She felt along the walls, there were no doors, or nooks. Demons hell, she even felt along the floor to see if there were any holes she could hide in. He could have at least told her where she could find a hiding place!

Emory's hands start to shake the longer she's out in the open, and her heart begins to race in her chest. She can't see anything. It's like she's gone completely blind. And that monstrous roar, earlier, is giving her anxiety. What else did he say?

Or if I'm stupid enough to leave, don't run.

But does he mean in general or does he mean from whatever is down here with her?

When Emory feels along the wall and finds herself at another turn, she pauses when she sees the smallest red dot in the left top corner. At first she almost screams because she immediately thinks it's already found her, but then pauses when nothing happens. It blinks at her, and she realizes it's a camera, the red light bright enough to give her the barest outline of it.

They're recording her? What kind of shit is this? Does the director get off on it? Emory gags, her hand immediately flies to her mouth and she leans her other against the wall.

More of Rome's words come to mind. Did her Priestess really sell her to this place?

There's an echo of a deep growl that bounces off of the walls around her. Emory's vision blurs with tears, the sense of urgency tearing through her body. She needs to find a place to hide, because she doesn't want to meet whatever that is.

She decides to turn right, her hands quickly running along the walls for a door handle. Her breathing is so fast and loud in her ears in the now quiet area. Then it hitches when the back of her hand smacks hard against cold steel. She almost cries out in relief as she twists the handle and it opens. She rushes inside and quietly closes it behind her, not wanting to give herself away. Just as it clicks shut and locks, it rattles as a force outside rams into it.

Emory screams and falls back on her ass. Her heart is in her throat as she scrambles back against the floor. With the way the door shakes and rattles, she doubts it'll hold for long. She winces when something digs into her backside and feels under her to notice a bump under the carpet of whatever room she's in. She jumps up and lifts the carpet. She crouches down to feel around and finds a small knob on the floor, like another secret compartment. She lifts the wooden lid and with the end of the carpet in her hand, Emory quickly but cautiously descends the stairs pulling the wooden door closed and the carpet behind her as much as she can.

The bottom, from what she's felt along the walls, is a small square room, big enough for her to crouch down into, with her knees pressed against her chest. She waits, body tense as she tries to even her breathing and strain to hear anything. There's a loud thud, and then the sound of claws dragging against stone.

Emory closes her eyes tight and hugs her knees. Please, Goddess, don't let it find her. There's the sound of huffing, like big deep breaths and she waits for the trap door to open. But it doesn't.

As time passes, and nothing happens and Emory can no longer hear anything, her shoulders start to relax. She leans her head back against the cold stone wall and sighs.

This is torment. She understands now why the other girl, Parma, resisted so hard. Emory would have fought harder if she knew too.