DARKNESS

LUCA

I stare at the ring in hesitation, it lays heavily on my palm as it glows. My heart skips a beat as my fingers tighten around it, I know I shouldn't- "it's just a stupid ring I picked up nothing special will actually happen" I shrug it off but the curiosity never leaving my bones it won't hurt to try will it?, time to end this curiosity.

Sliding it onto my finger feels almost too easy, as if it belonged there "how is the size perfect?", it was cold against my skin, then suddenly warm maybe I am imagining it but suddenly.....

An electric jolt races up my arm, a pulse of heat flooding in my chest, for a moment I felt like I was being filled with something, something that I am not yet aware of. My ears ring and pulse pounds on my skull.

The sudden change sends me off stumbling backward until my knees hit the edge of my bed but then just as quickly, the sensation vanishes. Breathing hard and eyes wide I clenched my hand into a fist then released it, I felt nothing just my own heartbeat.

"What the hell was even that?" I mutter to myself shaking my head in disbelief and maybe denial. Sighing in exhaustion that outweighs my fear, not helping the fact i woke up in the dead night "yes, am imagining things because I am tired" i yawn dragging my hand down to my face, flopping onto the bed and sinking into my pillow. With the ring still snug on my finger I relax onto my bed feeling foolish for even trying "stupid ring" I mutter before sleep pulls me under.

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"W..what?" It was dark when I tried to look around, I found myself standing in a vast, empty void, there were strange shadows shifting in the distance and down to my feet was a thick fog curling around me but something was breathing, a voice low, smooth and dangerous calling my name "Luca..."

Ahead of me was a bridge, it looked accent, the structure almost alive. The rails were carved with swirling runes that glowed faintly, dark wooden planks polished smooth by time and magic, even though it was dark the bridge was pretty clear to me, like the void wanted me to only see it.

My heart thunders as I take a step forward as the ring burns on my finger recognizing a presence too, and the voice was back again more clearer deeper and unmistakably hungry "you came...."

I flinched back at how realistic it felt so I tried to turn back but there was a problem, my feet rooted to the ground. Panic tightens on my chest and sheets of beads on my brow. I feel like I am being watched, something pulling at my soul and a connection I can't explain but again i can't resist.

"Cross" I look back immediately trying to find the source of the voice but there is nothing while the air grows heavy. Every instinct tells me to run but my body doesn't listen, only succumbs to the voice that holds a thousand promises, some sweet others darker than death itself.

I look at the bridge again, it creaks under my feet, chains rattle somewhere ahead and I can see a gate looming in the distance. "I have been waiting for you.." I hear it again.

I try to speak but my voice catches in my throat as the ring tightens around my finger, I grit my teeth trying to fight it as my body feels heavily pinned by unseen force...

My eyes snap open, heart racing as i gasp for air sitting upright in bed. My hands tremble as I grip the sheets. I look down at the ring, it's dull silver surface innocent and still unlike how it was glowing bright and tighter, the burn is even gone but my pulse still races

"That was so real" a shiver runs down my spine as I recall the dream. My mind fights to rationalize it "it was just a nightmare, just another one of those stupid dreams I usually get" I mutter to myself trying to sound convincing.

But the feeling of the bridge, the voice, chains none of it leaves me. I massage my nape willing the images away and no doubt an incoming headache that's for sure.

I lay back on my bed silence feeling the room and so my mind for a brief second, "no way" I quickly sat up walking to my desk and taking out a book and a pencil sitting down and sketching something on it as quickly as possible.

The bridge, I could vividly picture it perfectly and, I don't know..... It could be holding some certain meaning. I sketched the picture and decided to look it up on my old computer searching all over the webs and to my dismay nothing familiar came up, just some random normal bridge pictures "urgh... There must be something" I groan not wanting to believe it doesn't exist it was too real there must be something.

I don't like to have unfinished things on my mind "what could it be" I searched around my mind thinking as hard as possible but it beared no fruit in the end. I try looking up at what my dream meant but it didn't make any serious not even closer "shit" I throw away the pencil in annoyance felling even more dumb, "what was I even expecting" I mumbled to myself to keep as quite as possible especially from mom a few steps away from me.

The whole search idea sucked and I left curious and more dumb, I decided to ignore everything dismissing the uneasiness could be because of a tired mind and overactive imagination.

"Just a dream" I whisper to the darkness "just a dream"

In the back of my mind the voice lingers though and I know it wasn't just a dream, there is more than what to see.

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