Chapter 8: No Way
Kaya
I blink my eyes open, but the thick film of blur refuses to leave them. My head is heavy as if it’s filled with lead, and even the slightest movement sends tingly waves of pain through my sore muscles.
What happened?
I finally manage to sit up and rub my stinging eyes with both hands, putting an end to the annoying blurriness that clouds my vision. As soon as the image gets clear, I wince and widen my eyes––I am in an unfamiliar dark room, a few dimmed lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling are the only source of light that barely covers everything.
But the biggest shock is the tall, thick silver bars surrounding me as they go almost all the way to the ceiling. The cage’s roof is also made of silver, and, despite my modest height, the cage itself is not tall enough for me to stand up in.
I lower my eyes and realize that the only thing that separates me from the cage’s silver floor is a thin quilt––old and dirty, it smells like wet wood bark and earth.
The room itself is spacious yet somewhat stiff, as if it hasn’t been ventilated in months. The moment I become aware of my breathing, I realize how heavy the air actually is and that my lungs are struggling to adjust to it.
A slight rustle of clothes brings my attention to the opposite side of the cage, and I see Shelly curled up dangerously close to the opposite edge of the cage, her long, lean arms wrapped around her knees, bringing them closer to her chest.
She doesn’t look hurt, and apart from the stiffness in my own body, I don’t seem hurt either.
"Shelly?" I ask carefully, not really expecting her to answer me, but to my surprise, she does.