Abyss of Dawn

Click, click.

Something felt wrong and Aria could sense it: was it the lack of warmth, the draft of icy air prickling her or how greasy and unwashed her scalp felt? A blinking neon red light captured Aria’s attention; the periodic shutter rousing her from her regular daydreams. For the first time, she noticed the cold, carpet-less floor beneath her bare feet, making her rub her hands against the creamy soles of her foot. Shifting her attention again to the light (which faintly illuminated the darkness of the room), she watched it. It was on a timer, but a timer for what, she thought. Twisting her position on the concrete floor, Aria learned she couldn’t stretch her aching limbs. Confused, Aria soon discovered the source of her annoyance: a heavy chain connecting her and the wall opposite her. What is going on, she thought. Aria attempted to tug her dark, now pasty arm away from the object holding her hostage; realizing she couldn’t free herself, Aria slumped forwards in defeat. Once again, she attempted to make out her surroundings, only to discover her glasses were gone. Leaning back, Aria closed her eyes (seeing as they were useless), hoping her dream would feel better than her unwanted reality.

Click, click.

Blink and she missed it. The floor beneath Aria changed into a warm, malleable consistency, her overly bitten fingernails sinking straight through. Jumping forwards in amazement, Aria completely forgot about the metal chain that limited her reach. Her barefoot started disappearing, the strange warmth tugging her down, limiting her movement. Panicking, she clung to the manacles, hoping it was strong enough to stop her from descending any further. Despite her efforts, the quicksand-like substance continued to swallow her until the inky liquid consumed Aria.

Click, click.

Aria hung in weightlessness. She faintly felt a large presence encasing her within its slimy body, her body pressed against a hairless torso. Vaguely, Aria saw (from what she could decipher from the fuzzy images) an abnormal creature was heading straight for her. Having no control of her limbs, she drifted. Drifted away from her reality, drifted away from what she thought she knew. Muffled speech surrounded her as she dreamt of home: but where was home?

Click, click.

She was disorientated; her head painfully pounded against her skull. Aria struggled to make sense of her surroundings (the lack of her glasses affected her greatly). Squirming in discomfort, she sat up against the oddly cooling glass; however, a tight shackle around her neck held her in place. Not being able to handle tight restraints, she began to panic. Aria felt the walls begin to narrow in on her, trapping her. Her breaths became short and panicked. Unable to pivot her neck, Aria began to smash her head roughly against the wall behind her, worsening the insistent headache she already had. A faint noise began to echo around her as she desperately attempted to claw the bone-chilling restraint of her neck. As the screams doubled in intensity, Aria’s fingernails became caked with the dead skin around her neck and droplets of blood dribbled down her mocha arms. Aria’s deep-set eyes frantically flittered around the room, hoping she was able to locate an exit, any exit. Besides the shifting green light edging the room, Aria couldn’t make out anything. Bellowing out in anger, she nervously raked her hands through her hair. She had haphazardly cut it a few months prior or maybe longer depending on how long they trapped her, she thought. Aria anxiously rocked back and forth, not noticing the chunks of hair she was pulling out nor the hefty footsteps approaching her worn body. As the panic attack worsened, the screams boomed, and the walls enclosed around her. Chunky combat boots entered Aria field of vision, the sturdy heel pressing sharply against her thighs. She froze. Her heartbeat erratically against her chest, the thumping travelling down her body. Aria concentrated on her lap, her shaking hands rattling the metal cuffs. A calloused finger trailed down the red roads of blood that littered her neck, making her cringe into herself. Now knowing it was a man because of his large veiny hands, Aria thought who it could be: her vengeful ex? Her intrusive old boss? Or a random man she had passed on the boisterous streets of Istanbul on her way home from work? Aria jerked forwards and out of her thoughts as she felt the figure slide a thin syringe in her exposed neck.

What felt like hours passed before her eyes, her body not cooperating. A shockwave (which she assumed was a result of the injection) ricocheted through her, the bolt seemingly paralysing her. Convulsing against her restraints, she began foaming at her mouth, the syringe now barely emptied in her neck. Again, all Aria heard were muffled voices and retreating footsteps as she lost consciousness.

Click, click.

She opened her eyes. Aria was in a near vacant room, nothing around her but the clouds of warm air she occasionally released and the lumpy mattress she laid on. Shivering, Aria wrapped her arms around her body; feeling her ribs jutting out of her sickly-looking skin, she sighed. She wondered how long she had been in here and how long she would be here. Moments later, she noticed how light her wrists felt and glanced down: no metal. Her hands shot up to her neck, only to feel her skin – in the process of healing. Springing onto her feet, Aria ignored how her legs shook in protest and moved away from the middle of the room. She felt along the eggshell-coloured walls and hoped she could find a hidden exit, like the movies she regularly binge-watched at home. However, her attempts resulted in nothing but her finding a bulky chain, which hung from the ceiling. Gingerly making her way back to the bed, she concocted a plan. She needed to wait for the next level – however long it would take.

Click, click.

Not daring to look at the ground, Aria leapt towards the lengthy chain in the corner of the room while dragging along her makeshift rope. Hastily, she attached the rope (made of her bedsheets) to one of the metal rings, making sure it was tightly secured. As soon as the knot was tied, she felt her toes begin to sink through the now pliable floor. Pulling herself out of the viscous floor, she hoisted herself up, making sure she held on to her lifeline.

Minutes passed as she watched the floor she had once stood on transform into an inky lake slowly creeping up, threatening to consume her whole. Not this time, she thought as she pulled herself higher up the contraption. Aria thought she could see hands reaching out of the rising substance, their mutilated hands grabbing at her body, hoping she’d slip up and fall. She hiked her body further up, finally reaching the chain, and hugged the cooling metal against her exposed skin. Squeezing her eyes shut, Aria hoped she had clambered high enough to avoid the deadly fate - death. She was compressed against the ceiling creating a painful crick in her neck while the room around her continued to fill. Snaking around the chain, Aria felt the frigid liquid sloshing around her ankles despite how high up they were. Reluctantly, Aria opened her eyes, only to come face to face with what seemed to be molten graphite and the hands she thought she had seen were gone. As it flowed around the room, it radiated an unearthly glow, which made Aria curious. She squinted, attempting to see what was below the near opaque surface. A monstrous figure sluggishly slunk around the room, it’s silhouette larger than life. Fearfully, she shifted accidentally losing control of her arms. As she fell back, all the air in her lungs was knocked out, leaving her gasping for air. A cold mist of air brushed Aria’s slender neck, making her shiver in disgust. Using her feet to grab onto the chain, she swung back up, narrowly avoiding plummeting to her awaiting death. Glancing down once again, Aria could almost feel the grotesque creature rapidly circling her body, the air whipping around her and dislodging her grip. A whirlwind of air overwhelmed her while she struggled to capture her breath. Aria felt her airways tighten and her already limited supply cut off; her eyes began to roll back as she grasped at the rope beneath her. She knew she was blindly going into a battle that she didn’t know she could win.

Wrapping the rope and chain around her fist, as the air continued to be sucked out of her, Aria brought the emergency weapon next to her battered face. With a diminishing oxygen supply, she waited till she was utterly submerged in the onyx fluid before she executed the final stage of her tenuous plan. Finally immersed, Aria knew she had a limited amount of time. Awkwardly Aria swam in circles, cutting through the odd consistency of the lake, utilising the basic skills she learned as a young child. As she swam, Aria was caught in the now underwater tornado the creature had created. Continuing to fight against the air resistance, she opened her eyes, ignoring the painful stinging she received as a result. Cutting through the lake with ease, Aria quickened her pace and approached the beast, who still sustained its ridiculous momentum. Dislodging her weapon from the trousers she wore; Aria was prepared to fight for her life. Releasing the rope to hopefully complete its job, she launched, barely making it, onto the malformed back of the beast. Fumbling with the weapon in her hands, the creature hysterically began to buck her off. Aria, now having control of her hands, pierced the monster’s reptilian skin; she was able to fully inject it with the remaining solution in the syringe before she was thrown off. Aria crashed into the wall adjacent to her, the impact drawing a deep flinch from her. Startled, she again focused on her attacker, studying it from the corner of her eye. Lethargically, the creature began to exit the funnel, its mighty form swaying side to side. Like a boomerang, Aria’s rope and chain contraption whipped out of the tornado, encasing around the beast like a cage. Aria witnessed the beast struggle and fight but ultimately lost consciousness soon after. She swam towards the shrinking surface and prayed it had been enough time. Taking a much-needed breath, Aria waited in anticipation. She waited for the next level.

Click, click.