Awakening

The light flickers back and forth I curl in a ball and begin to cry. The light flickers again and a woman stands in front of me, looking at her reflection, with blood on her hands she yells her veins bulge in her neck and forehead. I close my eyes out of fear of my life. When I open them again another woman stands before me wearing an ankle length multi-color skirt with a long sleeve white button-down shirt. There’s a pool of black water in front of her she holds her hand out for me to follow her in. I shake my head no “Sorry I don’t know you.” She fades before I could say anything else. I’m standing now observing the walls of the room surrounding me. They form a cylinder. I look up this isn’t a room but a hole. I look up to see a small light that seems to sway back and forth. I begin to yell for help. Someone any one can you hear me. No one says anything. It’s almost pitch black, but I can see small items. I begin to search around with my hands to find a small rope and two hunting knives. I begin to trace my hand along the wall feeling the softness in my hands. A spark hope flickers in my chest. I punch the wall to see if I can make a dent. Dust falls but no dent not even a sound. I take the knife and attempt to shove it in. I have little success. I do it again with a small running head start. The knife goes in. I do the same with the other knife a little higher than the next. I attempt to pull myself up on the handle of the knife. Success! I start using the knifes to climb out of the hole. I look up the light flickers briefly bringing light into the black hole. I can make out a tree and a woman with bright red hair looking down at me, she smiles and just as she appears she vanishes. A little help I thought unable to speak between heavy breaths. I’m not even halfway there. My arms grow tired, and my hand began to bleed the blood runs from my palms up my arm and drips on my forehead as I continue to pull myself up. The lady with the red hair returns. “You need to stop.” “Why?” I ask. She says noting only smiles and disappears again.  My arms are shaking so bad I can barely lift the knife and my arms are drenched in blood and dirt. My face is covered in sweat dirt and blood I try to imagine my face but no imagine comes to mind. How long had I been down here?  It’s time to take a break I thought my body ached and shook all over. I don’t want to fall to the bottom. I’m unsure of how far I’ve climbed. I’m no longer able to make out the floor of the hole. This brings a smile to my face accompanied by a spark of energy. I bring the knives together turn my back to the wall and begin to kick using the knives to hold my body wait up from behind. I hold myself still and begin to swing my legs from side to side using my feet to dig while moving dirt. I keep this up until I can swing my feet back and forth without resistance.  A side wall deep enough for me to stand in is behind me. I slowly step down. My legs almost give out. My head starts to spin. I use the wall to keep me standing. I begin to use my hand to dig into dirt. I take off my shirt and rip it in half to wrap my hands and stop the bleeding. I continue to dig until I’m capable to turn around. Soon a there’s a place big enough for me to sit and later to lay. My body aches all over my skin feels like its crawling. The dirt blood and sweat makes me sticky and I smell of iron, salt and must. My eyes are no longer able to make out anything around me and my heart rings in my ears and rocks me to sleep. I wake to complete darkness I’m uncertain of how long I’ve been sleep. Time feels nonexistent.  I have a sensation of pins and needles all over. My stomach starts to growl. I use the wall to hold my body as I stand heat rushes all over me. My knees buckle and my head drops. I need to eat. I stand still straighten my composure and focus on my breath to gain control of my body. I begin to roll my stomach in taming my hunger. I make a beat with my hands on my chest my hips follow. My hunger fades. I bend, stretch, and rise. I throw a rock down to get an idea of how far I’ve climbed a few moments later there’s a small thud. I smile turn around and jump a short distance to my knives. I’m almost to the top won’t be much longer. I focus on breathing and create a stable breath as I return to climbing. It feels like my muscles are ripping. My bones breaking. I keep going I’m almost too the top. The flickering light gets closer and closer. The heat of the hole gets hotter. It becomes harder to breath. I look to see two little girls run to the top of the hole one with black hair and midnight skin the other with a caramel tone and bright red hair they look at me and smile. “You’re so beautiful. I want to be you when I grow up.” Tears began to fall from my eyes. They look at each other and fade away. The same as before I turn around and dig a place for me to sit. I sob tears washes dirt from my face. I let out a yell followed by a roar. Why has no one come to help. Is my life a show or something!? No one responds, except the walls echoing my voice. I fall asleep sitting up straight.  A wake to the first woman yelling at me “GET OUT NOW!!!!!!!” An orange and red light surrounds her followed by smoke. I can see details of the walls surrounding me. How did she get down here? Before I could think further; She begins running towards me full force with two knives dripping blood. Her eyes narrow. Her muscles bulge against the wind her hair red flows around her face. In a few seconds I can feel her body heat nearing mine and she begins to raise knife emotionless precise. Without thinking I begin to climb faster and faster not looking back or down only on the knives in front me climbing out of the hole. I yell. I cry. My hand began bleeding again. I feel noting but the beat in my chest reminding me I’m alive. In a few moments I’m at the top of the hole pulling myself out. I take a deep breath and sprint to a tree in front of me. I use the tree for cover from the crazy woman behind me. As I turn the woman is not there instead smoke and lava takes her place. It doesn’t spill over but it splatters and bubbles small rocks form around the hole as the lava settles down to the volcano floor.  I examine the area around me to my left there’s a black body of water I run to it. Suddenly realizing my thirst. I look at my reflection as I use the water to wash my hair. My hands tingle. The blood stops. My wombs start to disappear.  My hair shines bright red and wild against the moonlight.