Caged

Written by Matthew Ryan Fischer
Illustrated by Michelle Joy Montrose
© 2015

Dark. So dark. Too dark. Night still? Eyes that are sticky shut with sleep. Blink! Wake up!

Back hurts. Pulled or slept funny. Muscles contract. At an angle. Body contorted. Neck bent. So tired. Still half asleep. Just go back to sleep.

Can’t. Awake. Couldn’t sleep if I wanted to. But that’s not the real problem.

Something is wrong. What is wrong? What is wrong with me?

Not right. Not right at all. Not my bed. Not my home. Something, somewhere. Closed in. Tight.

Rolled over but stuck. Wall too close. Not my wall. Not my room. Unsure. Is that where the wall was? Can’t move. Couldn’t move. Close all-around.

Something dripping from above.

Water?

No, not water. Warm and sticky and thick. And salty. Metallic.

Holy Hell.

Blood.

It’s blood.

Where the fuck am I?

Dark. So dark. Too dark to tell.

Additional stories are available here: Dark Elements.

Matthew Fischer