Chapter 81. Not Alone

I wake with a start, jumping slightly and sitting up fast, banging my head on rough wood and silently yelping as I properly come to. I must have drifted into a deeper sleep quickly because it seemed only a second ago I could still see my hand in front of me, and now I’m in the pitch dark and can’t even make out what I’m sitting on. Disorientated at first until I remember where I was and how I got here, and my belly rumbles because I didn’t eat. I woke with fright for sure, and my heart is thundering through my chest as my nocturnal eyesight kicks in, frantically bringing the surrounding area into focus.

I’m not sure exactly what woke me yet, and I slowly sit up, sliding my legs up, my knees touching my chest as I rub my now bruised, lumpy forehead while scanning my surroundings for a cause. Taking deep breaths to calm down and center myself, letting my senses take over, rather than my scared brain.

It doesn’t take me long to see what brought me around once I settle down