Dark Waters

It is mid-December and the air seems cold enough to freeze time. No one in their right minds would be standing before a body of water, of any kind, contemplating taking a dip. It was a daily ritual for me, a way of burning off steam. The water was actually heated so it wasn’t a question of diving into the water and possibly freezing to death, it was the fact that this morning…I didn’t have a swimming partner. Usually Beth, my roommate, could be found sitting on the edge of the pool, kicking her feet idly while I made my laps. Today she had opted to stay in bed, too sick to even push the covers off of herself, let alone get up and follow me down to the pool. I understood, of course, but I knew too well the dangers of swimming alone. If something went wrong…there wouldn’t be a living soul around to help. No one went near the pools during the winter unless you were part of the swim team but they didn’t start practice until later in the evening.

It left me staring down into the chlorinated water in indecision. Would I risk it for the sake of my daily ritual? Or would I forget it and go back to my room and, hopefully, sleep until my first class? It was a tough decision, but habit won out and I found myself slipping out of the red and black jogging suit I wore over my Speedo. Snatching my goggles from the pocket of the jogging pants, I snapped them on and dove into the warm water.

The instant I was surrounded by water on all sides my head cleared and all forms of tension eased out of my tired muscles. Even if things were going horribly wrong in my life, I could always count on this one moment out of the day to calm me and bring me back down to Earth. It was my personal little haven and it never ceased to ease my mind. But today there was something different about my little slice of heaven, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It was some sort of feeling, a sixth sense that tickled the back of my mind as I sliced through the water with powerful strokes.

My mother was fond of the psychic theory, but I always thought she was full of it. I was just being paranoid, that was all. I didn’t have a swim partner today so I was worried and that worry translated to this odd feeling I was having.

Coming to the edge of the pool, I crossed my arms and rested my chin on the slick skin of my forearms. Today I was just too tired to go through my normal cut-throat regimen that gave me the sleek muscle structure I’d always had to work to maintain. I would make up for it tomorrow, but today I would I would take it easy. Closing my eyes briefly I let my mind drift, listening to the sound of the jets humming beneath the water and the sound of the ripples lapping against the side of the pool. The smell of chlorine was thick on the humid air and it helped calm me to some degree. There was nothing more relaxing than a quiet morning at the pool.

I could taste chlorine on the back of my tongue as I breathed deeply, letting my feet tread the water lightly. I could feel myself slipping away and relaxing completely, so incredibly close to sleep…until that annoying paranoia tickled the back of my mind once more. “Just go away…” I murmured, voice thick and sleepy sounding. I just wanted to relax, why did I have to be so paranoid about everything?

The sound of footsteps on concrete drew my attention, but I was too relaxed to actually open my eyes and raise my head to look. The only other person that might venture down here this early was supposed to be sick in bed. But I spoke aloud anyway, assuming it was her. “Beth, shouldn’t you be in bed?” I questioned and was met with silence.

Heaving an irritated sigh at being interrupted, I open my eyes with a little effort and tilted my head back to gaze up at my visitor. “Little boys shouldn’t play in the water with no one around to supervise them.” Came a sultry sounding voice and the image that swam into view was blurry and I didn’t understand why.

“What…” but the words didn’t want to form correctly. Slender fingers curled into the sleek wetness of my hair and warm breath ghosted over my cheek. “Sleep, child and let mommy tuck you into bed.” That voice…I couldn’t be sure, but it couldn’t have been female and the hand that I thought had been delicate gripped my hair with a force that pulled a soft cry of pain from me.

The world swam and my vision only worsened until I was staring up through a long, dark tunnel at images too blurry to distinguish. “Beth…” I whispered softly and felt my limbs growing heavy. My heartbeat was loud in my ears as warm water rose over my head and filled my lungs. I couldn’t feel a thing and distantly I realized that I was probably drowning. The tiny pinpoint of light flickered and then died, leaving me in inky darkness. I wondered, briefly, if I was dead before that thought, too, was washed away and I fell into blissful unconsciousness.

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I woke with a start and I knew, immediately, that something wasn’t right. My cheek was pressed to metal so cold I was almost afraid to move for fear that my skin would peel away and stay frozen to unforgiving surface. A quick assessment and I realized that the rest of me was just as cold. Where was I? Was I still at the pool?

I remembered diving into the water, swimming to the side and…and then nothing. I couldn’t remember what had happened after that. Had I fallen asleep and slid into the pool? And why was I so cold? It was winter, but the inside of the pool building should have been warm, humid even, not cold enough to burn.

My vision was blurry so that wasn’t much help, but my fingers seemed to be working alright. I managed to get my arms to move, tucking them under my alarmingly cold stomach. I pushed with what little strength I had and found that my cheek was not stuck to the freezing metal but my hair was. I couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around the why of it so I simply jerked back. I came free with a cracking sound and distantly realized that my hair had frozen to the metal. Why would my hair freeze….oh, my hair had been wet from the pool.

I blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the film that seemed to be blocking my vision and found that just sitting still helped a little. I was nauseated but I was pretty sure it was as simple as being hungry. When was the last time I remembered eating? The day before, lunch with Beth. I’d only managed half a sandwich. No wonder I was so hungry.

The film over my eyes was starting to clear and as I got my first good look around I realized that I wasn’t anywhere I wanted to be. I didn’t recognize the place at all. How many places used bars anymore? Unless…was I in jail? If that was the case, which seemed the only likely explanation as to why I was in a cell, why wasn’t I given at least some dry clothes or something? If he managed to get out of this he was going to complain to someone about the shoddy upkeep of the place. The bars were nearly rusted through and the place smelled of mildew and old pee. Yuck. This couldn’t be sanitary by any means.

Praying that my legs would still work with how shaky I felt, I slid from the metal slab I lay on and let my feet touch the damp stone floor. I cringed and would have drawn back, but I needed to get to the bars. I needed to talk to someone and soon. I leaned forward and put a little weight on my feet and found that my ankles didn’t immediately give out. Grateful for some miracles, I gingerly climbed to my feet and found that the smell was even more offensive from a higher point than it had been when I was laying down.

I ignored the sharp pain in my muscles and padded, barefoot, across the cell and to the bars. I didn’t touch them but I did try my best to peer through the rusted bars and into the hall beyond. More cells lined the wall in front of me and to my right. They stretched on as far as I could see, possibly beyond. But to my left was a rusted steel door that had shiny new hinges on it. Odd, but okay. Swallowing past the lump in my throat I opened my mouth to call out but the sound came out choked at best and I had to stop and clear my throat.

“Anyone there?” It was pitiful and my throat felt raw, but the sound echoed down the long hall.

“Anyone there?” a voice sneered and I whipped my head around to find a dark cloaked figure leaning against the bars not even a few feet from me. He hadn’t been there before, I would have noticed.

“Why am I here and who are you? What’s going on?” I didn’t even hesitate. I needed answers and since he was the only one around…well my choices were a little limited.

“Where is he, he says. Who am I he says. Too many questions and none of them worth answering. But I’m feeling generous, so why not? You’re in a dungeon obviously. As for me…well you don’t really need to know anything about me except that I’m your jailer. I’ve got the keys, see?” He sneered and held up a large ring with two keys on it. One went to the cells and the other had to belong to the door to my left.

I swallowed around the fear and panic rising in my chest and fought not to lose it right there. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” The words were barely a whisper but I knew he heard me.

“Ah, an interesting question, that. But why waste words when I could show you, pumpkin?” he murmured in a tone so sinister it had the hairs on my body standing on end. “Dinner time!” he bellowed, the sound bouncing and ringing through the empty cells all along the hall.

The sound faded and I was left holding my breath, expecting something…anything to happen. The hooded figure began to cackle and my attention was jerked back to him. I watched with morbid fascination as he bend double, laughing so hard that his cloaked shoulders heaved with it.

“Poor…poor helpless little mouse. What did you expect?” he wheezed between laughs. “Something grand? A show for your entertainment?” The cackles faded into disturbing little giggles before he finally straightened and tilted his hooded head to the side as if considering me.

“Kindly move to the cell adjoining your own and put your arm through the small space between the bars.” he said finally, the teasing note out of his voice. Swallowing thickly I shook my head and stumbled back from the bars. “Tell me what’s going on. I want to know why I’m here.” the words sounded desperate, even to my ears and they elicited another wheezing bout of cackles from the hooded figure.

“Such a frightened little mouse, he is. He will be good entertainment, he will.” The cloaked figure wheezed finally, straightening and turning for the cell next to my own. He produced a long thin rod from within his dark cloak and beat it against the bars. “Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!” he chimed in a singsong voice that didn’t exactly fit his exterior.

I watched in horror as a tall figure unfolded itself from a thin mattress on the floor. Why hadn’t I noticed it before? My heart nearly stopped as cold, piercing eyes turned on me. The dark circles beneath his eyes did nothing to soften the predatory gaze that swept me and left me chilled to the bone. Not even the unforgiving metal of my own bed had sapped the energy from me as that one gaze did.

“Dinner is served your royal skeletal-ness.” the hooded figure bowed mockingly and gestured vaguely in my direction. I froze like a rabbit in tall grass, hoping that if I just stayed still, the fox in the next cell would look over me and I’d be safe. I didn’t know what was going on, but the warning that was screaming in the back of my mind seemed smart to listen to all of a sudden.

There were bars between us. Nice solid…rusty bars. I was safe as long as there were bars between us. I didn’t have to cross the cell to go to him, and if the insane jailer tried to force him he could always overpower him and run. Yes, good plan. Except now he was noticing something he hadn’t before. There were nice shiny hinges on the wall that separated the two cells. Hinges that were bolted into the stone wall and looked as if they were used more often than not.

Fear seized me and I began backing away, heart in my throat. I did not want to face the man in the other cell. Something in those feverish eyes told me I would die and I didn’t like how the hooded figure kept referring to me as dinner.

My back met freezing stone and I stopped. Nowhere to run, nowhere to go. If I didn’t cooperate…they were going to open the door and let him in, I just knew it. But I didn’t want to stick my arm through that little hole either. Just what in gods name was going on? I’d just wanted to go for a swim. What was the harm in that?

But I didn’t have time to really think about it because the hooded figure was cackling again and the wall…oh god, the wall was swinging inward. I had a moment to decide whether I would cower or stand and fight this gaunt figure, a single moment to decide my fate and then the moment was gone, the wall had hinged inward and I was facing a man with glittering black eyes…hungry black eyes. Fear shivered up my spine and seized my mind. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breath and when he reached for me the world tilted and went black and I fell into darkness once again.

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*cackles madly* Okay First chapter is done. Are you confused at what’s going on yet? Good, it’s not supposed to make sense yet. And if you didn’t get that last part, he passed out. He totally fainted. *snickers* Anyway, review please and tell me what you think!