I was dragged down winding tunnels lit by flickering torchlight. The soldiers' voices echoed off the cave walls, guttural and harsh, though I could not understand their words.
We passed rows of heavy iron doors set into the rock, muffled cries and shuffling footsteps sounding from within.
Other children, I realised with a jolt. Locked away like animals in this underground place!
My mind raced, struggling to make sense of it all. Only hours before I had been at the gym, preparing for one last heavy set before calling it a Christmas night. And then...darkness. I awoke in a cavern, my adult muscles gone, and childish limbs were all that remained.
Everything that occurred so far was something no normal mind could digest easily.
As the men hauled me down the shadowy passage, I didn't have time to dwell on my confusion any further. We stopped before an iron door, rust flaking off its hinges.
The door creaked open to reveal a small cave chamber, furnished only with a pile of musty straw in the corner. I was roughly thrown inside, landing hard on the stone floor. Before I could react, the door was slammed shut, the lock clicking ominously in the silence that followed.
I slowly picked myself up, wincing as pain flared through my knees and elbows. Bruises were already blooming where I had hit the ground.
I blinked against the darkness, letting my eyes adjust until I could make out the barest details of my new accommodations.
The cell was small, the ceiling so low I could jump up and touch it. Iron peg torches were mounted to the walls, unlit. The only exit was the barred door, locked tight.
I pressed my face between the bars, straining to see down the corridor. It was empty now except for the bobbing light of a torch in the distance. There would be no escape that way…
Exhaustion suddenly washed over me. The adrenaline that had flooded my veins was fading, leaving me spent. I shuffled to the pile of straw and collapsed onto it, coughing at the resulting dust cloud. The straw was musty but surprisingly soft, cushioning my aching body.
My mind raced with questions in the darkness. Where was I? Who were these soldiers? Why had I been brought here, imprisoned with other children?
Most importantly - what had happened to me? Was this some sort of afterlife? Or just a bizarre fever dream? I pinched my arm hard, wincing at the pain. It certainly felt real.
My swirling thoughts were interrupted by a loud gurgling from my stomach. When was the last time I had eaten? I couldn't remember. Surely my captors wouldn't let me starve down here?!
My stomach churns and gurgles, the hunger pangs so intense they feel like stabs of pain. I have been lying here for hours on this cold stone floor, my limbs aching against the unforgiving surface. At first, I was terrified - thrown into this dark room by the torch-wielding men after they discovered me in the cave. But now the fear has receded, replaced by a dull resignation.
I am going to die here. Starved to death in this lightless cell!
…
I have been counting the minutes, and tracking the hours. It has been over five hours since they locked me in. That fact makes me certain this is discrimination. Either I am from a rival clan or race, or maybe I am not even the same species as my captors.
My empty stomach distracts me from thinking too hard. All I can focus on is food. But the long wait has given me time to string together enough thoughts to understand my situation.
Who am I? What is this body I'm inhabiting? Did I take over when the previous owner died escaping? Or was I born into this world without parents to care for me?
I'm leaning towards the latter. That would explain why I'm being treated as less than human. A different being, hunted and hated by the common.
My heart sinks as I accept this reality. I'm not some lost boy to these soldiers. I'm merely a pest. Something that must be exterminated and not cared for.
But I can't let it end here. There has to be some way out. Some way to escape before I waste away completely. I strain my eyes against the dark, searching for anything to give me hope. A loose stone in the walls maybe? A crack under the door? Some tools that I can use to pick the lock or dig my way to freedom?
I won't die here. I refuse to let them win!
I had to survive this, I told myself as I slowly stood up in the dark cave. With eyes that had adapted to the lack of light, I started searching the confines of the room I found myself trapped in. There had to be something, some way out at least.
I couldn't yet see the entirety of the cave, so I had to gradually walk towards the walls, feeling my way with outstretched hands. As I shuffled forward, one area felt damp under my touch.
Damp meant water, and perhaps some source of food too. Looking closely with the help of the dim light from outside, I was relieved to find mushrooms growing in clusters from the wet crevices.
I hesitated to eat any of the fungi, doubtful they would be safe. There was a high likelihood that any mushroom in a place like this could be poisonous. I therefore made a choice - for the time being, I would survive on the small drops of water leaking through the cave walls. I clung to the hope that a bowl of edible food would arrive soon.
My stomach rumbled loudly. I tried to ignore it, focusing instead on collecting the bits of moisture I could find. I licked the wetness from my fingers, but it did little to quell the pangs. Exhaustion overtook me, and I slumped down against the cold cave wall. My eyelids grew heavy, but I fought against the need to sleep. I had to stay alert if I was going to find a way out.
A scraping noise startled me to alertness. Close to the base of the door, a diminutive gap became visible before a bowl of food was pushed through roughly.
With hunger already dominating my mind, I rushed toward the bowl of food like a famished beast. That's how starved I was!