I slammed into the giant metal door, grasping for a way out. Both of my hands wrapped around the cold knob and I yanked it about.
It was locked.
The curses flowed from my mouth fluidly as I banged on the door. Outwardly, I was panicking. Inwardly, I was wishing I was dead. Or outside of this dungeon, at the very least.
I could hear the echo of their footsteps as they sprinted down the pitch black hallway. Oddly enough, that was the last thing on my mind. I knew that he would be with them. He was on my trail, prepared to take me down and lock me back up again.
“Joey!” I heard his voice. It wasn’t far away now. I banged my shaky fists uselessly against the door. I need light, I begged mentally, the words not quite forming on my lips.
I knew within a minute’s time they would have me surrounded. From there it was back to a life of unjust imprisonment, knowing that the man I once loved, Luke, was the ringmaster in this twisted world I thought belonged to a fairytale.
“Joey, don’t move!” Luke's voice was meters away. I couldn’t see them; I couldn’t see anything period in this dungeon. I hadn’t seen the sunlight in weeks. I craved it more than life itself.
A whimper escaped my mouth, and I heard them all shift, probably to raise their weapons.
I was leaning against the locked door, about to sink to my knees in defeat, when the support behind my back disappeared. I would’ve fallen backwards, but a pair of warm hands caught me and dragged me through the portal opening. The door slammed back shut, leaving the guards and Luke behind.
I was about to scream in terror, but the hands that had saved me covered my mouth. I stared at the metal door, watching as the knob turned. It was only a matter of time before they found a way to open it.
I broke free of my saviour’s hands, and turned to face him.
It was the last face I expected to see. It was Eric, the one person who had made me feel completely unwelcome when I had first arrived. I had been convinced he hated my guts.
“Joey.” His voice washed over my face like a safety net. I could barely see his brown eyes in the dimly lit hallway. Behind us the guards continued to bang on the door, but all I saw was Eric’s face.
“We need to get you out of here.” He whispered.
I wanted to thank him, but words would not come.
So I just fell into his arms and let him lead me away.
The rest was just a very confusing dream.
