Mimi

The chemical smell burned in her nostrils and she was in a fog, as if she’d been blinded. Some light-source made grey liquid streaks appear along curved walls. She felt herself being dragged, then carried, then dragged again. Her arm hurt, her head too. Her stomach churned and she vomited suddenly. Then the fog closed over her. All she knew was that soothing voice, making promises. But she hurt too much to listen and her body wanted to sleep.

Eons later, the fog began to lift. She was lying on a soft surface, but the smell of it was wrong. There were many sounds – hollow and echoing – as though someone were throwing rocks against a metal sheet. The clanging made her head pound unbearably and she covered her ears with her hands.

Eventually she began to wonder what these noises were. She opened her eyes. There was a faint glow somewhere. Gradually she realised it wasn’t her eyes that were faulty, it was the place. She sat up and everything spun around. She heaved, but there was nothing but bile in her stomach.

The sounds ceased suddenly and everything was quiet. Patting the surface on which she was sitting, she recognised it as a mattress on a hard floor. Gingerly, she explored the space, and her hand encountered a tubular object. She picked it up and – turning it in her hand – the faint glow suddenly turned into harsh light. It was a large torch. Her eyes took a while to adjust to the brightness. She looked up and realised what this was, then remembered everything.

She began to scream.