Moon Bound

26

Coffins & Confessions
~
Cadence
~

When Cadence's eyes opened she knew she wasn't in the bedroom she fell asleep in.

In the grogginess and haziness of her gaze, she felt the roof closer than she last looked up to it before she fell asleep and the ceiling wasn't white, but black, complete blackness that she could press the palms of her hands against it.

"Hell—hello," Cadence stuttered, pushing against the ceiling that caved down on her and wouldn't budge against her strength. "Hello!"

When she shuffled from side to side, her breathing hitched for a gasp of air as her shoulders pressed against a hard metal wall that caged her in on either side.

She could hardly move, the tips of her toes hitting against a cool surface that wouldn't move any further. She was confined in a space she didn't fall asleep in.

Curling her fingers into fists, she punched furiously at the surface that caged her in, the sound of metal clashing against skin banging through her eardrums and echoing through the space she couldn't move in.

"Let me out!" Cadence roared, sweat beading across her forehead as her lip trembled, searching for any crack or slither of light to wedge her way out.

Her eyes burned, her heart thrashing against her chest and her heating body pressing against the cold metal offering no ounce of comfort.

It was when a scream rattled through the metal like banshee did a chill pass through Cadence's body. It wasn't hers. Her screams wouldn't depict the despairing and horrific sound of someone else crying for help.

And it was like they were her screams of desperation passing through her lips, only her mouth hadn't parted, they were sealed shut and the yells of the person didn't vanquish only grew later with the drifting second.

Before she could catch the wailing again, something gripped at her sides and she felt her body shudder against the sensation. Shaking away ...

"Cadence — Cadence," a voice cracked through her senses like a beacon of light, shining through her confinement and the chilling screams, "Cadence, wake up."

Cadence shot up and filtered the room with a gasp, body breaking out of the metal tomb and awaking in the room of Lycus's home. Where she fell asleep.

Eyes swirling, drinking in everything she could muster, her head swayed to a timid and watchful Accalia.

"You had a nightmare," Accalia said nervously, not trusting her voice.

"I thought—" Cadence paused, her eyes burning up and blinked it away before it could reach the shore. She stirred in the blankets that felt foreign to her and wheezed out, "It was just a dream — don't worry, I'm fine."

Accalia didn't look convinced with that face warping in suspension and eager to ask questions. "Cadence, you were crying for help, as if something had you, what happened?" Accalia asked softly.

"Shouldn't you be asleep? How'd you find me like this?" Cadence questioned back.

Accalia sighed heavily, "I went to get a drink of water and went to check on you, then I saw you like this — I thought it was a night terror or something, you were shaking and nearly outright screaming."