The bursts of gunfire sounded dull in the omnipresent darkness. They were followed by shouts and screams that faded too quickly, as if strangled by the shadow. She couldn’t move but she felt like she was drowning, the weight of the void pushing down on her.

Her stomach lurched and the sound of rushing water roared into her senses. Its echoes left her head spinning. The constant flashes of light passing by meant she was in a tunnel, but she was moving too fast for her foggy mind to understand anything else. It was taking ages to put together another coherent observation or thought. She searched for words – they were gone. Yet clarity seemed to be returning: each bump was sharper than the last, and she could see that she was lying down on something hard, cold. If she didn’t hold on, she would fall off. Her hand settled on an iron bar next to her head.

She had to figure out what was happening. Again, the darkness swallowed her whole.

---

As soon as she awoke, Arista sat up straight and yawned. Her body was sore, her arms still heavy with sleep. She tried to blink away the disturbing nightmare she’d had by forcing herself to be alert. It seemed she was in a wooded area. For some reason her hair was damp, and she was wearing her school uniform. The last thing Arista remembered was walking home after a long night at the library. So how did she get here? Where was she?

A metallic voice behind her answered. Arista froze and listened on, incredulous at the conversation she was hearing. She turned herself around and was even more shocked to find that the voice belonged to a cyborg thing.

"So that drain was real? What were we escaping from?" She was surprised at how calmly she addressed the… thing. Arista noticed a guy and a girl, as well as others who were sleeping. A flush rose in her cheeks as she realized how demanding she had sounded.