A straight line of light appeared across the ceiling of the room, and Thomas watched as it expanded. “Someone … help … me!” he screamed each word ripped his throat raw.Ī loud clank rang out above him and he sucked in a startled breath as he looked up. He felt a worrying shudder in his chest, as if his heart wanted to escape, to flee his body. Thomas backed into the corner once again, folded his arms and shivered, and the fear returned. He screamed, called for help, pounded on the walls with his fists. He groaned in frustration his echo amplified through the air, like the haunted moan of death. But there was nothing, only the cool metal. He looked in every direction but saw only darkness he felt along the walls again, searching for a way out. As he scrambled to his feet, he felt the room sway less and less until it finally stilled. With a groan and then a clonk, the rising room halted the sudden change jolted Thomas from his huddled position and threw him across the hard floor. He wanted to know where he was and what was happening. Strangely enough, he felt his fear whisked away like a swarm of gnats caught in the wind, replaced by an intense curiosity. Trusting his instincts, he knew he’d been moving for roughly half an hour. Minutes stretched into hours, although it was impossible to know for sure because every second seemed an eternity. The room continued its ascent, swaying Thomas grew immune to the ceaseless rattling of the chains that pulled him upward. He couldn’t think of one person he knew, or recall a single conversation. Images of people flashed across his mind, but there was no recognition, their faces replaced with haunted smears of color. He pictured snow on trees, running down a leaf-strewn road, eating a hamburger, the moon casting a pale glow on a grassy meadow, swimming in a lake, a busy city square with hundreds of people bustling about their business.Īnd yet he didn’t know where he came from, or how he’d gotten inside the dark lift, or who his parents were.
![the dark runner the dark runner](https://a.wattpad.com/cover/23900472-352-k498192.jpg)
Knowledge flooded his thoughts, facts and images, memories and details of the world and how it works. His mind functioned without flaw, trying to calculate his surroundings and predicament. He didn’t understand how this could be possible. That … that was the only thing he could remember about his life. He wanted to cry, but no tears came he could only sit there, alone, waiting. The lightless elevator swayed back and forth as it ascended, turning the boy’s stomach sour with nausea a smell like burnt oil invaded his senses, making him feel worse.
![the dark runner the dark runner](https://get.wallhere.com/photo/Blade-Runner-blade-runner-2049-science-fiction-retro-science-fiction-cyberpunk-Dark-Cyberpunk-blue-purple-red-car-Ryan-Gosling-1751449.jpg)
Harsh sounds of chains and pulleys, like the workings of an ancient steel factory, echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls with a hollow, tinny whine. With another jolt, the room jerked upward like an old lift in a mine shaft.
![the dark runner the dark runner](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-tr1aS0ziJA/maxresdefault.jpg)
Sinking to the floor, he pulled his legs up tight against his body, hoping his eyes would soon adjust to the darkness.
![the dark runner the dark runner](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/92/f0/82/92f082d371963e02375a97709c1a12af.jpg)
His back struck a hard metal wall he slid along it until he hit the corner of the room. He fell down at the sudden movement and shuffled backward on his hands and feet, drops of sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool air. Metal ground against metal a lurching shudder shook the floor beneath him. He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air.