By Eleni Kontou
I awaken to the sound of dripping nearby, suddenly alert. It’s dark. My hands touch cold, wet concrete as I push myself to a sitting position. Hang on…concrete? Where the fuck am I? It’s cold, my breath forming pictures in front of me. A cold wind is blowing my hair, I bring my hand to my face to brush my hair out of the way, but my face is wet and sore. I pull my hand away, blood. Panicking; my breath quickens along with my heartbeat. I try to get to my feet, but my feet are…tied? Oh FUCK. I close my eyes and re-open them, hoping for a change in scenery, hoping to be home in bed.
The dripping is coming from my left, the echo making the room sound small. There’s a crack of light coming from the middle of the ceiling with what looks like the top of a ladder leading up to it. I pull out my phone from my pocket, no signal and only 20% battery…great. I switch the torch on my phone and scan my surroundings. The room is circular and small, as I imagined. There are crates piled on top of each other, taking up half of the chamber. Fishing nets are huddled together like the fish they used to catch. I find the source of the dripping; it’s coming from a crack in the wall.
There’s a creaking from above. What the fuck was that?
‘Hello! Is somebody there?’
I wait for a response, but none comes. Are those waves I can hear? I pull out my phone and text Nathalee, hoping that when I get signal, she gets this message.
NATHALEE, NO SIGNAL CALL ME WHEN YOU GET THIS.
My heart rate increases, and I can feel a panic attack coming on. Closing my eyes, I try to focus on my breathing. In for five, out for five. In for five, out for five. I open my eyes; I need to get this rope off my feet. I try to untie the knot with my hands but it’s impossible, it’s too tight for my trembling fingers. Scouring the room again with my torch I spot a fishing hook lying under the pile of nets, just out of reach. Did they used to catch fish? Or something bigger? I drag myself along the ground towards the hook. Got it. I start to saw through the rope binding my feet, eventually freeing them. Now to get out of here. Keeping hold of the hook in my hand, I climb the ladder. My sweaty fingers gripping the ladder rails. When I reach the top of the ladder, I expect to have to fight with the hatch, but it opens right up.
Climbing out of the hatch; I take in my surroundings again. The room is similar to the one below, except there is a staircase and a light coming from above. I look up, the light blinds me it’s so bright. The floor is metal with loads of little holes, and you can kind of see through it. I’m in a lighthouse. I can’t help but laugh at the irony, a beacon of hope my arse. I start to ascend the stairs, trying to stay as quiet as possible, wondering what awaits me at the top of these stairs. I creep upwards to my fate. Nothing. The room is empty except for a doorway leading out to a staircase descending to the beach. I run.
The waves are hurling into the walls of the lighthouse, going at the same rhythm as my heart beating against my chest. The light from the lighthouse is reflecting in the water, like a prison searchlight. My pace hastens.
I’m a fair distance from the lighthouse now, I turn back to see if anyone is following me. Nobody. I turn to the lighthouse and my breath leaves me. A man is standing on the stairs, watching me. I start to run again; I can see flashing red and blue lights and I drag my feet through the sand towards them. Why does my body feel so heavy? The lights are getting close now, they must have spotted me. Falling to my knees in relief, I flash my phone torch as a call comes in from Nathalee.
‘MEG?’
‘It’s me, I’m fine. Don’t worry.’
‘WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? YOU’VE BEEN GONE A WEEK? BODIES WERE FOUND ON THE BEACH YESTERDAY, GOD I WAS SO WORRIED.’
A week? I’ve been gone a…week?
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