I hear you call my name from the darkness and I thoughtlessly go out to find you.
The clouds of thorns are thick;
they tear my skin apart as I blindly stumble along the trail.
I follow the sound of your voice as you lure me deeper and deeper.
It was like a tease, the same way you would pull me close and then push me away.
I'm set on finding you.
I'm determined to bring you home with me.
The space around me becomes more and more narrow and my heart begins to race.
My thoughts are drowning in fear but I push it all aside in order to find you.
I freeze as I try to listen for you calling my name;
I can't hear you.
I can't hear anything.
Only silence.
The darkness begins to surround me as my airways tighten in panic.
I was here to save you, but now I'm the one needing to be saved.
"Please. Stop. This isn't fun anymore."
I cry.
I'm begging.
My stomach is turning and my heart is thumping.
Something grabs my arms and pulls me further into the abyss.
I trip and fall.
I'm a ragdoll being carried across the thorns and rocks by one arm while the rest of me falls behind.
My body now covered in gashes;
they pour out blood the same color as your favorite red lipstick on me.
I scream out your name.
I scream for you to come save me.
I wonder if you can even hear me.
I need you to save me.
As I'm pulled further and further, I start to fade out.
I see a ray of light ahead and I know it has to be you.
I try to escape the grip of whoever is holding onto me;
He must be a demon. A beast. A prince of darkness.
He thrashes me around and throws me to the ground again.
Time and time again he throws me to the ground.
His hits make contact with my body and I yelp in pain.
His kicks force my body to bend in ways it never should.
I hear my bones snap and feel the blood pouring out
but all I can think about is you.
I need to make it to the light.
I need to get to you.
He finally stops dragging me along.
He picks me up from off of the ground and gently grabs my hand.
His hands are rough and dry, I know this feeling from somewhere.
I don't understand. I'm too scared to ask.
I can feel his body turn toward me and shift my waist to face him.
He pulls me close and pushes me away.
I know this dance from somehow.
All of a sudden, the realization hits me like a whirlwind.
It can't be.
Please tell me that it can't be.
He pulls me close again and I can feel him grab my face.
I squirm but I'm unable to move far.
He kisses me; his lips familiar in formation on mine.
I know that he is you.
"Can we please go back into the light?"
I'm crying again. I'm begging.
Please don't let this be true.
You grab my hand and walk with me toward the light.
As we are walking, the light goes further and further into the distance.
It's unreachable. It's unobtainable.
I'm running toward it, trying to believe that we can still make it.
I hear you laughing.
I fall to the floor, unable to see anything around me.
My hands are in my hair.
My clothes are stained by my tears.
You come find me and pick me up off of the ground.
I need you close, I need this to not be real.
You pull me into you and when it feels like I can finally breathe again, you throw me aside and I fall into the thorns.
You laugh again as though this is your favorite new game.
My body is breaking open.
My heart is emptied of any hope.
My mind is racing with options and questions.
Do I stay in the darkness with you or do I try and save myself?
I know my choice. It's an easy decision.
I fight my way out of the thorns.
I stand up again and try to collect myself before doing anything else.
"Breathe, you can do this," I whisper to myself.
I look around for the light and once I can see it, I take a step forward.
Soon, I am running. I'm running as fast as I can.
But I'm not running toward the light,
I'm running to you.
My choice is still you.