Prologue- The Cell, 9 days after resurrection

The silence wasn’t the worst part, it was the waiting that really got to them. Sure, after what seemed like weeks of sitting in the gloom and trying to keep yourself sane while remaining hushed was bad. Of course it was. But the waiting, that was something else. Never sure how long it would be, whether it was approaching or not and uncertain of the time you had left. Imagine sitting in a cube for an indefinite length of time. You have little food or water, it’s claustrophobic enough without the other two people in there with you, and your imagination is doing backflips. The fates of everyone you knew racing around your head like a relentlessly repeating record;
‘They’re all dead… I saw some of them die… Why am I not dead? Why did I escape?… You fled, coward…’
Nothing else to think about as your tiny cage surrounds you and crushes you beyond distinction. All your hopes, dreams and happy thoughts- pulverized by one fifteen foot square metal box. On top of all that, of course, is the impending death that is peering over your shoulder. Vultures gather, the reaper waits silently in the back of your mind. You know not the time of its coming, and so are left to ponder your future. Every belief you hold dear about the fate of a being after death is cast into shadowy doubt. Death, a thing you never before thought you feared, reveals itself to be an ugly and menacing beast. A long, wide black hole, gaping in front of you with no foreseeable end. You’re on the brink, and you require only the tiniest, most miniscule push.
How long could you wait?
Holly looked up from the corner of the room. The sight that met her was familiar, having not changed for the past few weeks, or was it months? Perhaps her mind was gong awry and it had only been a few days. Holly couldn’t tell. Everything on the LEP jumpsuit had ceased working, nulled by the signal being broadcast from police plaza. All that was left was an emergency life-support ration of food and water, and between the three of them it was running out fast.
Artemis lay in the other corner, curled up in a fetal position, sound asleep. Seth lay across the far wall from Artemis and appeared to be asleep too. Or unconscious. It was hard to tell. The dim fluorescent light dangled overhead,looking like a lonely star. Holly resigned to trying to sleep for another half hour. Her nightmares were preferable to being awake right now.

Some other stories by saynototrouble:

• Contest Entry- A Visitor.