Lucien was in his dim room, scattered with the remnants of an ordinary day—half-open books, a hoodie tossed on the chair, the faint glow of a laptop screen. Outside, the evening stretched quietly, unaware of the change about to occur.
He sat silently, thoughts tangled in uncertainty and exhaustion. The future felt heavy, and the past was a blur.
Then, without warning, the air around him shifted. A strange vibration thrummed in his chest, growing in intensity until the world itself seemed to shudder.
Colors twisted and changed, sounds warped into a deafening eerie screech, and gravity itself felt like it slipped beneath his feet.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
Lucian's eyes snapped open to cold, rough stone pressing against his cheek. The air was damp and heavy, carrying the sharp scent of earth and something metallic.
His body ached. Limbs stiff and unresponsive, breath shallow and quick.
Panic flickered like a candle in his mind.
He tried to move but every muscle burned with effort. The silence around him was absolute—broken only by the faint drip of water echoing somewhere in the shadows.
Slowly, he forced himself upright, every movement a battle. His fingers grazed the uneven floor, searching for something familiar, anything.
Nothing.
His heart hammered. Questions without answers flooded his mind.
The cave —dark, cold, and utterly silent except for the slow drip of water echoing somewhere far away.
"Okay. Don't panic. Breathe. Just… figure this out, one step at a time."
He exhaled shakily, hugging his knees to his chest. Each breath sent a spike of pain down his side. He tried to remember how he'd gotten here—his room, the blue light of the laptop, that strange feeling crawling up his spine. Then, nothing.
"Did I have a stroke?
He reached out, running his palm over the rough floor. It was too real. The chill in the air, the ache in his muscles, the way his stomach twisted with hunger and nerves. All of it felt painfully vivid.
"Great. So, either I've lost my mind, or I'm stuck in a cave somewhere. Not exactly an improvement. At least back home, I had a bed—and Wi-Fi."
He squinted into the darkness, trying to spot anything useful. The cave's walls vanished into shadow. Somewhere above, a seam of faintly glowing moss painted ghostly patterns on the stone, but offered little warmth or comfort.
" Ishould call for help." The thought was almost laughable. He swallowed, throat dry. "Hello?" His voice came out thin and uncertain, swallowed instantly by the cavern's emptiness.
"No response. Of course. Why would there be?"
Lucian's mind raced, flipping through every survival show and adventure movie he'd ever seen. "Stay calm. Don't waste energy. Look for water, then food. Figure out how deep this cave is. There's always a way out. There has to be."
He tried to stand, legs trembling beneath him. The ceiling wasn't high—he could almost reach it if he stretched. The ground sloped away into deeper darkness in one direction, and the faintest draft curled in from the other.
"Choices. Left or right. Deeper or… maybe toward the ceiling ? I wish I could check Google Maps right now."
He pressed a hand to his temple, wincing as a dull ache throbbed behind his eyes. "Why me? Out of everyone, why would I end up here? Is this some kind of nightmare? Some sick joke?"
Lucian drew in a slow breath, trying to steady his nerves. The silence pressed closer, heavy and infinite.
"Move, Lucian. Before you lose your mind."
He took his first uncertain step into the shadows, every sense straining for a clue, a sign, a reason—all the while, the memory of that ordinary life slipping further away behind him.
Lucian paused, breath shallow, eyes scanning the shifting shadows ahead. The damp air clung to his skin, cold and unforgiving. He knelt down and ran a trembling hand over the glowing moss, still trying to steady his racing thoughts.
"Okay, Lucian," he whispered to himself, voice barely more than a breath. "Think. You're eighteen. You've been stuck in some situations, maybe not like this. This... this is just a cave. You can handle a cave."
he took a step forward anyway. The moss's faint glow stretched out like a fragile thread through the black.
His fingers brushed over the wet stone, searching for something—anything. The faintest vibration thrummed beneath his skin, and for a moment, panic seized him.
"What the hell was that? Did I just imagine it?"
He shook his head, forcing the fear down. "No. Can't think about that now."
Taking a shaky breath, he stepped forward again, each movement a silent promise.
"I'll find a way out. I have to."
Lucian's footsteps echoed softly against the damp stone as he moved deeper into the cave, eyes straining to catch any detail in the faint green glow. He ran his hands along the walls, tracing every crevice and crack, hoping for some sign—an exit, a crack of light, anything.
Minutes blurred into hours, or so it felt. Time lost all meaning in this cold, silent prison.
He stopped abruptly, chest heaving, frustration bubbling up like a storm.
"Fuck…" His voice cracked, the word sharp in the hollow space.
He spun around, trying to get his bearings again. But the walls all looked the same—twisted stone and glowing moss stretching endlessly in every direction.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck! I'm going in circles. Great. Just fucking great."
He sank to the ground, head in his hands, breath ragged.
"How the hell do I get out of here?"
The silence pressed in on him, heavier than the cold.
Lucian closed his eyes, fighting back the rising panic.
"Calm down. Think"
He took a deep, steadying breath and forced himself back to his feet.
"No more fucking giving up."
With grim determination, he took another step into the darkness, ready to face whatever came next.
His fingers grazed the glowing moss again, the faint vibration beneath his skin pulsing softly.
"What's that? Some kind of... signal?"
He shook his head, pushing the thought aside. For now, survival was all that mattered.
Steeling himself, Lucian stepped forward once more. Darkness or not—he was moving. And he wasn't going to stop.
Lucian sank against the rough cave wall, breathing heavy, frustration gnawing at him. He rubbed his forehead and thought bitterly, "Well, judging by how much I've gone in circles, this cave must be a circle—and a big one at that."
He let out a dry laugh. That's something, I guess.
Shaking his head, he pushed himself back up. The thought didn't solve anything, but at least it was a start. Maybe understanding the shape of this place could help him find a way out.
"Alright, big circle," he muttered, voice low. "Let's see if you've got any secrets to show me."
Lucian pressed his ear against the cold stone, straining to catch any sound beyond the dripping water and distant echoes. The walls were solid, unyielding—no hollow spaces, no hidden chambers waiting to be discovered.
He grimaced and took a step back. "Worth a shot."
Then, driven by a mix of frustration and desperate hope, he raised his fist and swung it at the low-hanging ceiling. The sharp crack of bone against rock echoed painfully through the cave. He yelped, clutching his hand.
"Fuck! That hurt like hell."
He shook his throbbing hand, glaring at it. "Not my smartest move."
Taking a deep breath, Lucian forced himself to calm down. He couldn't afford more injuries—not yet. But the urge to find a way out burned stronger than ever.
"Okay, no punching the ceiling," he muttered with a wry grin. "But maybe I should start paying attention to more than just walls. Maybe there's something else—some kind of clue I'm missing."
He scanned the cave carefully, eyes sharp despite the dim light, ready for whatever came next.
Lucian sank down heavily onto the cold stone floor, exhaustion washing over him like a tidal wave. He rubbed his bruised hand and let out a long, defeated sigh.
"I give up," he muttered, voice barely above a whisper. "I'll just sleep… and hope I don't wake up here."
His body curled into a tight ball, the fatigue pressing down on him like a weight. The cave's silence wrapped around him, dark and endless.
Closing his eyes, he fought to quiet his racing thoughts.
"Maybe sleep will bring answers. Or at least a break."
As his breath slowed, the faint glow of the moss cast soft shadows over his face. For a moment, the nightmare paused—just long enough for Lucian to have hope.