One Shot

She jolts forward as she awakens from a painful nightmare. Gasping for air. Her eyes are wide open. Balls of sweat are forming on her forehead.

It takes her a while to catch her breath and calm down.

"A dream... What a horrible dream..."

She rests her head back down.

Eventually, she starts to feel her body. Everything feels heavy. She tries to raise her arms but they're stiff.

There's not even a glint of light around to let her see anything. She moves her eyeballs but it's as if she has been blinded.

When she's finally able to move her arms, she raises them up forward until it hits a wall. Wall that is strangely only a foot from her face, maybe even less.

"What is this?"

She examines the wall by running her hands on its surface. It's made of wood, and it feels quite elegantly carved.

She starts to get out of breath again, and it feels warmer.

She needs air.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

She pounds on the wall.

"Hello? Can you let me out, please?"

Her arms raise sideways, but there are yet more walls, completely enclosing her. It's so tight that air can't circulate properly.

"Hello?!"

Bang. Bang. Bang.

She starts using her legs to push the wall, but the space is too narrow to fully bend them.

"Is anybody there?! Anyone?!"

Desperate, she starts to scratch the wooden wall. Pieces of it fall off, but it's too thick.

"Help!! Please!!"

She bangs, shakes, and screams. Nothing seems to work. No one seems to notice.

"Somebody!! Anybody!!"

She feels a light tug on her hair. Then another on her left shoulder.

She runs her right hand from the left side of her neck down. She grabs onto what feels like a thick, slimy thread.

It moves. It squirms.

She didn't need to see it to know what it is.

Worms.

She flicks it down her feet in panic as she yells.

"Ahhhhh! Oh my god! Please!! Somebody!!"

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

She continues to scratch the wall desperately. As hard as she can. As fast as she can. Her nails shatter and blood drips.

"NO! PLEASE!! HELP!! HELP MEEE!!"

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

She continues to pound and scream as loud as she can. She starts to cry and her voice starts to crack.

"PLEEEASE!!! HEEEEEELP!!!"

But outside, there's nothing around.

Quiet and unsuspecting. Pristine.

The night sky is clear. The wind is calm. Every gravestone stands upright.

Nothing out of the ordinary, if not for the unusual noise she's making. However, even that is not enough to catch the attention of even the animals around.

Her screams and scratches and bangs are barely audible from above. Nothing but a low-frequency buzz.

"SOMEBODY!!! LET ME OUT OF HERE!!!" She continues screaming inside.

Six feet of soil press down the lid keeping her small, weakened body from budging it open.

She calls and calls for as long as she can.

But there is no one around to answer.

Not a single soul.