"Anna is it April already? Is it some kind of a prank? I am totally creeped out so you can turn on the light. Please?" I laughed bitterly as I hopelessly tried to persuade her.

I waited for a reply from her, maybe even her laughing at me for falling for her amazing prank, but none of it happened as minutes were passing by.

I couldn't wait any longer as I felt the nervousness creeping up across me and mercilessly choking me. I started breathing heavier as I leaned across the wall and tried to find even the smallest hint of hope in the darkness.

"Anna, please, you know I am not fond of darkness, please, just please turn on the light. Laugh at me all you like just don't do that to me." I begged Anna, which I wasn't even sure if she was there, with me in this strange place.

I breathed in and out in order to calm down and decided to walk across the walls, in hope to find an exit.

I walked, step after step, nervously holding onto the rough walls, trying to find an escape.

But instead walked across the walls and lost count of how many corners I have passed as I tried again and again without losing hope on finding an exit, but did not find any.

'Is anybody there?' I shouted out as I wasn't even sure if there was any door, but only my echo replied, as it was reflected off the cruel walls that surrounded me.

I started panicking and shouting until my voice didn't come out anymore and banged hard on the walls until warm blood dripped off my wounded hands, but nobody came for me, nobody was there to begin with.

It felt like I was the only one here, in this dark, cold room which had no doors nor windows

I slumped on the cold ground and sat for what felt like hours and looked blankly at the darkness that mercilessly surrounded me.

I jerked up a few times when I thought I heard something, but when I called out I got no reply once again.

The memories from last night slowly came back to me and I had a rough time accepting them. Is she even alive now? I was hoping so.

I wasn't sure what was real anymore, her getting abducted in the forest or her being held by something huge in our kitchen. In both case I couldn't help her out at all.

Her beautiful face appeared in my mind, a wide smile, sparkly blue eyes. I need her, I thought and felt my eyes watering. I lost count of how much I have cried since I woke up in this room, but I did feel that my eyes got pretty swollen, after so many tears ran down my burning cheeks.

I felt defeated, useless and weak, I'm just the perfect definition of a loser, I laughed quietly. What would she have said if she saw me in this miserable state? Would she leave me, or just would encourage me not to give up?

I brushed off these thoughts. No, she would encourage me for sure, so I have to get myself together now. I though hopefully and a small smile drew it's way up my face pushing away the bitter tears.

I slowly got up from the ground and wiped off the last tears with the rough fabric of my hoodie sleeve.

I should get out of here, Im not sure where I am, but I won't give up this time. Anna might have escaped, I'd better go and check it.

I really hope that she did. And I would hold onto this hope. I thought as I was hopelessly encouraging myself.

Even with all of the encouraging words and promises I mumbled to myself I didn't know what to do, and silence in the room driven me crazy as minutes passed by, my will began to slowly vanish into the darkness as I kept on scraping the dirt off the cold floor.

I jerked my head up as a weak rustling sound was heard from my right, It sounded like something was passing there, something small.

I wasn't sure if it was my mind playing games with me once again or if something was actually there, but I decided to check just in case.

I reached my hand towards the sound and something squealed in reply and dashed away, leaving behind something that dropped down on the ground with a light thump.

I hope its not a dead animal, I thought as I reached my hand towards it, and flinched as I touched something rough. Is it fur? I thought in disgust, but as I held it in my hands I felt that it reminded more of a dry grass tied to a stick, which was uneven as if it was bitten countless of times by mice.

After some time of touching the strange object and wondering what it might be, I finally got a reasonable thought.

Is it some kind of a torch? I thought and let out a relieved sigh. Finally something useful in this place, maybe if I had something that could light it up then I would find a way to get out of here.

What can I use to light it up though? I dont have any lighter with me as I am not a smoker.

I sat for around few more minutes, wondering what to do until I remembered the book I read.
The book was about how to safely camp, I read it just in case when I was choosing a present for Anna.

It wasn't that long ago, only a couple of weeks passed, it had to be a surprise for her upcoming birthday. I wanted to take her to the mountains and make the most romantic night in her life, but as I really cherished her I read the camping guide in case something happened.

In the book it said that if you are lost at night and cannot get back, you should set up a fire so you would be found easier. In case you don't have any lighter on you, just find a flint stone. It is practically everywhere so it shouldn't be too hard to find.

In my case it sounded absurd as I was stuck in a place of no escape.

A hopeless laugh escaped my mouth as I painfully laughed loudly in the room I was in, maybe I have finally lost my mind or sanity, but I could no longer believe my bad luck.

I felt weak after all my attempts to get out, and weak from inside as I was tiring myself into thinking positively.

How on earth would I find flint stones in this place, when I couldn't even find a door to lead me out of here. I kept on feeding the negative thoughts to the raw despair that boiled in my veins.

The laugh eventually turned into a dry cough as I wasn't completely able to recover my voice after shouting so much, and my lungs cried with pain that spread through them.

I leaned against the wall, quietly watching the yellow sparks in front of my eyes glittering with joy.
At least now I didn't only see blackness surrounding me. I silently laughed.

Yet after another while, I was crawling around, sweeping the floors with my wounded palms, ignoring the sharp pain that was crying for me to stop.
I hopelessly tried to find the stones which maybe even normal ones could lit up a bit of fire.

Maybe I'm indeed losing my mind, but that was my last hope.

After another while of crawling on four I finally found a few small stones, from touch alone I didn't know what they were exactly. So I put the small torch in front of me and hit the stones against each other.

The first time I did, nothing happened, so I tried to scratch it together harder but instead I hit my hand and groaned painfully.

After numerous hopeless tries I was about to give up on the stupid idea of lighting fire, but as I one last time tried again, a small spark flew up and fell on the ground. Sparkling for a few seconds before dying out.

A new light of hope brightened inside me and I tried again and again until the spark finally found it's way to the small torch.

As it did, I froze up holding my breath just so it wont die out and prayed to the gods which I never believed in so this small spark will turn into a flame. Just like the small hope that was on the count waiting for destiny to decide it's fate.

A small smile grew wider and wider as the small spark grew bigger and drove out the darkness that was threatening to swallow me.

The light wasn't that bright, but was enough to dully light up the room. The room wasn't as big as I excepted it to be. The old walls as well as the ceiling were covered in black paint which was peeling off the walls and making a mess on the dirty glassy floor, which was also black like the darkness that surrounded me a minute ago.

I picked up the torch with the lively flame from the floor and got up. I walked closely by the walls and tried yet again to find an exit, but this time I had my hopes up as I had a torch in my hand.

I will find a way out, and I'll find you Anna. I promised myself more than to Anna as I kept on trying to find an escape from here.

After a few minutes I noticed the fire dying out. The grass was way too dry, which caused the torch to flame up faster and so the light became more dull.

I panicked and helplessly yet again tried to find an exit before it dies out.

As I was already by the third corner of the room and encountered the last wall, I noticed something gold flickering on the wall.

I looked closer and stretched my arm which held the torch closer to the wall and was pretty much surprised to see the gold illustration on the old peeling off black paint.

Sadly the gold illustration was also peeling off, but I managed to see what it was.

It was many different people, I never saw anything like that. Some looked like normal people, but for the others I wasn't that sure.

They probably weren't human as some had ears peaking on their heads, and others had wings covering their backs.

As I kept on looking at the illustration with the dull light of the torch I could also notice some that had animal legs instead of normal ones.

What deeply interested me in this illustration was that all those different races were running somewhere as if something was chasing them. I took a closer look and noticed that was was following them no longer looked human at all.

It was horrible, even from the illustration I could sense the danger that they spread. One of them looked exactly like the one that held Anna, and exactly the one which were there then in the cold snowy night.

Maybe I was hopeless, literally losing last bit of sanity, but I felt the happiness rushing through my nerves as I saw this scary creature on the illustration.

If it was here, then so was Anna.

The flame was finally dying out and leaving me behind in the darkness which I never loved.

This time I didn't feel hopeless, nor sad or helpless.

Anna was there, and that is what's important.

"I will find you Anna, and save you no matter what it costs me!" 
I shouted out and a bright light suddenly surrounded me and I covered my eyes with my arm in order to protect them.

As I lowered my arm I wasn't in the dark room anymore, I was in a completely different place.

Call it divinity, call it magic. I cannot tell you what it was for sure. But I stood there, in the middle of the hall facing a huge gate, which showed me it's superiority.

"Are thee the one which passed the first test with your wish and will?" A loud deep voice echoed in the huge round hall, sending chills running down my spine.

And that's it for this chapter.

Made you nervous? Do you pity James?
Please tell me if it had enough emotions there. Because you really had to understand what he is going through.

Please stick out with James and watch how his despair and selfish wish turns into something more, something which might change his fate.

If things make no sense. What can I say except - keep reading and try to guess.

-Dani-