I feel the damp heat and stagnant air before I realize I’m even awake. It’s suffocating. It bears down on me like the coat of some heavy beast who has just run through a torrential downpour. The smell is similar to that of a beast as well. Poignant and overpowering, it creeps into my nose like worms crawling through the earth. I become aware of the platform beneath me, rigid and uneven. Pain begins to shoot through me from the unnatural position of my body. I’m fully awake now, but too terrified to open my eyes. Where am I? I try to remember the day, the moment, anything before, just and glimpse or clue that could tell me what happened or my location. I’m met with nothing but an impenetrable fog. My mind is completely vacant aside from the dread welling inside me. I try to remain as still as possible, listening for any sign of movement or life around me. I hear the wind, blowing soft outside a nearby window. It whistles slightly. Maybe I’m in an older building. Birds sing in the distance, a bright chirp in the dark foreboding of my mind. That simple sound brings with it small hope. I strain to hear anything else. Someone breathing, light footsteps, the creak of floorboards, anything that will indicate I’m not alone in this place. I hear nothing but the sound of my own erratic heartbeat. There’s nothing left for me to do now. I hold my breath, and I open my eyes.