He awoke as if out of a dream. A very painful dream, but still passionate and unrealistic, cloudy almost. But even when he opened his eyes, there was darkness. Pure black, like he hadn't bothered to raise his eyelids. He lifted his fists, rubbed his eyes, blinked a few times. Still nothing. He couldn't see.

(blind blind am i blind?)

He attempted to sit up but found himself cramped, trapped, and suddenly realized the scents of wood and dirt surrounded him. One hand trembled upwards and stopped just inches from where it had started its hesitant journey.

A startled whimper tore its way from his throat

(where am i?)

and he threw his fists against the sides of the box that enclosed him, trying to break out. One side of his head sang with pain, throwing intense blasts of white light against the backs of his eyelids, shooting down his veins through the rest of his body and making him cry out.

(what's going on why can't i why can't i where am i no!)

A small sound caught him off-guard, stopping his breath in his throat.

Ting-a-ding.

(...what? what?)

Ling-a-ling. Ting. Ding-a-ding-a-ling.

He struggled, trying to maneuver in the box, stretching, reaching, trying to find the source of the sound.

Ting-a-ling. Ling-a-ting-a-ling. Tin-

(got it!)

He rolled it around his fingers, listening to the noise, trying his hardest to ignore the strings of agony in his head as the little object rang and sang its message to the world above.

(save me please someone hear someone help save me i'm scared i can't i can't)

Scraping noises.

(...what?)

Voices.

(oh oh oh am i that lucky, please, i'm not going crazy please)

Boys voices. The sensation of being lifted clumsily and placed on the ground. Missing splinters of wood allowed gray sunlight to shine through, and he nearly wept, still rolling the object

(shiny pretty oh my)

in his fingers.

Finally the lid lifted and he sprang up, gasping, rubbing his face raw

(blind it hurts the sunlight it hurts)

hiding behind his fingers as the boys around him whispered and gasped. They were all dressed in tattered clothes, some holding newspapers. Five or six of them, he guessed, then gasped as he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up.

(... pretty?)

Dark hair, dark eyes full of worry, pursed lips slightly parted.

"Snitch?" This boy asked, leaning forward. "Snitch, what happened? Are you all right?"

He stared at the other boy

(snitch? who? who?)

and glanced around at the staring faces

(who are they? where am i? alive light people but where?)

and gasped the air inside, trying to find his voice.

(what where who can't don't know can't i i i-)

"I don't know?"

The sound of his voice surprised him, and his fingertips delicately touched his lips. The other boys looked at each other. The boy next to him tightened his grip.

"You... don't know? Snitch?"

(is that my name? is that me? who? who?)

The boy leaned back with wide eyes. "You... Snitch, what's wrong?"

His jaw trembling, his eyes frantic, his hands gripping the sides of the box so hard that his fingers bled with splinters, he threw his head back and screamed:

"I don't know! Leave me alone I don't know any of you! Who are you?"

"Snitch, please-"

"Is that me?" He slapped his hand over his mouth and lowered his voice. "... Is that me?"

The cloudy sky broke open, droplets of water falling on all of them. He

(snitch?)

whimpered and cowered away from it.

"Oh my God," say the boy closest to him. "Swifty, Race, we gotta get him to the doctor. Help me carry him."

"Skitts, maybe-"

"Just grab him!"

And his feet were lifted, hands gripped under his arms and he swayed in the constant wetness, still scared and confused

(i don't understand!)

and he shut his eyes, letting himself be carried by these strange boys

(names? race, swifty, skitts? who? who?)

through a strange place he didn't recognize.

He knew nothing, remembered nothing. Just the pain in his head and the fright that had come from waking up in that dark place underground.

He didn't even remember his dream.

.:AUTHOR'S NOTE:.

Blame Dakki for this one. I swear. And it'll get better too. If anyone would ever help me freaking brainstorm it out. Guh. Anyway. Yeah. More as soon as I can. I have Spring Break this week, so there should be a lot of updates. Hopefully. Ideally. We'll see. XD