Shatter

The first thing I felt was pain.

It slammed into my head, making it throb.

It forced my eyes open.

I was too dizzy to take in my surroundings.

I closed my eyes, hoping relief would come in the form of unconsciousness, but no such luck.

I opened my eyes slowly this time, and observed where I was.

Oh. My. God.

This was the smallest room I'd been in, not counting an elevator.

Four cement walls surrounded me. The entire room looked to be about 5'x8.'

The only thing in here was me,

And the chains...

That were....

...

There are chains bolting me to the wall.

I started to panic, hyperventilation looming closer. I forced myself to calm down.

Inhale, exhale.

I despise small rooms. I suffer from claustrophobia.

I know, mind over matter.

I still avoid elevators whenever I can.

An idea hit me.

If I open my mind, I won't really be in a tiny room.

I relaxed as best as I could against my chains and closed my eyes. I tried to drop the barriers around my mind, but something was holding them up.

Or someone was screwing around with me.

I tried again, harder. Nothing.

Sweat appeared on my forehead.

I gathered my strength and rammed against the walls.

They still held.

That's when my claustrophobia took over.

"LET ME OUT!" I screamed.

My breath was coming in short gasps.

Then my stomach got confused and I dry-heaved.

Ow.

My eyes filled with tears.

No way. I'm not going to cry.

Breath in. Breath out. Repeat.

I returned to my mind, searching my "mind-walls" for any weakness whatsoever.

Nothing.

Yet.

I slammed into them, once, twice, three times more.

My body was spazzing from the effort.

Blood and sweat trickled down from my scalp.

I searched the walls for any weaknesses again.

A small crack appeared.

I nearly laughed in triumph, but then whoever was holding me here would assume I was psychotic.

That wouldn't be cool.

I summoned the image of a dagger in my mind, making it as real and lifelike as possible.

This should scare the crap out of whoever is doing this.

I smirked.

When I was satisfied with my work, I thrust it into the cracked wall with all of my strength.

I think the walls cringed.

Weird.

So is this whole situation.

I did it again, and the walls just...faded. Vanished.

I heard a distant scream from somewhere outside my prison and in my mind.

Creepy.

I let my mind, now free, float over wherever the heck I was.

I picked out several beings; one I could identify as the vampire I met earlier, Tristan.

Another was a Tele, but their life was fading rapidly.

I picked up several unfamiliar traces as well, before returning to my own mind, leaving it "open."

The "walls" incident scared me too bad to put up my usual barriers.

I tried to remember what happened to make me be in a freaking prison, but my memory was coming up short.

All I remembered was Pazzi's screaming face....

Oh my God. Pazzi.

I let my mind roam again, trying to detect her.

I sighed in relief.

She was rapidly approaching my cell, with Tristan and the fading Tele, as well as several undistinguished others.

I think two or three.

For a second, I felt a spasm of worry for the fading Tele. Someone should get her to a doctor, and fast.

I shook it off. I was going to see Pazzi soon. Everything would be all right.

If they'd done anything to Pazzi, especially the Vampire, I was going to make them get a taste of death.

I summoned up the remainder of my strength and waited.

Three...

Two...

One.