text: "Hello, dear boy," a voice gently called from the darkness stirring Sam awake from his deep slumber. He blinked a few times and found that the world did not become brighter as he opened his eyes. Wherever he had woken up was pitch black. No light shined in from any window or crack that may or may not have been there. He felt his eyes dart around for a moment before he realized how stiff and sore his body was. The young man let out a groan and struggled to sit up on the cold hard surface he had woken up on. His joints refused to loosen and his muscles wound tighter from his movements but he was soon propped up on the palms of his hands. His eyes glanced around again to find anything he could fix them to but all he was allowed to do was stare into seemingly infinite void. "Whose...whose there?" Sam called out as he had realized that the voice he heard came from this reality and not the dream one. The young man waited for several moments with only the darkness answering back with it's sinister silence. With the lack of any audible response, Sam shifted slightly with his hands outstretched to his left as he desperately searched for a vertical surface to rest his back on. Though, before he could find anything there was finally a response. "I don't believe my name matters at this point. In a few minutes I doubt you'll even remember it," the stranger said with a grim rusty voice which sounded like metal scratching against metal. Sam's breath caught in his throat and his heart thumped at a startled rate. His body froze and he didn't want to move another inch until he was more comfortable with the situation. "Where am I?" Naturally, this was the next question the young man could conjure up. This time sam stayed motionless and listened very carefully for the voice. Though, just like last time, there was several moments of just the darkness whispering it's silence to him again. He so desperately wish he could see something even just an outline of any shape would suffice. Just something he could fix his constantly moving eyes on. "You're not where you used to be. That much you know for sure," the stranger finally recipricated. Sam flinched from the scratchy voice which he now determined eminatted just a couple feet in front of him. The young man shivered as the situation grew surreal to him. He didn't know where he was or how he got here. He didn't know what the stranger was doing just a short distance in front of him nor did he even know their name. What if this stranger was the one who brought him here? What are they planning to do with him? Will he even live long enough to see a sunrise again? These questions bounced around inside Sams head with the quickness of ping pong balls but the the density of bowling balls. He struggled to fire another question off since he didn't wish to know the answers of the ones rolling around in his mind. He finally decided to move again but he thought it best not to travel forwards since he didn't wish to get closer to the stranger. So, he slowly scooted backwards. He patted the ground behind him to check if anything was in his way then he pulled himself back with his palms. He repeated this procedure a few times just scooting back an inch or so at a time. He managed to do this for quite some time without alerting the stranger to his improvised escape. He felt like he had traveled quite a good distance yet he still didn't run into a wall or anything for that matter. His arms soon grew tired and he became sick of scrapping his butt on the rough surface beneath him. So, he stopped and decided to test how far he had gotten by asking another question. "Do you know where I came from?" Sam asked but the silence neglected to keep a lingering silence between them this time. "I wish you would stop asking me questions I cannot answer," the stranger replied immediately and sams heart climbed into his esophagus. The voice came from just a few feet in front of him again. This couldn't be. He had moved so far away or at least it felt like he traveled a few good yards yet the voice sounded even closer. Sam trembled since he didn't even hear any movement other than his own while he was trying to create some distance. Fear gripped the young man for a few moments but luckily he was able to swallow his thumping heart back into his chest and attempt to get away again. Again he slid back, this time about a foot at a time or that's what it felt like at least. He reached far back with his arms and pulled until his butt was in the same place as his hands. He repeated this over and over. This time, his arms were fatigued faster and his butt couldn't handle anymore of the friction created from the movements. So, he stopped and wanted to test the voice once more but couldn't think of anything to ask. Eventually, he decided to not ask another question to give an empty compliment. "You look lovely today?" He stated in a quiet voice and the stranger answered even faster "im sure I do." Terror now gripped the young man as the voices was no longer a few feet away but mere inches from him now. Sam felt the hot breathes of the stranger wash over his face and move his short black hair. Each exhale hit him like a red hot freight train and each inhale chilled him to the bone as the air rushed pass his face. He didn't know what to do. He definitely didn't want to speak again and he didn't wish to move either as he realized the further he moved away the closer the stranger became. He only sat there, frozen with fear and anticipation as he waited for the stranger to make their move. Sam expected a touch that would jolt him out of his skin since the breathing made him tremble like tree in a harsh wind. Though, nothing came. He only felt the inhale then exhale of this stranger that refused to leave him alone. He shivered and stared into the darkness in front of him with still no shape or sliver of light manifesting for him to focus on. His eyes still darted and he trembled as he felt the vast space seem to grow larger around him. Even with this sharp voiced stranger remaining only inches from him, the young man felt a solitary veil drape over his face. He shivered for a moment more before mustering the courage to speak again "why are you here." Even though sam couldn't see any part of the stranger, he felt a smile grow on their lips as they were amused by the question. "Now, that is something I can answer confidently but I wish to wait on it for awhile," the stranger responded in a softer tone yet still retained the rusty, almost prosecuting, pitch. Sam felt a stream of frustration mix into the swirling ocean of fear inside him. He wondered why this stranger was being so secretive and still pondered on why he was being kept here. "What are you?" Sam finally asked as his imagination ran wild since he couldn't see this stranger who still neglected to reveal themselves. A soft chuckle came from the darkness before a solid answer followed "I am you." A solid answer, yet one that surfaced more questions than it answered. Before Sam could even reciprcate, the stranger continued "well, I am a piece of you. A very small insignificant piece that you have neglected for year's." Sam was still beyond confused. He wished to ask far more questions yet the voice came again before he could part his lips. "I use to be big, a very big part of you but you began to travel down a...dark path which lead to irresponsible decisions. With each of these horrible decisions I shrunk. I tried to stop you, I tried talking civily but as you shrunk me I resorted to screaming. I screamed a lot for awhile but you still refused to listen to me. Eventually, you squished me so much that I lost my voice and you continued with your decisions." Sam froze again as he began to realize who this stranger really was but still more questions rose to his mouth "where...where am I?" Another chuckle floated through the darkness before an answer followed "you are here with me and you will be here for a long, long time. Now, you have no choice but to listen to me." Sam scooted back one more time in a last desperate attempt to gain some distance but as he did he felt the breathing become his own. Then, the voice echoed inside his head "I am going to show you your every sin, your every misdead, your entire decrepit life." A loud booming laugh nearly split sams skull causing him to collapse to his side and curl up in fear and helplessness. "We are going to have a lot of fun together.