Vents

Moriah crawled slowly through the vents, having just enough space to shimmy her body along the way as she searched for one of the many more open areas where she could sit up straight and pull her knees tight against her chest. It was an extensive system, with many small openings where she could glance into the rooms below, but she could do nothing to actually escape. The small, gated airways were bolted tightly on, and removing them would require either tools she did not have, or an expense of strength and space for pulling, which she also lacked. She had been trapped in the vents for two days, and she was running low on food and water.

Occasionally, she came across some crumbs or drops of water spilling just through the airways, but that was only enough to buy her momentary relief. Hardly more than a passing moment of it, but that was more than incentive enough at this point to lap at what she would only just a few days prior have found utterly disgusting as though it were the stuff of heaven. But that assumed that she was able to find it, which was unlikely, given how dark the ventilation systems were. It wasn't like they were designed for a human to be roving them, lost and alone and afraid, after all. She was sure if she could see herself in a mirror, the many bumps and bruises that covered her from her blind stumblings would make her look like a monster, come to devour the souls of man.

She could feel the rush of air and the weight of the short ceiling lifted from her back as she entered a more open space. The air pushed into her lungs, forcing them to expand, making her gasp and shutter as she remembered what it was like to be able to breath. She knew that nearby, perhaps in the next path, there would be another airway from another room, and that was what was bringing her this fresh air. But it must have been the middle of the night, because she could see no light, and only the crushing darkness continued to surround her.

Making her way to a wall, she leaned up against it and pulled herself into a tight ball. The hard metal of the vents made it hard to relax or sleep, but she did the best that she could. It was much safer to sleep in the more open spaces - she was less likely to get herself stuck in a corner and get herself crushed like an idiot.

She wasn't even sure if she did sleep. She had no dreams - as she drifted from one state of consciousness to another, there was only more darkness. She prayed that perhaps this entire experience was little more than a nightmare, though the pangs of pain from both inside and out suggested otherwise.

Eventually she heard the sound of voices murmuring in the next room over, and when she opened her eyes, she could see a singular ray of light. With all of her energy, she made her to it, and tried to look into the room. Two people stood a dozen feet away from her, talking about something she couldn't quite understand. Weakly she pounded against the grating, and she heard them grumble about how noisy the vents were when they turned on in the morning.

She wished desperately that she could speak, not for the first time. To have a voice with which to call for help. She might have escaped much sooner that way.