I woke up with a start, gasping for air.
My back is pressed against something hard, and cold seeped through my clothes. Everything around me was pitch black; this was not the kind of darkness that came with turning off the light, but a thick, heavy blackness that made me wonder if I had gone blind.
I lay still for a moment, trying to remember where I was. My mind felt foggy, reminding me of this same feeling after I'd tried hypnotism one time with my friends in high school. It had ended so badly, and despite all the tales my friends had from that day, I couldn't remember a thing.
Slowly, I reached to my left, searching for the bedside lamp to turn it on, but my fingers touched nothing but air and something grainy.
It was sand.
I frowned and tried to sit up. Pain exploded through my body as every muscle protested, my ribs ached, and my arms burned, screaming at me to lie back down. I groaned and collapsed back down, breathing hard.
Where was I? And why did it hurt so much?
