It was hazy, a distance ringing filled my head as my vision slowly shifted into focus from blurry lights. "Ugh..." I moaned, as pressure built behind my eyes, then slowly dissipates. It takes a few moments for me to realize I have no idea where I am. My heart starts to race as I look around.
Trying to stand up I find myself unable to do so, my wrists and ankles press against cold metal restraints. Panicking I trash about like a trapped animal, until I fall back into the large seat I find myself in. Painting, I try to focus myself, starting a mindfulness breathing exercise while I assess the situation.
The air is uncomfortably thick, the heat and humidity has beads of sweat forming on my forehead. The atmosphere reminds me of a field school course I did years back in the Amazon. The lights are scarce, a slight mist is visible in their halo. While the room is undeniably spacious it feels cramped despite the chair I'm restrained to being the only furniture.
A rustling draws my attention, in front of me in the darkness. It sounds like an animal moving through the dense brush of a forest, though there's no response as I call out into the void. The sound continues over the ambient noise from an HVAC system.
Turning my attention to the "chair" it seems to be a prop out of a horror movie or outdated hospital. The restraints around my forearms and calves are a good inch thick of solid steel and are around six inches long. Built to hold someone much stronger than I. It probably looks ridiculous, this short woman barley 5'3" and a smaller - albeit curvy - body trapped for who knows what purpose.
The humidity leaves my skin moist, a white tank top clinging to my torso and yoga pants feeling like they fit too snugly to be comfortable. My thick curvy brunette hair feels like it's a mess, disheveled at best.
Thinking back a seemingly distant memory comes to me, sitting at a local dive bar near campus. A real meeting of the great minds I joked to the man sitting at the bar near me as two men started yelling at each other over a game of pool that evidently didn't go someone's way. We laughed and joked about life over another pint.
His name rings bells in my tipsy mind. 'No way, the Dr. Gallagher?! Or not "Dr." any longer after he was kicked out of academia with a mix of disgust and laughter'. I don't let on I know him at first, not until he starts inquiring into my own ecological research after confessing I'm a grad student. Then a bit later we're out the door, my common sense couldn't beat my curiosity as he invited me to see his latest project...
The noise is closer now, what I first think is a snake turns out to be some form of vegetation rapidly - for a plant - approaching. Growing out in several vascular shoots it seems like a fever dream. I nervously sit up straighter as they begin surrounding my throne. A single vine grows around the side of the chair, blooming into a beautiful but alien flower as it reaches the height of my head, it's stunning.