The cave

She doesn’t move an inch. Tries not to breathe or make a sound. Do anything that will wake it.

The cave is monstrous. It must have been hidden underneath civilization for thousands of years without being discovered. The only possible entrance is from the sewers and there is not a single glimpse of light. The massive walls make hostile shapes that stare at her. They mock her for her fear. No one will ever find her. That is what scares her the most. To be forgotten. It would be as if she never existed. According to him, she never has. In his eyes, she is nothing. At the same time, the thought of never being found soothes her. That means that they will never really know what happened. They can never be entirely sure that she is gone. Not even him. And it would haunt him forever.

A sudden movement in front of her. A bat somewhere high up there.

She swallows a shriek and gives off a quiet gulp that echoes throughout the massive hollow. She can hear dripping and a quiet noise from the traffic far above. But other than that, it’s quiet again. Pitch black and absolutely silent.

The beast is resting in a void, not ten feet away from where she is standing. Its breathing is calm and quiet. The breath reaches her skin in an even rhythm and makes her eyes twitch and the hair on the back of her neck stand up. That smell… The smell of a million rotting corpses. It’s almost more than she can handle, but she manages to focus on the task at hand. No turning back now.

She takes a deep, but quiet, breath and takes a couple of slow, soundless steps forward. If she were to reach out her hand now, she would be able to touch the beast. She wonders what its skin would feel like. If it is smooth and soft or covered in some sort of fur. She has never seen a dragon before. And she will not live to tell the tale.

It’s time, she decides.

Very carefully she picks up the knife that is folded up in her jacket pocket. She grips it with her right hand and gently, but with some force, stabs herself in the left hand. The blade goes straight through. Like it has cut through butter. She winces from the pain, but is calmed by the warm blood rushing to greet her. A present for the beast in front of her.

She lets go of the knife. When it hits the floor of the cave, the sound echoes like a trumpet through the great halls.

The beast has been awakened.