Snippet #2434161

Loud. Loud, too loud. Louder than his alarm or his flatmate's snoring. Different. The ringing in Roald's ears masked what it was, the groggy haze of thought too slow to puzzle out the buzz of sound. His bed was more uncomfortable than usual, his eyes thick with sleep, crusted at the corners. A thought tugged at the back of Ro's mind. Autumn break. Had to go see Dad. Didn't matter how badly he wanted to just lay here, there were things to do.

However, when he groaned and rolled out of bed, he was met with something hard as opposed to carpet under his low-sitting bed.

Roald yelped in surprise, now fully awake, and snapped his eyes open. He wished he hadn't. Light flooded in, blinding him temporarily. Areas of impact made themselves known, but some were slightly older. New: cheekbone, shoulder, hip, knee. Old: skull, shoulder, arm, hip, knee. He could feel the chill ground through various scabbed over cuts and abrasions. Fallen outside, perhaps? But this was definitely not outside.

That's when he began to remember. Searing pain, enough to make him cringe even now. Confusion. Falling...

Footsteps.

His eyes opened wide again. Fear sent his heart racing, his breath rushing in and out as logic allowed terror free entrance to his mind. He'd been kidnapped, and now all he could see was a cell around him, too concerned to look further.

"Oh my God," he breathed.

With that, Roald began to panic. It took him two tries to stumble to his feet and to the wall nearest him -- the front facing the hallway. He beat against it with clammy fists, struggling to keep himself upright. Then the wall next to him. Then the next. The entire time he screamed for help, for anyone who could hear him, who could let him out, for knowledge on what was happening. This was the sort of thing that happened in movies, not real life.