The Suffocating Silence

The heavy iron door clicked shut. The metallic echo bounced off the damp stone walls of the personal dungeon, followed by the fading rhythm of the king's boots echoing down the corridor. Valerie stood frozen in the center of the dim room. The chill of the floor seeped through her socks, but a deeper cold settled in her chest. She wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her hands over her flat s