Unfamiliar voices filtered through the black that held me captive. I cringed inwardly. Bad things happened in the black. Monsters wearing the faces of friends hovered over you and hurt you. Hurt your body.
I pushed through the obsidian. I had to wake up. Had to protect myself. At least if I was conscious, I could float away. Keep my mind safe. Having the choice to leave was always better than waking up in the dark.
"Scarlet, honey, can you hear me?" a soft feminine voice asked. Something about it made me think of sunshine and meadows. I felt warm and safe listening to that voice.
"I don't know if she's awake, Asher," Sunshine said.
A masculine rumble came from farther away.
"No. You stay over there."
The deep rumble got a little louder.
"I don't f*****g care what you want. You
