The Power of Whispers

Kelly woke up shivering.

The air was ice-cold, biting at her skin as she sat up, heart pounding. Something was wrong. Her fingers touched her cheek—cold as stone. She blinked, trying to make sense of her surroundings. Cold metal walls. Empty. Silent. Strange.

She caught her reflection in the steel. Curly black hair. Brown skin. But it didn't feel like her.
"Where am I?" she whispered, panic rising.
A sharp pain hit her head. She touched the spot and pulled her hand back, stained with dark blood even 

"Help!" she cried. "Someone help me!"
No answer. Just silence and the echo of her voice.

She scanned the room, her eyes landing on an air vent near the ceiling. A chair stood below it. Maybe someone had left it there, or maybe it was her only way out. She dragged the chair into place and climbed up, reaching for the vent.

Then she heard it.

Whispers. Just outside the metal door.

"What's that sound?" she muttered, heart racing.

She yanked the vent open and pulled herself inside. The voices were clearer now.

"She's not in here!"
"Where could she have gone?"
"Wait... the vent's open. She's in there!"

"Kill the lights. She won't get far!" barked another voice.

Kelly crawled as fast as she could, breath tight in her chest. She reached an open vent and dropped down into a pitch-black room. The silence was thick—until it wasn't.

"Who's there?"
The voice came from the corner, making her freeze. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"I'm..." she began, but heavy footsteps echoed behind her.

"How do we get out?" she asked the figure, trembling.

No answer. Just more silence.

"Open the door!" someone shouted outside.
"I'm trying!" another voice snapped.

Suddenly, light flooded the room as soldiers stormed in, weapons drawn. They looked around in confusion.

"Wait, I know I heard someone else," one said.

At that moment, something strange happened. Kelly felt a sudden rush of energy inside her, and the room seemed to slow down around her.

Without thinking, she moved. She sprinted toward the open door, dodging between the soldiers with inhuman speed.

"Shoot her!"
"Stop! We need her alive!"
"Don't kill her!"

Bullets flew past, but Kelly was already gone. She rounded a corner, spotted a maintenance hatch, and dove in. She slid down a narrow tunnel, gravity pulling her faster and faster.

Then—she hit the water.

Gasping, she broke the surface. The night sky stretched overhead, and stars blurred through the water in her eyes. Her muscles burned, and her mind raced. What had just happened? Why could she move like that? And why did it feel like someone else had been in that room with her?

She swam farther, exhaustion setting in. Her thoughts spiraled—questions with no answers.

Who was the person in the shadows?
Why did their voices sound so familiar?
Why were they chasing her?

But right now, all she could do was swim. Her arms grew heavy. Her eyes fluttered shut.

And everything faded to black.