Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
There was a chain attached to the pair of ankle shackles, and it led down the tunnel, away into the darkness. Since I’d been instructed to follow it, I did, but I kept a wary eye on my surroundings, prepared for something to leap out at me at any moment.
Nothing did.
However, the farther I followed the chain, the harder it became to see. The tunnel turned more than once, and I only made it a few more steps before I had to bend down to feel for the chain. It was cold and heavy in my grasp, and I shuffled in the pitch blackness with a hand outstretched to warn me of things in my path.
Well, shit.
The ceiling began to slope down, and the walls closed in. I had to stoop and then crawl on all fours to fit through the tight space. The grit from the floor bit into the flat of my palm while I inched along. I’d never been claustrophobic, but the total darkness and the anxiety of what was going to happen next was a powerful combination.
My heart rate climbed.
It wasn’t silent in the tunnel though. In the distance, I heard music with driving bass, and it grew louder. Was I getting closer to the end of this section? I moved quicker, sliding my left hand along the chain and using my right to help me crawl. My knees hurt from the hard floor, and I—
What the fuck?
I halted in place, drawing my hand away from the chain because I’d found the other end and it was shackled around something . . . warm.
Something very much like skin covering a leg.
My voice was tight. “Hello?”
No answer.
Fuck, I wasn’t supposed to talk, was I? I’d barely started and already broken a rule.
In the blackness, I had no choice but to investigate with my hands. Adrenaline dumped into my system, pounding through my veins as I reached out. It was a large leg dusted with hair. I patted tentatively to figure out the body’s positioning, trying to avoid touching the stranger inappropriately. Was the man . . . naked?
I didn’t finish the exam because the body jerked, and thick arms wrapped around me like a vise. This guy’s bear hug brought us nearly face-to-face, and I felt his warm breath rolling over me. He squeezed so tightly, it was hard to breathe. I had to force down my instant panic.
The man nuzzled into me, rubbing his cheek against mine, putting his mouth beside my ear. “It burns,” he rasped. “It burns everywhere.”
Being in the pitch-black, alone but for a total stranger holding me, activated a sharp need to run. But he was huge, and his grip was rock-solid. I wasn’t going anywhere, even if I tried.
“It’s eating up my insides,” he whined. “I wish I had my medicine, but it’s too late for me.” His arms loosened just enough for me be able to think again. “Maybe it’s not too late for you. If you find the woman with green hair, ask her for help filling the void.”
His arm moved so he could brush his fingertips lovingly down my cheek, and I tried not to recoil. It was so fucking intimate and personal, it was disorienting.
“Will you do that for me?” he asked.
“Uh . . .” I swallowed hard. “Yeah.”
Relief flooded his tone. “Good.”
He released me, but as soon as he got on his feet, the guy hauled me up beside him. I’d worried about hitting my head, only to discover there was clearance now. The walls and ceiling had widened, which was good because the guy gave me a shove. One that was hard enough that it would have sent me into a wall if there were one nearby. His footsteps pounded away, off the direction I’d come from, and the chain dragged noisily behind him as he fled.
Blinding light flooded the space, only for it to plunge back into total darkness a microsecond later.
It flickered again. I blinked against the harsh strobe light up ahead as it got going, flashing like its goal was to burn my retinas and nauseate me. I lifted a hand to block out the worst of it, and as my vision began to adjust, something on the floor took shape.
An arrow.
It was crudely taped to the floor with black duct tape.
I’d been told to find the woman with green hair, and there was a strange relief in having a mission. I’d walked into the first scene without a purpose other than finishing the experience. Having a goal gave me something to focus on.
There were black and white lines painted on the walls and ceiling, stretching down the length of the hallway, and when paired with the strobe light, they added to the disorienting effect. The width of the lines shrank, messing with my depth perception, and made the hall seem short when it was long. The heavy electronic music grew much louder as I followed the taped arrows lining my path.