The Fate Of The Marked

Chapter Thirteen

When I came around again, something was pressed against my neck. No, it wasn't against my neck. It was around it. Pain flared through me when I tried to move. It felt like I had been run over by a truck. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep, then being at a table.

The images blurred inside my head, making it impossible to distinguish them in order. The only thing that was clear was that he had knocked me out with something. I had a feeling more time had passed than I realized.

Slowly, I reached one hand up and sighed in relief. There was nothing around my throat but the crystal. I didn't remember taking it out of my pocket and putting it back on. The stone felt heavy. I could hardly lift it. I opened my eyes. I was staring up at a blank stone ceiling. There was a familiar jolt in my stomach. I had not woken up at home, as I always had before.

I felt a brief moment of panic, wondering what I would do if I was stuck here, wherever here was. The thought had never occurred to me before. I sat up, wincing. I had been placed on a blank, gray cot with a thin mattress. The only door was metal. A small opening, like a mail slot, was at eye level. I didn't have to be on the outside to know it was bolted.

My clothes had been replaced with ones similar to the ones I had been found in. Once again, I was barefotted. I stood carefully, muscles tight, as if I hadn't walked for days. The room was completely empty, besides the bed and the door. The floor was burning hot beneath my feet. I made it to the door and twisted the nob. It didn't move.

With a shaky breath, I pounded on it as hard as I could. The noise echoed through the small room, startling me. No one responded. I pounded harder and shook the nob again, though I knew it wouldn't do any good.

I touched the stone again. It trembled, as if sensing my fear. I gripped it as hard as I could, silently willing the woman to know I was in danger. Because now I realized what this was. It wasn't a room, it was a cell, and I was locked inside. The stone was the only thing in the cell that didn't radiate heat. It hadn't bothered me before, but now, I was dripping with sweat. My panic did nothing to help.

Somewhere in the distance, I heard a thump. It made the ground shake, but passed so quickly, I wondered if it had even happened. I went back to the cot and sat down. Then, it happened again. The stone shook, and the buzzing sound filled the air. All at once, it felt like someone had sucked the oxygen. My head felt like it would implode from the pressure, then, there was a click, just loud enough for me to hear.

The door swung open.

The hall was completely black. The air rushed back into my lungs and I stood after a long moment, when nothing came in. I krept forward, ready to bolt, and stuck my head out just enough to see by. Nothing happened. Heart racing, I took a big step out and immediately hit something solid. A wall. There was only emptiness to my left and right.

I chose left.

I slid both my hands along the wall as I went, going straight through several corners. Soon, I was running, feet slamming against the ground. Whoever had locked me in there most certainly wouldn't want me to get out.

The next thud made the floor shake. I froze, wishing I could see what was going on. I had obviously walked the wrong way. I'd wanted to get away from what was causing that noise, not go toward it. I turned around and tried to retrace my steps, but I had turned to many times.

I lost track until I was hopelessly lost. There was no way to tell one hallway from another.

The thump happened three more times until I saw light. It was coming from the cracks around a doorway. I thought for a second that it was the same room I had come from, but it was in the wrong place. It was at the very end of a straight hallway and it looked wooden rather than metal.