Darkness falls - English version

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>>All things must change von Bush + Together Right von Finger Eleven<<

3 hours later (Penny's POV)

I crept through the old warehouse, which lay dark and abandoned. It was run down, the windows were smashed, water was dripping from the ceiling in some places where it was no longer tight or where condensation was collecting due to lack of use. The steady dripping of water and the soft crunch of dirt and shards under my shoes were the only sounds in here. The hall was empty and showed nothing of what had once been here. Colorful graffiti decorated the walls and gave you something cheerful in this dreary loneliness.

I paused as I crossed the hall and listened. There was no sign that he was here and neither was Sam. Tears of anger and despair welled up in my eyes. Where else should I look for them? I looked around and spotted a door in the wall in front of me. I looked at it and saw that the dark green metal color was darker around the door handle. I went over to it and ran my finger across the middle of the door, only to remove a layer of dust, turning the dull green in that spot into a darker one. So this door had been used. More often than not.

My heart was in my throat as I carefully pushed down on the handle, praying that neither the handle nor the door would squeak or creak with age. The handle didn't do it and I breathed out the breath, I was unconsciously holding, in relief when it opened silently. I pushed it open as carefully as I could, just enough to slip through.

I looked around the narrow hallway beyond. Dim light burned inside from old, sooty light bulbs. Who could say how long these would last. At least I hoped they would let me have light until I got Sam out of here.

There was a bend in the passage to my left, but it was in the dark. To my right there was a staircase leading down, which was also lit. I decided to go downstairs. No matter how well Ridley hid himself, he certainly wouldn't be left in the dark. But first I texted Malcolm a quick message telling where I was. If Sam was really here, we would need help quickly. If he wasn't here, I would leave and keep searching before they got here and could stop me.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, an old, underground and windowless storage room opened up to me. It smelled musty in here and the fact that there was a table with cups and a coffee machine and an old, tattered couch didn't make it any more homely. My breath caught in my throat when I saw Sam sitting tied to a chair against the opposite wall in the semi-darkness.

The sight of him shocked me so much that I no longer gave any thought to caution. I ran over to him, carelessly pushing aside the chair that was right in front of him and that Ridley had probably used for his interrogation to get anything out of Sam about where I was.

My breath hitched when I saw up close what Ridley had done to him. His right hand was bloody and his fingers were obviously broken. His clothes were torn, and dried blood could be seen in several places where Ridley must have cut him - not deep enough to be dangerous, but painful nonetheless. He had a gash on his forehead that didn't look good at all.

"Oh, Sam," I sighed quietly, tears of despair and guilt in my eyes, as I crouched down in front of him. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. Hesitantly, I reached out and gently placed my hand on his cheek. I was so afraid that he would feel cold because life had already left him under this ordeal. But he felt warm. Too warm. He needed urgently medical attention.

His face had sunk into his chest, but he stirred now, narrowing his eyes and lifting his head just high enough for me to see his split lip and two black eyes. It took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes.

"Pen?!" he groaned quietly and opened his eyes heavily. "You...have to...go. He wants...you..."

"I'm not leaving without you! I'm so sorry, Sam. It's all my fault," I said sadly and I looked at the shackles. His wrists were tied to the backs of the chair with cable ties. His ankles were right on the chair legs - and everything was so tight that it was almost a miracle that they didn't choke off his blood.