The first thing I feel is the sweat dripping down my face.
I can handle that.
Then, it's my feet, tied together by harsh material I assumed was rope, cutting into my skin.
Then, it's the throbbing pain pulsating at the back of my head, followed by the realisation that I couldn't move.
Anywhere.
My heart races, my muffled cries fill the air, muted by the tape over my mouth. Fear grips me and paralyses my body as I frantically look around- a dimly lit room with concrete walls, one door far away, no windows and void of familiar sights.
Why am I here?
Struggling against my bonds, I feel the weight of despair settle in. The tears well up, streaming down my cheeks, mingling with the sweat of my terror. I try to remember how I ended up here but my mind is blank.
The sound of a door creaking opened and the distant sound of footsteps clouds over my senses and sends a shiver down my spine.
Slowly, a tall figure emerges from the shadows, the piercing light from the open door hurting my eyes as I try to look up at him.
He has a stern face and piercing eyes.
Cold, piercing eyes.
He approaches slowly, his footsteps echoing ominously in the confined space.
As he gets closer, I get more frantic, my 13 year old brain knowing no self defence as I squirm in the chair, the vicious handcuffs ripping into my skin but the pain is nothing compared to the fear consuming me.
The man chuckles. I flinch.
He stops in front of me and squats down, and with amusement in his eyes, he rips the tape off my mouth.
**
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
milayah.
In the morning, I wake up to dogs barking.
A sound I had grown particularly fond of, because of Royce.
My first instinct was to call for him, but the familiar sound of his gentle panting and his tail wagging was absent.
With a sigh, I sit up in my bed and stretch, thinking about my precious puppy as I force myself to take the covers off and get off of the plush mattress I had grown to love, dragging my feet towards the bathroom for a quick shower.
