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I groaned as a sharp pain shot through my head. I moved my head, trying to feel a bit relieved from the pain in my neck. I moved my body a bit before I pushed myself up on the soft fluffy surface beneath me.
As I sat up, I heard some clinking sounds and it felt as if my wrists and ankles were tied up.
I rubbed my eyes, regaining the focus.
I frowned when I didn't find the surroundings familiar. There wasn't anything infront of me except darkness, a recessed light fixed above my head was the only source of light in the room.
Around me I found nothing else but pitch black darkness. It seemed as if the timeless darkness had sucked every life out of its surroundings, leaving an endless darkness behind. The eerie silence felt very weird.
I tried to stand up but the heavy feeling around my wrists and ankles caught my attention. I looked down to find golden shackles around them. The shackles were tied up to the golden bars infront of me.
I was so confused until I looked around me to find myself inside a huge golden cage. A soft white mattress was under me, a duvet and some pillows were there too.
I got both confused and terrified because firstly I was in an unknown place and secondly I was locked inside a cage. The sound of shackles pricked my skin—a reminder of the past I had lived in once. Just the mere memories make me shudder.
Those traumatizing days were etched in my heart like a tattoo. They were indelible.
I started panicking as I stood up, trying to get rid of the shackles, their weight feeling heavier than they actually were. With each click of the shackles, a tear rolled down my cheeks. I was being surrounded by those haunting memories all over again.
I know who brought me here. I remember seeing that disgusting face before I had fainted. I don't know how he found me but I knew that he'd find me one day. I knew that after spotting him in that parking lot that day.
As I struggled, the sound of the door opening made me freeze.
I looked infront of me only to see the most unwanted person right now. I quickly wiped away my tears, not willing to show that I'm breaking down again in his cage.
Last time I at least had the luxury of staying inside a room with lights and furniture. But here—there was just the cage I was locked in. This time my hands were tied up too. Moreover, I didn't even know how big the room was given the darkness around me.
I stood there motionlessly, watching him taking slow predatory steps towards me.
Dressed in a black shirt and pants, he walked over to me, his hands tucked inside the pant pockets.
His presence was terrifying because I knew that he had reappeared with more powers and was stronger than before. I don't know what he'd make me go through this time. But this time, I'm stronger too. I'll fight back and won't just survive. I'll fight back till either I get out by myself or Arnav finds me.
