Found Obsession

Epilogue

Epilogue

Rose awoke to the biting chill of the floor, her body sprawled on cold concrete. Darkness enveloped her, a thick veil that toyed with her senses. As she shifted, a metallic clink echoed in the silence—the unmistakable sound of a chain. Fumbling in the dark, her fingers grazed cold metal, tethered to her ankle. She pulled, feeling the harsh limit of her bondage, the chain anchored to something immovable in the dark place.

Disoriented, Rose had no concept of the day, time, or date. She remembered Elijah leaning over her with his mask, his grey eyes.... She had been on a medical bed, then— small fragments after that. Then—

Suddenly, a light flickered on overhead, blindingly bright after the pitch darkness. She shielded her eyes with her hands, wincing as she slowly adjusted to the light. The room came into partial focus, and she recognized it—this was the room where there had once been a bed and a hauntingly beautiful wedding dress. Now, it was barren, all of it gone, stripped of any warmth or comfort. 

Struggling to her feet, Rose hugged herself, shivering in her white lingerie which she realized she'd been wearing for quite some time. A wave of panic washed over her as she turned to survey her surroundings more fully.

In the middle of one of the walls of the room stood a wooden chair facing a thick glass window, and beside it, a wall-mounted phone. The setup was stark, the furnishings minimal and utilitarian. As she eyed the phone, a chilling realization dawned on her: this was like an interrogation room, or worse, a jail visitation room.

Her heart raced as she approached the window, her steps hesitant the cold floor biting her bare feet. She tried to peer through the thick glass, but in no doubt it was one-sided. She could see nothing beyond it, but someone could see in.  She pounded on the glass with futile desperation. "Elijah, get me out! This isn't a game anymore, stop this!" Her voice broke, raw from screaming.

You were the prize, a voice in her head whispered. Making her more terrified.

Rose looked around hurrying over to  a corner, to what was an entrance to somewhere. She discovered a small adjoining room—with a shower and a toilet, the bare necessities that confirmed her worst fears. This was cell.

Retreating to the main area, she lunged at a metallic door, pulling and banging against it. It remained unyielding, solid, and cold. "Elijah!" she screamed, her calls echoing back at her, mocking. As she pounded, pain seared through her abdomen, a stark reminder of her recent surgery or maybe not so recent she was unsure how long it had been. Clutching at her side, she slumped against the door, breaths heaving, heart racing.

She tried over and over again frantic, she moved back to the center of the room, her chain rattling ominously on the floor. The room, designed to isolate and intimidate, suddenly felt smaller, the air thicker. Rose paced back and forth, each step fueled by a growing desperation.

Then, the bottom of the door opened—a thin slat just large enough to pass maybe food... However, instead of sustenance, a folded piece of paper slipped through. Rose ran to the door and dropped to her knees, her fingers scrabbling at the edge of the slat in a futile attempt to pry it open. But the small opening had been secured from the outside, leaving her with no way to reach beyond the cold metal barrier. Her breaths came fast and shallow as she snatched up the paper, the only link to the outside world now clutched in her trembling hands.

Her hands trembled as she unfolded the letter, each word sending a new wave of dread crashing over her:

Dear Detective,

Our game has concluded, and your surrender marks your defeat, confirms my victory... However, there are many unresolved matters and many things about which I am unsatisfied. This confinement will be our new game board.