Just maybe

27 - Aftermath Part. 2

The first thing she noticed was the weight in her chest.

Breathing felt heavy, every inhale thick and slow, like she was trying to drag air through wet cloth. Her head pounded, each throb echoing behind her eyes, and when she blinked them open, the darkness around her seemed to pulse along with it.

The air was musty, tinged with dust and something faintly chemical that made her stomach twist. The floor beneath her was hard, uneven, cold —concrete, maybe. She tried to shift, but her arms jerked back against resistance.

Rope.

Her wrists were tied behind her, her ankles were bound together, the tight knot biting into her skin with every small movement. Panic rise at the edge of her chest, but when she opened her mouth to suck in a sharp breath, only muffled air escaped. Her lips were sealed with duct tape.

Azzi froze.

Heart hammering, she turned her head slowly. The room was too dark for her to recognize any details other than it was empty and a bunch of trash was scattered around and the only light spilling in is from a door that hadn't been closed all the way. A narrow wedge of yellow cut through the darkness, painting a line across the floor. Beyond it, muffled voices filtered in, distorted but growing sharper the longer she gained consciousness.

At first, it was only a blur of sound. Two voices, low but tense, arguing. Her mind was still foggy, whatever Maya had sprayed into her at the car making her head swim, but as she strained, words began to make sense.

"...this wasn't part of the plan, Maya," the second voice hissed, sharp with panic. It was a girl—higher pitched. "I fucking told you, I only agreed because you said we'd scare her and that's it. Make her look bad, break her down a little. Something Paige would see, something to make her think she was cheating on her. That's the plan. Not... this, fuck!"

Maya's voice came next, low and edged with that same disturbing calm Azzi had heard in the car. "You don't get to back out now. We're already too far in. She's here. That means she stays until I say otherwise."

"No—no, you're not hearing me," the other girl shot back. Her tone cracked, fear threading through every word. "I didn't sign up to kidnap her. This is insane! Shit! Do you know how crazy and really dumb this is? You're playing with fire, Maya. Do you know what will happen if anyone finds out? This will get us all in jail!"

Maya laughed then, a sound that sent ice crawling down Azzi's spine. It was the same jagged, hollow laugh she'd heard behind the wheel, but darker now, like she fed on the fear around her.

"You think anyone's going to find out? You think she's getting out of here?" Maya said. "Look at her. She's nothing without all those eyes watching. And once we're done, Paige won't even want to look at her anymore. You get your revenge and I get mine."

Azzi's stomach churned. She tried to swallow, but the tape pressed on her lips making it hard.

Paige. Her heart sank by just hearing her name as she swallowed a sob. Her eyes closed, a single tear rolling down her cheeks. Her wrists strained uselessly against the rope as she forced herself to stay quiet. If they knew she was awake, things could get worse—so much worse.

Then the other girl's voice cut in again, louder this time, almost breaking. "Alex is going to be pissed when he finds out what you've done. You know that, right? He's not going to cover up for you if this blows up. He won't. This is really fuck up, Maya."

Azzi's foggy mind snapped into focus at the name. Alex. She knew that name. It slid through her like a key turning in a lock. A face she knew all too well, connected to her past. Her fucking ex. The last person she thought would ever do this to her. 'No, it can't be.'  She felt nauseous. Betrayed. 'How could he?' Her brown eyes widened in the darkness, tears prickling her eyes.