Captivated

CHAPTER TWO

I fade into consciousness. I'm hardly awake but I recognize the sound of classical music playing softly in the background somewhere. My eyes slowly flutter open and the first thing that is brought to my attention is the pounding in my head. The second is the tightness around my wrists. My eyes immediately open fully and I realize I'm surrounded by darkness. I try to move my hands again but they won't budge. They're locked behind my back. I start to panic and I feel my heart begin to race. Where am I? I try to turn around and quickly realize I'm handcuffed to some sort of wall or pole. The longer I stare out into the nothingness, my eyes begin to adjust to the darkness. "Hello!?" I call out. No response. I try again. "Hello! Anybody!?" I think, judging by my surroundings, that I'm in a basement. I look down and study my body. I'm still wearing my jeans and tank top from earlier, but my grocery bags are no longer with me. What happened? What is the last thing I remember? The man. What was his name? Dane? Did he do this? Did he fucking bring me here? The last thing I remember is trying to help him find his dog. And then we were talking... and then... and then it went dark. I have no idea where I am, my hands are locked behind a pole, and goosebumps are arising on my skin from the lack of warmth down here. My heart is pounding through my chest and I feel the warm tears building in my eyes, and eventually spilling down my cheeks. "Help me!" I yell through my tears. "Can somebody please help me!?" I quietly whimper to myself when I realize that no one else is down here.

Just then I hear a door knob twist and a stream of light is beaming down onto me. I'm situated at the bottom of a set of steep stairs. The typical type that have no carpet and pair well with an unfinished basement. I look up and see a dark figure appear at the top of the stairs. I don't recognize this place at all. My body is shaking and I fear for my life. I'm too afraid to speak again. What is going on? Where the hell am I? The figure makes its way down the stairs and then hovers above me. "Hello Reign," It's him. The man with the missing dog. I'm so overwhelmed with emotions that I don't know how to speak. I don't think my brain can process anything right now. But by the looks of my surroundings and my own physical state, I know that something isn't right. Obviously, I'm chained to a pole. From what I can gather, I'm in someone's basement. I'm just so confused about how I ended up here and what happened since the last conversation we had.

"Where am I?" I cry out. More tears stream down my face.

"Shhhh," he kneels down so he's right in front of me. "You're okay,"

"Where am I!?" I shout.

He pulls a hanker chief out of his pocket and dabs my eyes. I pull back instinctively. "Don't be afraid Reign, you're safe now."

"Safe from what!?"

He doesn't answer my question.

"Can I get you anything to eat? Do you want some chicken noodle soup? You look freezing?"

"Where am I!?" I yell again, followed by more sobs.

This time he advances forwards, puts his large hand across my mouth and covers it. His hands are hot and clammy. "I'm not going to ask you again. Keep it down."

My eyes are wide with horror as he slowly removes his hand from my face.

"Now, would you like some soup or not?" he says calmly.

I shake my head.

"Not hungry? That's okay. You will be."

I glare at him as he smiles at me, then he turns around and begins to head towards the stairs.

"Oh, and Reign," he turns around. "Welcome home."

I open my eyes and close them again. I drift in and out of consciousness for what feels like a couple of hours. The basement is dark so I can't tell what time it is. I've been crying since I got here and now it feels like my eyes are dried up. I keep sniffling because snot is dripping from my nose but I can't fucking wipe it because my hands are locked behind my back. I feel the metal of the handcuffs digging into my wrists. It hurts every time I twist or try to move. Why did he make them so tight? Why is he doing this to me? I replay the scenario again through my mind. One minute I'm carrying my groceries and helping a man find his dog, and now I'm in a basement with my hands locked behind me. How did I get here? Why did this happen? How did this happen? These are the thoughts that have been racing through my mind since I woke up. I'm just so confused and out of it that I don't even notice the cough when I hear it. It takes three coughs to finally get my attention. My head shoots up.