Cliffhanger

Bound

She pulled against the ropes with all her might, but they wouldn't give.

"Don't bother," a voice said.

She looked up to discover a thin girl bound with the same rope. Although it was dark, she could see her bruised eyes and bloody wrists.

"I already tried."

Katrina looked down at her bound ankles and sighed. Neither girl spoke for a long moment.

A million thoughts forced themselves into Katrina's mind and she felt a well of panic rise up inside her. With a deep breath, she pushed it back down and focused on one thought only: What is the last thing I remember?

Before she could recall her final memories, a loud creak cut through the small room and a shadow slipped in. As it crept closer to the girls, Katrina cast a panicked look around the room and tried to determine where she was. With everything cloaked in darkness, it was futile.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed into existence in front of her. Katrina squinted up at the mysterious figure and saw a hint of a jawline underneath a large hood. The angle of the bare bulb right above the figure cast a shadow over the rest of the facial features.

After several long seconds of deafening silence, the cloaked figure finally spoke.

"You know why we're here, so let's not waste any time," he snapped.

Katrina blinked. He seemed to be directing his demand at her. How dare he speak to me that way, she thought angrily, but she remembered her situation and dared not speak a word.

"I don't think you understand what I am saying," he rasped. His voice was like a knife scraping against stone.

Katrina closed her eyes. The light bulb had seared itself into her eyelids. Desperately, she tried to grasp onto her last memories, but they danced away from her reach.

Suddenly, the man's hands were gripping her shoulders and shaking her violently. She tried to squirm away but he did not let go. "Where did you hide it?!" he screeched.

"Let go of her!" a small voice cried. The man whirled towards the thin girl. From the unhinged look in his eyes to his tensed shoulders to the catlike way he stalked toward her, Katrina knew she was in trouble. The girl's lower lip quivered and her entire body trembled. She knew it, too.

For the first time, Katrina spoke. "I demand you leave her be. It's me you want, not her."

She snapped her jaw shut. For the second time, panic forced itself up her throat. Why did she say that? How did she sound so calm and confident?

The hooded man had already reached the trembling girl. Within the blink of an eye, he held a dagger in his hand and placed the tip on her neck.

"That makes her expendable," he replied.

Katrina shuddered. She hated his voice. If she made it out alive, that voice will surely haunt her dreams.

With a jolt, she reminded herself that the man was threatening the girl's life. Why wasn't that at the forefront of her mind?

"Let. Her. Go." Her voice was low and commanding.

"I will if you give me what you want," he said.

"Then what do you want?" she replied carefully.

"I want you to tell me where you hid it," he snarled.

Katrina's jaw clenched. She had no idea what he was talking about. But he wouldn't believe that. Instead, she should try to assume control.

"I will not tell you until you let the girl go." She had no idea what she was saying. What would she tell him if he let her go? On the other hand, what if he called her bluff?

Instead of doing either of those things, the cloaked man threw his head back and laughed. Well, it sounded more like a cross between choking and coughing. God, what happened to his voice?

"You have no negotiating power here," he sneered after he regained his composure. "I offer you one more chance to save her life." He leaned in until the tip of his cloak rested on her forehead. Underneath, Katrina felt what she assumed was his forehead. "Where. Did. You. Hide. The comb?"

Katrina blinked in surprise. The only comb she owned rested atop the bathroom sink at home. That was no hiding place at all. It certainly wasn't worth kidnapping two girls over it.

Unable to contain herself, a giggle escaped her mouth. The man drew himself back in surprise but didn't say anything. He held still, clearly waiting for her to speak. Behind him, Katrina could her the girl whimpering. When Katrina peered around at her, she saw a trickle of blood running down the side of her neck with the dagger still pressed against it.

"I did not hide a stupid comb!" she shouted. "You may as well let us go because you're wasting your time!"

Instead of shouting back, instead of getting in her face, instead of slaughtering her on the spot, he merely sighed and drooped his shoulders. Without a word, he gripped the dagger tight and drove it through the girl's neck.