The tears fell, and I had no clue how I still had any in me. I did nothing to make them stop. I let my sorrow consume me.
Voices drew my attention. I’d barely moved. I couldn’t. Every nerve ending was filled with fire. How long had I been here, wherever here was? I assumed I was in a basement between the lack of light and the smell.
“Shouldn’t she be awake?” The voice seemed oddly familiar. The words were broken Italian.
“Yes. She’s so tiny I didn’t dare give her the full dose.” That was Zevon. He seemed like he was near.
“Keep a close eye on her.”
“Of course, sir.”
Footsteps. A metal chair moving. A text notification. A door shutting. Then, nothing but my breathing.
I wasn’t alone. The hairs on my arms stood on end like someone was watching me.
“You gotta wake up,” Zevon whispered from wherever he sat. It almost sounded as if he really did care about me. “If you didn’t, it wouldn’t be a fun thing to explain.”
Just to spite him, I’d happily never wake up. Since my back was to him, I had no clue what was around me. Through blurry eyes, I saw that I was in a makeshift cot on the floor, facing a brick wall with white markings.
Reaching out a hand to touch the cold wall, I gritted my teeth as pain stabbed me. I needed something to ground me. The wall was unforgiving under my fingertips, and it did nothing to quell my panic. I held my breath, hoping beyond anything that the sob I felt bubble up in my chest wouldn’t escape. I bit down on my knuckle. It didn’t help as tears fell in full force.
“Scarlett?” Zevon called, jumping up and opening something metal. A door maybe. I held my breath for so long, my headed pounded, until I couldn’t hold it any longer and a gust of air passed through my lips, my body spasming and alerting the man that I was indeed awake.
A second later a hand pushed against my shoulder. I had no choice but to follow it, but I kept my eyes closed. I would not look at him.
“Oh, sad girl,” Zevon sighed, using the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears that wouldn’t stop falling. “I’m so, so sorry.” No, he wasn’t. “Can you open your eyes? I know you’re awake.” I ignored him as another bout of trembling hit my body hard.
“I’ll get you a warm blanket,” he sighed, standing up and leaving me where I was. “And some water.” I listened as his steps led him up a set of wooden stairs. He left the door open, apparently not caring that I could use the chance to run if I wanted to.
Curling back on my side to lessen the pain of the cuts, I let my panic consume me. For one last time, I let my emotions take control. When I come to next time, I’d be determined to shut them off, never to let them return.
Iwas no longer shivering when I became aware of being alive. I was also no longer on a cold hard floor or surrounded by a musty smell. Instead, I was wrapped up in a fluffy fleece blanket on a comfortable bed. The softness surrounded me, caging me in. When I finally peeled my eyes opened, I was facing the door, which was left slightly open. The curtains behind me were mostly closed; little sunlight was shining in.
How long had I been here? And wherewashere? I let my eyes slide closed again, not having the energy to keep them open.
“How she doing?” asked someone in the hallway, their voice quiet.
“Better. Any word on Alan?”
“Nope. He hasn’t done anything about the situation.”
“Of course not,” someone huffed. “He doesn’t care.”
“Probably thinks she ran off.” How many people were in the hallway?
“How long before the Voss’s get in?” That was Zevon.
“A few days. But right now, they don’t know anything. Let’s keep it that way until we figure out how to handle this.”
“Got it,” Zevon said. Moments later, a phone rang and everyone left. One entered the room and took a seat behind me, close to the bed. I kept my breathing even. My heartbeat was steady.
I was getting good at this fake sleeping thing. I began to doze off again when someone else entered the room. So close to sleep, I didn’t pay attention to who it was or what they wanted. The words between the two men passed back and forth for a second before someone moved the blanket covering me. I jerked awake, my eyes wide in fear and desperation. My eyes landed on a light blue button-up shirt.
He didn’t say anything as he felt my heartbeat, then checked the IV in my hand, which I hadn’t noticed until his thumb brushed over it.
“The mind is a strange piece of work,” he mused, taking his hand away, but then he came back and inserted a needle into the IV on my hand, pushing something into my body. The cold liquid made my head spin as it hit my system. I had to close my eyes again. “It protects us from what we don’t want to face.” He put away the needle before sitting on the edge of the bed, causing it to dip slightly.
“I’m going to check your cuts now,” he mumbled.
