Page 7

Ember
Journey into Darkness
Pain.Throbbing, relentless pain pulses through my skull. The world spins in a kaleidoscope of darkness and muffled sounds. I try to move, but my limbs feel like lead. Something rough bites into my wrists. Zip Ties?
My eyes flutter open, and a stabbing headache immediately assaults me. Shadows dance across metal walls. The floor vibrates beneath me, and an engine’s low hum rumbles in my bones.
A van. We’re in a van.
Memory floods back in jagged pieces. The street corner. My candles. Aria Holbrook. Masked men.
Oh God.
Aria.
I blink hard, forcing my vision to focus. She’s there, a crumpled form beside me. Blonde hair matted with sweat,designer clothes rumpled and torn. Her chest rises and falls in shallow breaths.
At least she’s alive.
Unlike the sidewalk, the van has no biting wind, but the air is thick and heavy with the stench of sweat and fear. My fear. Aria’s too. Our captors reek a vile, offensive odor that clogs the air. It coats my tongue with a bitter stench, making me want to wretch.
I need to think. Need to find a way out of this. But the van’s motion and the lingering effects of whatever they drugged me with make concentration impossible.
A soft whimper breaks through the engine’s low drone. Aria stirs, eyelids fluttering.
Suddenly, her eyes snap wide open. A strangled scream rips from her throat as she thrashes violently, her bound limbs slamming against the metal floor.
“Let me go!” she shrieks, twisting and bucking, causing trouble. “Help! Somebody help us!”
“Shut her up.” A gruff voice barks from the front.
Heavy footsteps approach. A burly man looms over us, face hidden behind a ski mask. Without warning, his boot connects with Aria’s ribs. She lets out a choked gasp, curling into herself.
I lunge forward, trying to shield her. Yes, it’s a stupid move. No, I don’t care about the consequences.
“Leave her alone.” Pain explodes in my gut as the man’s foot slams into my stomach. Stars burst behind my eyes.
I can’t breathe.
“That’s enough,” another voice calls out in the bleakness. “Boss wants them in one piece.”
The first man grunts, delivering one last kick to my side before retreating.You had to get one more in there, didn’t ya’, buddy?
Aria and I lie there, gasping and whimpering. Every breath is agony. Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back.
When I can finally speak, I turn my head toward Aria.
“Don’t provoke them,” I whisper, my voice a rasp. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
A lie, but what else can I say?
Aria’s eyes snap open again, wild with panic. She tries to sit, but the Zip Ties bite into her wrists and ankles. A strangled cry escapes her throat when she realizes she’s trussed up tight.
“Hey, look at me.” I keep my voice low and urgent. “I know you’re scared. I am too, but we must stay calm, okay?”
“Who—who are you?” Her eyes lock onto mine, wide and terrified.
No one. I’m no one.