Page 306 of Second Sets Omnibus

I’m either a kidnapped girl walking, or I shot the man responsible for stalking me for three years.

I guess I’ll find out which soon.

Concrete weighsdown every molecule inside me, refusing to let me move an inch. No matter how hard I try, nothing cooperates with me. I’m stuck.

A dense fog swirls deep in my mind, clouding my thoughts and erasing all rationale.

Every ache pulling at my nerves awakens, throbbing into existence the more my mind comes back to the land of the living.

What the fuck happened to me? And why do I feel like I got hit by a damn bus, backed over, and hit fucking again?

A softness encompasses my back like a mattress cocooning my body in a soft embrace.

I grunt, trying to move again. Nothing fucking works. My arms are useless. My legs fucking tingle. Fuck! Sludge moves through my veins toward my frantically beating heart, trying to break through my ribcage.

I have to move, or I’ll die here. Wherever that is…

My breath hitches when I’m finally able to lift a finger. Fucking finally! That’s one finger of many. Only nine to go.Tingling encompasses every digit, slowly waking up from the deep sleep I was in the more I move.

My breath hitches in my throat again as desperation claws at me to get moving. The faster I’m off this bed, the faster I can skedaddle out of this fucking nightmare I’ve been put in.

One by one, I’m able to shake off the heavy feeling weighing my limbs down and freely wiggle my fingers and toes. Thankfully, clothes rustle with every move. So, I’m not naked. That’s a plus.

I blink several times through the grit crusting over my eyelashes, letting my sight adjust to the absolute darkness before me.

It’s nothing but shadows. No lights. No sounds. Desolate. A fucking void of nothing.

Have I died and gone to Hell? God, I hope not.

A chill shudders my body as a cool sweat forms on my palms. Through heavy breaths, I manage to force my body into the seated position at the edge of the mattress I was left on. Or, I think it’s a mattress. If I could fucking see to figure it out, I’d know more.

I groan as the darkness swirls, forcing my eyes to squeeze shut. What in the ever living fuck is happening right now?

My eyes dart around the fucking blackness, trying to latch onto anything I can. A shape. A light of any kind. But there’s nothing. It’s like I’m lost inside a damp basement that’s a maze of corridors.

I inhale, trying to use my other senses to guide me in the right direction. Nothing but a sterile bleach scent filters through my nose. So, a clean basement? That doesn’t make any damn sense. Basements are notorious for a mildewy stench. Has someone created this space just for me?

I shake my head, running my numb fingers over my tired face.

Goosebumps erupt over every inch of my body as I ground myself in the heavy darkness blanketing the entire room.

“Hello?” My brows furrow when my voice echoes through the room like a cavernous space lies before me.

Right. This is how every serial killer movie starts. Poor girl left in the basement. Next, a man with a chainsaw will pop out of the wall and grind my body to pieces as I scream. How fucking morbid… I shake those thoughts out of my fucking head. I don’t have time to get all mopey about my newfound situation. I have to think and get the hell out of here.

Now, if I could only remember what the fuck happened to get me here, I’d be in a better place.

“Rivey, I knew you’d wake up soon.”

My entire body freezes at the sound of his voice. I run a shaky hand over my forehead, wiping the cold sweat breaking out over every inch of my flesh.

“So glad to see you sitting up! We have so much planned today…” His voice echoes again with a manic laugh from somewhere in the distance. Yet, he sounds like he’s all around me.

My fingernails dig into the edge of the mattress, grounding me to the spot. How the hell…

How did Van get to me? Where…

Like a whirlwind of memories, it all comes back to me at rapid speed. Nearly knocking me back from my seated position. My lips flop open, gasping for air.