1 Prologue - Waking
The girl awoke slowly, her head throbbing.
Where was she? She could hardly see through swollen eyes. It felt like she was in bed… The room was dark, lit only by the red glow of the setting sun… or was it sunrise? She had no idea how long it had been since… she couldn't remember what had happened before.
Her thoughts were moving slowly and with effort. It was hard to focus. Her whole body ached, especially her wrists… She reached to rub away the pain only for her arms to stop short…
Her arms were tied…
She was tied down to the bed!
The realization cut through the fog of her thought like a knife made of ice. She broke into a cold sweat as she struggled in vain against her restraints. She looked around frantically for anything she could use to free herself, to call for help, to use as a weapon…
The room was strange to her. She had no idea where she was or how she got here. The last thing she remembered… No, with her heart racing and her veins filled with adrenaline, her memory still eluded her.
Should she scream for help? She hesitated. What if that just drew the attention of whoever had tied her up? Maybe she was in the middle of nowhere, with no-one around to hear her… She tried to slow her breathing and think.
In the quiet, she thought she could just make out the noise of the city. It sounded distant and muted, but unmistakable to anyone who had lived in the city long enough to get used to it. She could only just crane her neck enough to see the windows of the room. One entire wall of the room made of glass from floor to ceiling, the dim copper rays of the sun creeping into the room. The rest of the room was almost bare, just a couple of pieces of modern looking furniture, all hardwood and steel and sharp corners. Expensive looking and devoid of personality.
This had to be some kind of high rise apartment. It sounded like she was still in the city, but not close to the street. It must be on a higher floor to be getting that kind of natural light. She was sure now that it was sunset, the copper glow growing darker even in the few minutes since she had awoken. Maybe if she screamed, a neighboring apartment might hear… But maybe whoever had tied her up was sleeping and she had time yet to try to escape.
She turned her attention back to the ropes. The knots were tight and secure, and only seemed to get tighter the more she struggled. Her hands were tied separately, so she couldn't reach with her finger to work the knots, but perhaps…
She strained against her bonds, trying to get her head close enough to bite the knots, chew through the ropes, anything… She could almost reach…
Footsteps… in the next room… She froze, holding her breath, trying to stay silent… Should she pretend to still be unconscious…
There was no time. Before she could even decide, a man stepped into the room. Backlit by the setting sun, his face was shrouded in shadow. She could just about make out dark hair, a white shirt, dark pants…
…a knife in his hand, the blade reflecting the red glow of sunset…
She screamed then, knowing that it was hopeless, knowing even if someone heard that there was no time to save her. She screamed and fought as he lunged at the bed, trying to kick him away, kick him in the face, kick the knife away. But he was too strong, and the ropes were too tight, and so all she could do was scream until she felt the knife at her throat.
The pain was sharp and sudden, and with horror she saw a spray of her own blood splashed across the blank canvas of the perfectly white shirt. She could feel hot wetness on her chest, her sight began to fade. She could hear the thump of her heart pounding in her ears slow as her life slipped away.
The last rays of the dying sun spilled away, leaving the room in darkness.
