Chapter 16 No Escape

Ivy’s head throbbed as she slowly regained consciousness. A dull ache radiated from the side of her skull, and the metallic taste of blood lingered on her tongue. Her wrists burned, tightly bound behind her, and the rope bit into her skin with every movement. The air was thick with the scent of damp concrete and something metallic—blood, perhaps. A dim light flickered above, casting jagged shapes across the room’s walls. The coldness beneath her confirmed that she was sitting on a hard floor, her body slumped awkwardly to one side. Panic clawed at her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. Where was she? How did she get here?