Eleanor's eyelids fluttered open, her mind foggy and her body heavy. She felt like she'd been asleep for an eternity, her senses dulled and her thoughts muddled. As she struggled to sit up, she realized she was tied to a chair, her wrists and ankles bound by rough rope. The darkness was oppressive, making it hard to see more than a few inches in front of her.
As she waited for her eyes to adjust, the darkness began to take on shapes and forms. She made out the faint outlines of crates and boxes in the distance, the rough texture of concrete beneath her feet. The air was thick with the scent of dust and decay.
Slowly, her surroundings took shape. She was in a vast, dimly lit space – a warehouse, perhaps, or an abandoned factory. The darkness seemed to swallow everything, leaving only the faintest glimmers of detail. Eleanor's heart pounded in her chest as she strained against the ropes, but they held fast, refusing to yield.
The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the sound of her own ragged breathing. Eleanor's eyes strained to pierce the darkness, searching for any sign of movement or life. But there was nothing – just the endless, suffocating blackness.
Eleanor's voice echoed through the empty space, her cries for help growing hoarse and desperate. "Help! Is anyone out here? Please help me! What do you want from me?" she shouted, her words bouncing off the walls and fading into the darkness.
The silence that followed was oppressive, a heavy blanket that suffocated her. She strained her ears, listening for any sound, any hint of movement or response. But there was nothing – no footsteps, no whispers, no signs of life. Just the echo of her own voice, lingering in the air like a mocking specter.
As she continued to call out, her voice began to crack and falter. Fear and desperation crept in, making her words sound more frantic and pleading. "Please, someone! Anyone! Help me! Don't leave me here!" But the darkness remained unbroken, and the silence was deafening.
Tired of shouting and knowing it won't really do much good, she kept quiet and bowed her head and started thinking of a means to escape.
"Hello pretty", Eleanor's head snapped up, her eyes locking onto the blonde-haired man standing before her. She gasped, her heart racing with surprise. How had he gotten there without her noticing? She studied him warily, her mind racing with questions.
The man took a step back, a low, husky laugh rumbling from his chest. "You don't have to look so weary, pretty. I'm not going to eat you," he said, his eyes glinting with amusement.
Eleanor's gaze narrowed, her voice firm. "What do you want with me?" she demanded, trying to keep her fear in check.
She eyed him warily, her mind racing with possibilities. "I hope you didn't abduct me for money," she added, her voice laced with a hint of desperation. "You got the wrong person", I doesn't have that kind of money."
The man's smile never wavered, but his eyes seemed to gleam with interest. "Oh, it's not about money, pretty," he said, his voice dripping with an unsettling intimacy. "It's about something much more... valuable."
The man's movements were fluid and deliberate as he walked to the dark part of the room, his eyes never leaving Eleanor's face. He emerged with a chair, its legs scraping against the concrete floor as he dragged it to her. With a deliberate motion, he placed the chair in front of her and sat down, his eyes locking onto hers.
"Now, pretty, you and I are going to have a little chat," he said, his voice low and even. The chair creaked beneath his weight, and Eleanor felt a shiver run down her spine as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. His gaze seemed to bore into her, as if searching for something hidden beneath the surface.
The darkness of the room seemed to press in around them, making the space feel smaller and more intimate. Eleanor's heart pounded in her chest as she met the man's gaze, her mind racing with questions and fears. What did he want to talk about? What did he want from her? She tried to steel herself, but her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "What do you want to talk about?"
"Gooddd, I love that spirit, now you see pretty, you own a piece of jewelry, a red ruby pendant which I'm sure your mum gave to you some years back, I want you to tell me where it is pretty".
The man's words triggered a long-forgotten memory, and Eleanor's eyes glazed over as she stared into the past. She hadn't thought about this in years, but the man's mention of the pendant brought it all flooding back. She remembered her mother, sitting in their cozy living room, the red pendant glinting in the sunlight as she fastened it around Eleanor's neck. "Keep this safe, darling," her mother had said, her voice low and serious. "It's more than just a pretty trinket. It's a family heirloom, and one day it will be important."
Eleanor's gaze snapped back to the present, her eyes locking onto the man's. "How did you know my mom?" she asked, her voice firm, trying to keep her emotions in check. "What does this pendant have to do with her?"
The man's expression didn't change, but his eyes seemed to gleam with interest. "That's not what I asked, pretty," he said, his voice low and even. "Hand it over."
The man's eyes seemed to bore into her soul, expecting her to produce the pendant out of thin air. But Eleanor shook her head, a mixture of frustration and desperation welling up inside her. "I don't even have it," she said, her voice laced with a hint of despair. "I lost it."
The man's gaze didn't waver, but his expression turned skeptical. "Lost it?" he repeated, his tone dripping with doubt.
Eleanor's eyes flashed with a hint of anger, but she continued, her voice steady. "After that accident that claimed my family, I woke up in the hospital and it was gone from my neck. I once went back to the scene of the accident to look for it, but it was nowhere to be found." Her voice cracked slightly, the memories of that day still raw and painful.
The man's expression turned skeptical, his eyes narrowing as he studied Eleanor's face. "You expect me to believe that?" he asked, his voice dripping with doubt. "You're telling me that the pendant just... disappeared?"
Eleanor's frustration boiled over, her voice rising in desperation. "I'm telling you the truth!" she exclaimed. "I lost it in the accident. I've been looking for it ever since, but it's gone. I don't know what else to say."
The man's gaze lingered on her face, as if searching for any sign of deception. Then, slowly, he leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving hers. "
The man's smirk sent a shiver down Eleanor's spine as he seemed to relish in her desperation. "Well, thankfully I prepared for this," he said, his voice dripping with confidence.
He then raised his voice slightly and said, "Come on in." The words hung in the air, and Eleanor's eyes darted towards the darkness beyond the dimly lit area where they sat. She strained her ears, and the sound of footstep echoed through the room, growing louder with each passing moment.
The man's eyes gleamed with anticipation, and Eleanor's heart sank as she realized she was not alone with him. Someone was coming, and she had a feeling that her situation was about to take a turn for the worse.