The warehouse was dark, the kind of darkness that pressed in from all sides, suffocating and heavy.
The air was thick with the musty smell of old concrete, damp from years of neglect, and the faint scent of rust and mold hung in the air like a ghost.
In the center of the room, under a single flickering bulb that barely provided any light, an elderly woman sat bound to a chair, trembling.
Her hands and legs were secured tightly with layers of thick, industrial tape, the sharp edges biting into her skin.
Her head was covered by a rough canvas bag, and beneath it, soft whimpers escaped her lips. She shifted weakly in the chair, but the restraints were too tight, the cold metal digging into her frail frame.
The woman's fear was palpable, her breaths shallow and quick as her heart raced in her chest. She had been there for hours, maybe longer, but the silence around her made time meaningless.