Chapter 1

I sat atop the roof of a towering skyscraper, mesmerized by the unimaginable beauty of the sunrise. The colors blended with such intensity, creating the perfect ambiance. Hyeman constantly nudging me , telling me to stop whatever nonsense I was drafting up But now, it was time to move on... 

  *

"Beep beep." The alarm clock rang. I opened my eyes; my room was dark. I could barely make out the outline of the clock sitting on the side table. I squinted to check the time, which read 2:00 am. I turned it off, then closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

I awoke with a jerk because of my phone; it had started ringing violently. It was an unknown number. I picked it up and waited for the caller to speak.

"I told you to be at the building at 2:30 sharp. Where are you?" came the voice.

"I'm almost there," I said, stopping myself from yawning.

"Be quick or you'll be sorry," he warned before abruptly ending the call.

Sitting in bed, I stared into the eternal darkness for a moment, then scrambled to the restroom, knocking over things in my path. Dressing at top speed, I was halfway into my shoes when someone struck me from behind. He attempted to blindfold me, but I clumsily dodged and tried to pull out my gun. However, he swiftly twisted and had me in a headlock, covering my mouth with a cloth. I struggled to avoid breathing, but eventually succumbed. My head felt light and drowsy, and my breathing slowed. Though my vision blurred, I managed to keep from fainting. He released me and I attempted to run, but he struck me hard on the head, causing me to lose consciousness.

When I awoke, I found myself falling into a never-ending passage, surrounded by silence. I didn't know what my kidnapper had done to me, but I knew I was in deep trouble. I couldn't bear the pain in my forehead so I closed my eyes again.

 *

"Oh, no worries, right? I know how to make people talk."

My eyes were blindfolded, and my mouth filled with a metallic substance that hurt. "Remove the blindfold and the silencer," 

commanded the woman's voice. I opened my eyes to find myself inside some kind of prison with bars. Police? No. The woman in front of me smirked greedily. She didn't resemble a police officer; 'bandit' would be a perfect description for her.

"Do you know why you're here?"

she lifted my chin, her eyes wide. She was so close that I could feel her hot breath on my cheeks.