The Dimness of it all

He knocked Saphira out cold. I could barely speak, words burning my throat. "No!" I managed to get out. It's like he's not even real. He attacks me covering a cloth over my mouth.

"Relax." He grunts out. Relax?! I can't relax! I can't even breathe, or think. He's trying to kidnap me, he'll kill me!

I try to squirm out of his grasp but he holds the cloth tight against my lips and I feel my body going limp.

"No!" I managed again, the sound barely a whisper this time. My kicks grew weaker, my head swimming as my body betrayed me.

"Shhh," he muttered, tightening his grip as I fought harder. His words sounded far away, like they were underwater.

I had to get free. I had to—

My body went limp against him, my arms falling uselessly to my sides. Darkness crept in, swallowing the edges of my vision. The last thing I heard was his cold, detached voice.

"Good girl."

And then there was nothing.

When I next wake up I'm on a leather couch. My head is pounding and I can barely open my eyes. My mouth tastes like pennies. It's dim, the only light source must come from a lamp. My limbs feel like dead weight but I lift a hand, it trembles as I try to force myself up, gasping at the sharp stab of pain in my ribs.

That's when I hear it—a faint, rhythmic tapping. My breath hitches, and I freeze, every muscle screaming to stay still. The tapping grows louder, deliberate, like someone wants me to know they're coming.

I glance around the room, desperate for something, anything to defend myself. But all I see are scattered papers, a stained blanket draped over a chair, and a boarded-up window that mocks any hope of escape.

The tapping stops.

And then—

"Ah, you're awake," a low voice drawls from somewhere in the shadows.

It's him.

I curl my legs to my chest. I want to go home. I want this to be a dream. Tears pricked my eyes.

He makes his way to me and sits next to me. "I'm sorry. Truly I am. But it has to be done."

Tears fall fast against my cheeks.

He sighs. "Do you want an explanation? I guess I owe you that."

I barely speak the words. "My camera." I had it on me when I came out of the room.

I look at him. He smiles faintly, "of course. You may have your camera." He places it in my trembling hands, his expression unreadable. "There you go," he says softly, almost as if he's doing me a favor.

I clutch it close, my fingers curling tightly around the worn leather strap. "Why are you doing this?" My voice is hoarse, barely a whisper.

He leans back, rubbing a hand over his jaw as if the answer is complicated. "I'll tell you more, once you're less ... .emotional." he says, his tone a strange mix of regret and resolve. "But for now, you just have to trust me."

"Trust you?" I choke out, my tears falling harder now. "You kidnapped me! You knocked out Saphira! You—" My words crumble into a sob, and I bury my face in my knees.

He doesn't respond right away. Instead, he lets out another sigh, heavy and full of something I can't quite place. Regret? Frustration? I don't know.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone," he says finally. "But I must. This is bigger than you. I need this and you need to accept it." He stands, his towering frame, casting a long shadow. "Get some rest. You'll want it."