Page 90 of Tethered to the World
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Annora came to consciousness slowly, her head throbbing so painfully, concentration was difficult. When she sat up, she discovered she was lying on a narrow army cot, a scratchy green blanket covering her legs. She gingerly leaned forward, cradling her head, noting the dried blood smeared on the pillowcase.
She threw her legs over the edge of the cot, struggling to swallow as bile rose at the back of her throat, the room spinning wildly around her.
“You should take it easy. Reserve your strength. They’ll be coming for you soon.”
Her head jerked up at the soft tone, and she cursed when her vision doubled, before she finally was able to focus on the only other occupant of the room.
Terrance.
He was still bruised and banged up from having a car practically run him over. She expected to find him full of drugs, but he had none of the aggressive symptoms. So if he didn’t do it for the drugs…
“Why?” The question emerged as a croak, her throat feeling like she’d swallowed splinters.
“Here.” He pressed a glass into her hand. “Sip slowly.”
She wanted to toss it back in his face, but she didn’t have the energy. The cool glass dampened her palm, making her mouth water. “Why should I trust you?”
Only when he was sure that she had the glass did he shrug and straighten. “You shouldn’t. You shouldn’t trust anyone here.”
He backed away, unable to meet her eyes, like he was ashamed for the part he played in her kidnapping. “I didn’t have a choice. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
Before she could say anything else, he opened the door and left.
Seconds later, the locks clicked.
The room was small, more of a closet, its walls a dingy white. The dust on the floor was so thick, she knew they didn’t use the space often. She glanced at the water, hesitated for a few moments, then downed it. If they wanted to drug her, they could’ve just injected her with something while she was unconscious.
More than a few minutes later the pounding in her head receded enough for her to think straight. And the silence was deafening. She unconsciously reached for the guys, but she couldn’t hear anything past the loud thump of her heartbeat echoing in her head.
She gingerly probed the wound, wincing at the sharp pain when her light touch threatened to split open her skull. She tried to bury it, push past it, but she knew this feeling…her skull was fractured. Until her brain unscrambled, her abilities—including the ability to heal—would work only sporadically.
She needed to conserve her strength. The longer she went without forcing the issue, the better the chance her powers would return in time for her to save herself.
She’d been locked away and drugged enough times that she’d developed a process. First step was to examine the extent of her injuries and confirm if she was able to function. Check. The next was to investigate her surroundings and search for weaknesses. The thought of moving made her grit her teeth, but she didn’t have a choice. The longer she waited, the lower her chances of survival.
She gripped the edges of the cot, then pushed herself upright, fighting to stay conscious as the room spun wildly. When she wobbled precariously, she leaned heavily against the wall for balance, then spread her fingers against the rotted surface, the urge to ghost through it and escape curled through her.
One thing stopped her.
She couldn’t ghost through solid rock for more than a few seconds.
She could return to the room if it proved too thick, but passing through so much solid matter would leave her weakened and disoriented when she needed to remain focused.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t ghost through the door.
The darkness churned sluggishly, as if it didn’t understand her command. She’d almost given up when the fog slowly wrapped around her, pulling her into the afterworld. To her surprise, the world didn’t look much different.
Hell had already come to earth.
The world around her flickered in and out of existence, a warning that she didn’t have much time. Shadows shifted in the corner of the room, and she stumbled back, only to see Edgar charge toward her.
Tears prickled the backs of her eyes.
He would always come for her, no matter how much abuse he took from her uncle, he never abandoned her, and she’d never been more grateful.
When he jumped and landed on her chest, she tripped over her own feet and fell backwards through the door. The metal snagged on her bones for a few seconds before she was rudely dumped into the hall, her body taking form as she struggled to remain upright.
