Hayden’s eyes fluttered open, heavy with confusion and grogginess. His head throbbed, and for a moment, everything around him was just a blur of shadows and damp air. As his vision slowly sharpened, he realized he was in a basement—cold concrete walls, exposed pipes along the ceiling, and a single flickering light bulb swinging above him.

He tried to move but quickly discovered he couldn’t. His entire body was wrapped tightly in layers of silver duct tape, pinning his arms to his sides and his legs to the legs of a wobbly wooden stool. Even his chest felt restricted by the pressure. His mouth was sealed shut with a thick strip of the same tape, silencing him completely.

Panic hit him like a wave.

His breaths grew rapid and shallow as he tugged at the restraints, the stool creaking beneath him with each desperate shift. He couldn’t remember how he got there—what had happened, who had taken him, or why. The only thing he knew for certain was that he was trapped… and very much alone.

“Mmmm! MMMMMMM!” he tried to scream, but the sound was muffled, useless—swallowed by the walls of the basement and the silence that surrounded him.