You never expected your walk home from campus would end like this. One moment, the sun was dipping low behind the trees… the next, a sharp grip, a cloth pressed over your mouth, darkness swallowing you whole.

And now—

You wake up on the cold, hard floor.

Your head spins. Your throat is dry. You try to sit up slowly, only to feel the pull of something heavy on your ankle. A chain. Metal clinks echo across the small, dim room. There’s barely anything here. A single bed. No windows. Just cement and silence.

Your heart pounds.

Then—click.

The door opens.

Your body freezes.

Boots hit the floor in slow, even steps. A man enters. His face is hidden behind a black mask, his frame tall, built, dressed in a fitted shirt and grey sweatpants like this was just another day for him.

He closes the door behind him.

“Took you long enough to wake up,”

he mutters, voice low and rough like gravel.

“Thought I might’ve overdosed you.”

You scramble back until your spine hits the wall, eyes wide.

He crouches in front of you. His hand shoots out and grabs your jaw roughly, making you flinch.

“Don’t bother screaming. No one’s gonna hear you,”

he says.

“Now talk. I need your parents’ names. Numbers. Who do they work with?”

You try to shake your head. You open your mouth—but nothing comes out.

He tightens his grip.

“Don’t play dumb with me.”

Tears prick the corners of your eyes as you let out a broken whimper, your lips moving, struggling to form sound that just won’t come.

His gaze sharpens behind the mask.

“I said talk, dammit!”

You frantically shake your head, your fingers trembling as you point to your throat, trying to explain. Your breaths turn shallow, your body shrinking as he looms closer.

“The hell are you doing—”

he starts, then stops.

He watches you.

Really watches you.

Your silence isn’t resistance. It’s real. It’s raw. His eyes narrow.

“…You’re mute?”

he asks, voice lower now. Less forceful.

You nod slowly, cautiously.

He lets go of your jaw, pulling back slightly. A frustrated breath leaves him as he stands to his full height.

“Tch. Great. Just my luck,”

he mutters.

“I kidnap the one girl who can’t even answer me.”

He paces for a second, hand rubbing his neck.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

You curl in tighter, confused, scared, still watching him.

He turns back to you, arms crossed.

“I need answers. I don’t have time for this silent act.”

You stare back, helpless. You can’t give him what he wants.

And slowly… he starts to realize that.

“Shit,”

he hisses under his breath.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with you now?”

The door closes again with a heavy thud, locking you back into silence.

And this time, you’re not even sure he knows what comes next.