Darkness Rising

CHAPTER [ 10 ] UNEXPECTED VARIABLES

Lenore woke to the taste of blood in her mouth.

She attempted to move but found herself tied down to a chair at her wrists and ankles. Fear gripped her heart, freezing the blood in her veins. There was nothing in her memory to explain her current predicament. They had escaped. She recalled running with Patrick, seeing the van. Then nothing at all.

Shit! She knew that this plan wasn't going to work. Something had definitely gone wrong.

Lenore began to pull and wiggle her arms, trying to loosen the restraints. The ties scraped and dug into her skin. Whoever put her here had made sure escape wouldn't be easy. She squinted, trying to make out the shapes in the darkness. The problem was Lenore was working with the sliver of light that spilled through the crack at the bottom of the door.

The chair wobbled under her as she jerked her arms. She held her breath when the two front legs lifted off the floor. Lenore leaned forward, hoping to gain balance. There was a soft creak of floorboards and she tensed. Her gaze shifted to the door as she held herself deadly still. 

A shadow passed by the door, casting her into darkness for a moment. Her heart thundered in her chest. The seconds ticked by slowly, each one feeling like a minute. Then the minutes felt like hours. She waited but nothing happened. No one came.

She released a slow, even breath. With her eyes focused on the door, Lenore began to work one arm. Back and forth. Side to side, searching for the weak point. Freeing one hand would be more than enough. Or at least, it seemed to be enough for the people in the movies. It's not like she had tons of experience for these situations. 

The skin on her wrist was stinging, probably bleeding. But the tie felt looser. The thin plastic was rubbing against the base of her thumb. Lenore pulled her arm back, elbow digging into the wood for more leverage. She felt it scraping off a layer of skin, but she didn't stop. A few seconds of gritted teeth and her hand popped free from the restraint.

Her moment of victory turned into a moment of dread when the door to her room opened. The tall silhouette blocked most of the light.

"Looks like you're finally awake."

Lenore recognized the voice immediately. Her dread became anger. "What the hell is this? Is this Kaiser's idea of a joke?" 

Patrick stepped into the room, closing the distance between them. She had to squint against the sudden onslaught of light. When her eyes adjusted she found a gun pointed at her face. And He was glaring down the barrel at her.

"Are you insane?" she asked, leaning back as far as the chair would allow.

He didn't appear bothered. "Are you...in control?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He's afraid you might go all rabid on him, again." Camila said, popping her head in through the door.

"What?"

"You really don't, remember?"

Lenore shook her head. She searched her mind for any memories that might match what Camila was saying but there was nothing. It was like she had gone to sleep and only just woke up.

"Well, I sure as hell remember," Patrick said, rubbing at the angry looking skin at the crook of his neck.

Her stomach rolled as she realized that the blood in her mouth must belong to him. Lenore must have attacked him–tried to eat him, and had succeeded in some manner.

"What about Kaiser? The Apostle?"

"They're downstairs."

Lenore's shoulders sagged in relief, glad she hadn't fucked everything up. This had to be because she had over extended herself, or at least that was better to believe than the alternative. That she might black out again and lose control.