Without a View

Chapter One (The Beginning)

Without A View

Chapter One

(The Beginning)

The first thing he noticed as he slowly came awake was the itchy straw beneath his nose. The second was the dry, dusty smell and the complete lack of sound. The third was being naked. Thinking some of his senses weren't working properly, and that he was really lying on his soft mattress and not some lumpy, prickly pile of straw, Ray blinked a couple of times and slowly lifted his head. A soft glow over to his right gave him enough light to figure out he most definitely wasn't at home, but that was all it showed him.

"Hello?"

His dry and scratchy voice was lost in the gloom. No one answered him, but Ray wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He pushed up onto his elbows, conscious about his lack of clothes, but worried more about why he couldn't remember where he was or how he'd gotten there. He remembered the pub he'd gone to and the few drinks he'd had. He even remembered a guy trying to pick him up, which had been a nice surprise, but after that... Searching his memory, the only other recollection was of taking a shortcut through the park, and then nothing. Until now.

The room felt dank and cool enough to have Ray shivering, but he ignored it, twisting into a sitting position so he could have a better look around. From what he could see, the room appeared small, about eighteen feet square, and from corner to corner it was filled with straw. The glow he'd first spotted came from a tiny lamp high up in the corner. Not bright enough to be a regular light, it must have been some sort of night light, like the type parents plugged into their children's bedrooms so they wouldn't be afraid of the dark.

Feeling exactly like that child, Ray cautiously stood. The room swayed, and a brutal roll of nausea curdled his stomach, forcing him to take in a deep breath. After a minute of silent cursing, he checked his body, thankful to see no cuts or bruises, though he did notice his shoulders were sore, and there was an ache around his chest. Other than that and him being buck-ass naked, there were no signs he'd been mistreated, but that knowledge didn't bring him any relief because he still didn't know where he was or why he was here.

Shivering again, this time not from the cold, Ray moved toward the light, hoping to find something that would show him a way out. With his ankles buried in a thick layer of straw, he took each step slowly. Even so, he nearly tripped and fell as his foot hit something hard and unyielding, except it wasn't that hard or unyielding. It moaned and reached out, grabbing his foot and toppling him onto his back. For a few frantic heartbeats Ray lay stunned, then instinct kicked in and he lashed out, trying to break free.

"Stop struggling."

Ray barely heard the growled words. He twisted, fighting hard, but the iron grip around his ankle tightened to the point of pain, and then, as if his efforts were nothing more than a nuisance, Ray felt himself being dragged along the floor and pinned by a thick forearm across his chest.

"I said stop struggling." The deep voice close to his ear possessed a menacing edge, and the force with which the arm held him down increased. "I won't harm you if you stop."

"Okay. Okay, but get off me." Ray tried to sound reasonable, but panic bubbled deep in his veins, and with each passing second he found it harder to breathe.

"Who are you?" In the darkness of the room, it was difficult to make out the features of the man who held him down, but it was pretty easy to see he was just as bewildered by what was going on as Ray was.

"My name's Ray. Now get off me, please." He tried to push away, but was instantly seized around his arms.

"Where are we?"