Phantom's Fight

Chapter Nineteen

Ivy

Ivy groaned as she roused from slumber, cold and alone. The room was so dark that she couldn't see her hand in front of her face; she guessed it was still the middle of the night. Her back was sore, her neck was stiff and her head was pounding; a sign of a great night out. However Ivy's memories were so fuzzy she had trouble recalling the events that led her to waking up sore and wishing she'd never see the sight of alcohol again. She didn't actually remember drinking at all the previous night, she hadn't gone out with James and her college friends and it wasn't a hangover she was nursing. The last thing she remembered was taking a walk with Prospect Sam.

She sat up straight as her memories slammed back into her and the realisation hit. Prospect Sam had turned rat and led her like a lamb to the slaughter. Now she was waking up in the middle of God only knows where on what felt like a concrete paving slab.

When her eyes started adjusting to the darkness, she could finally make out what was in the unfamiliar room with her. She was sat on metal cot that had a thin mattress with springs poking out in all directions, which explained her sore back. The cot didn't have a pillow and the only source of warmth she had was a thread bare blanket like those you would have in a hospital, although she wouldn't like to hazard a guess as to when this particular one had be washed last, if ever.

A metal chair was against the opposite wall to the bed that was roughly five feet away. Her eyes travelled over the chair's position in the room, had someone been watching her sleep? She shivered at the eerie thought. It was then she noticed the heavy metal door; an exit. Ivy threw the gross battered blanket off her and in her haste to reach the door she missed the sound of chains clanking over the sound of her own heart beating.

Something pulling on her ankle caused her to trip and fall to the ground before she had any hope of making it to the only source of freedom the room had to offer. Sharp pain radiated from her knees so she flipped over ignoring how filthy the floor beneath her was. She ran her hands down her legs sending up a thank you to any deity that would listen as she felt the rough material of her jeans still present until she reached the rips on her knees, wetness coating her fingers.

"Shit."

After a quick inspection through touch alone, she concluded that her wounds probably felt worse than they actually wore. She'd apply a bit of pressure and hoped the bleeding would stop completely. Realising she had nothing to hand to aid her; she reached down to her feet intending to use her socks as make shift bandages.

Ivy's fingers grazed a cold, hard ring encircling her ankle. Panic slammed in to her, sending her heart rate through the roof and her breathing became laboured. Forgetting her knees completely and scrambling to feel with both hands what was attached to her leg, her fingers finally wrapped around a thick chain. Now that her eyes had adjusted to darkness, she could see where the chain was connected to her ankle all the way to the bracket anchoring it to the floor. The bastards had cuffed her and tethered her like a fucking dog.

Fury overtook the panic she was feeling only minutes before. Ivy found it easier to process things when she seething. Panic left her unsure, vulnerable and threatening a meltdown at any giving moment. Anger however gave her drive, kept her sharp; made her fight for a reason to escape.

She tugged the cuff around her ankle knowing it wouldn't be that easy to free herself but giving it a shot nevertheless. She inspected the bracket that secured the chain for any weaknesses she could exploit but came up short. Ivy wasn't surprised but had hoped she could have found something to work with.

Giving up trying to get free she stood deciding to test how far she could make it around the room whilst being leashed. She could touch the opposite wall that the chair was up against without trouble but as she slowly made her way to the door again she felt the chain pull her leg back again.