The smell of plastic was suffocating, made even stronger by the ambient heat.
It was completely dark, but even if there had been light, she probably wouldn't have been able to see anything. Something was covering her eyes, blocking her view.
Trying to stand up, she felt her hands bound by something stiff and smooth wrapped around her wrists. Her legs were also bound at the ankles.
She had to face the evidence. She had been tied up and locked up somewhere. But where? And by whom?
She had to get out of there.
She started to move her wrists, to see if she could undo what was preventing her from moving her arms as she wanted. But nothing worked. The plastic link was too strong to be broken by simple force.
Frustrated, she tried to stand up, only to hit her head on a relatively low ceiling.
She had been locked in a very small space, where sitting was almost impossible. And she hated small spaces so much, that panic started to take hold of her.
She wanted to scream, but something was also pressed against her mouth, preventing her from making any sound. Her breathing became more intense, her inhalations and exhalations closer and closer together and shorter and shorter.
She had to get out of there.
Bringing her arms up, she began to scrape the thick adhesive covering her mouth with her fingers.
Air. She needed more air. She felt like she was going to suffocate, being in such a cramped place.
She managed to grab and lift one of the corners of the piece of tape, and began to pull on it. Slowly, she felt her skin being exposed to the air again; pulling back more and more of the adhesive tape that had prevented her from making any noise until now.
Then, she pulled with a sharp move, and the last corner still in contact with her skin was finally detached.
She took deep breaths, the air coming in and out of her mouth in an irregular flow. Then, she coughed, fibers of tissue having entered her throat. She was far from being out of trouble. She needed to see where she was, see exactly what was happening to her. And above all, find out how she could get out of this situation.
That's why she felt with her fingers what was covering her eyes, her breathing becoming more and more dry and difficult. How long had it been since she drank water?
No. More important question: how long had she been like this, tied up and locked up in this sinister place that smelled of dust and gasoline?
Panic assailed her more and more, and the fact that she could not hear any sound around her made her realize that she was alone, probably in an isolated or soundproof place.
To make matters worse, what was covering her eyes and going around her head was also a large piece of tape. She couldn't remove it from the back of her head without pulling her hair too much. And on her face, her eyelids were hurting badly. Maybe if she could find the end of the piece, she could...
Her hands went around her head, scratching the surface of the tape with her fingernails to find a roughness or a bump. Anything that would allow her to get a grip on it.
With her heart pounding in her chest, she had trouble concentrating on her movements, but still managed to find a slightly raised corner that she could pull away from the rest.
She began to pull on it gently, to avoid tearing the tape too sharply, when she suddenly heard footsteps on gravel, or perhaps dirt.
Someone was nearby. Hopefully, help!
"Help!" she shouted at the top of her voice. "Somebody! Help me!"
She flailed and kicked against the edges of the space she was trapped in, in an effort to make as much noise as possible. She kicked her feet against something hard covered with fabric or carpet, which partially muffled the noise.
"Help!" she cried out again, increasingly desperate and on the verge of tears. "I am here!"
She redoubled her efforts to bang against the walls of her little prison, also pounding her fists to increase the racket and have a chance of being spotted.
Nevertheless, to her horror, the footsteps faded away, before disappearing completely.
"HELP!" she screamed again, this time crying. "I beg you! Come and help me!"
But only silence remained, and soon at the end of her strength, she stopped clapping her hands and feet.
Had the person not heard her? And if so, how could she make any more noise than that, to finally be rescued?
Crying silently, she caught her breath, trying to recover the strength she had just exhausted during those last seconds. Was she going to run out of air, if she breathed too much? How much oxygen did she have available, exactly?
She quickly felt her own body, then her surroundings, but found nothing. No phone, not even any object she could use to undo her bonds.
Ah, she wanted to see her mother so badly. Why did their last conversation have to be a phone fight?
Would she ever get to see her again?
A hissing sound filled her ears, her heartbeat echoing in her skull. She was also getting really thirsty. And why was it so hot?
She was beginning to despair, when she heard footsteps approaching her position again. She had to be heard! At all costs!
She began to bang her feet and fists on the caulked walls with all her might and screamed as loud as she could.
"HELP! I'M HERE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "HELP ME!"
The footsteps were still approaching, and she was beginning to dread that the person would pass her without stopping.
"HELP! I BEG YOU!" she screamed again, her voice hoarse with tears. "I'M HERE!"
She continued to make as much noise as she could. She couldn't stop, otherwise, who knows when someone else would pass by again... And any soundproofing had to have its limits, right?
She was now breathing in a jerky way, and with the ambient heat, she felt that she would soon run out of strength.
It was then that she heard footsteps coming closer and closer to where she was, until they stopped completely.
Had the person just found her?
Please, someone help her!
"I AM HERE!" She screamed one last time, with the energy of desperation.
Then she heard a metallic clink, like the sound of a set of keys; then suddenly a squeak of plastic and metal, followed by a breeze of cool, life-saving air, reached her ears and skin.
"Get me out of here! Please!" she whimpered, breathless.
Then she felt hands running through her clothes over her shoulders, as if to help her sit up. Then, someone lifted her up, taking her in his arms; for she felt her legs dragging over one of the walls.
"Thank you..." She sobbed. "Thank you..."
She couldn't see her surroundings yet, her eyes still blindfolded, but she was out in the open! She was finally outside, and it was only a matter of time before she could go home now. She felt light, free of her anxiety, and clung fiercely to the chest of the person who had rescued her.
"Can.... Can you untie me?" She finally asked.
Seconds passed, but she got no answer. Because of their close proximity, there was no doubt that she had been heard.
So why wasn't she getting an answer?
No, on second thought, the person who had taken her out of the place where she had been locked up until now had not said a word.
Immediately, a shiver ran down her back. A slow realization, which had been imprinted in her mind, began to emerge with a terrifying approach to the situation.
The next moment, she found herself thrown mercilessly to the ground, letting out a scream, followed by a groan of pain.
This was not normal. This person... was not normal.
She was starting to stand up, leaning on her arms still attached to her wrists, when she felt a gloved hand grab her ankles. And pull on them, dragging her to the floor.
"Wha... What are you doing!?" she cried out in panic.
Stones and pebbles began to scrape her skin, and she tried to slow her progress by grabbing anything she could with her hands. Unfortunately, nothing angular enough to properly grip was within her reach, her fingers sliding irreparably from smooth stone to smooth stone.
"Let go of me!" she shouted, bending and unfolding her legs several times.
But this proved useless, as she had already exhausted a large part of her strength moments before.
This person was not normal. She was evil. So much evil.
"Let me go! Please!" she screamed again, tears beginning to slightly loosen the adhesive covering her eyes.
Finally, her ankles were suddenly dropped, falling heavily to the ground.
She let out a long sigh, panting? However, she had to move, even if she didn't have the strength anymore.
She had to move, to save her life. Because this person did not want her well; she knew it now. So she began to stretch out her arms and crawl, only to be cruelly yanked backwards and turned onto her back.
Then, footsteps approached her head, and to her horror, the individual sat on her stomach and tried to press something against her mouth. She shook her head to try to dodge what must have been a new piece of tape, and in return received a hand grabbing her throat.
The pressure was so great that she could feel the air running out of her, and her attacker took advantage of the situation to stick the tape on her face. She struggled with irregular jerks, her hands still tied trying to push away the person who was strangling her, and her nails digging into the torso and clothes of her assailant.
This did not please the latter, who threw a violent punch in her face. The shock made her teeth violently collide between them, and she lost consciousness.