I couldn't breathe.
The walls of the basement seemed to close in on me, shrinking until there wasn't enough air left to fill my lungs. My hands trembled, my fingers aching from the cold, the chains biting into my skin like jagged teeth. My chest tightened, a weight pressing down so hard it felt like my ribs would snap.
I gasped, desperate for air, but it felt like my throat had sealed shut.
I didn't even care about the lady chained beside me until she spoke again, her voice sharp enough to cut through the fog in my head.
"You look weirdly familiar," she said, her tone laced with curiosity.
My heart, already hammering in my chest, went into overdrive. The words slammed into me like a freight train, and I froze, my whole body locking up.
I glanced at her, a wild, desperate look, and saw the faintest flicker of realization in her eyes. She was piecing something together, trying to figure out why I looked familiar.
