I was completely drained, so much so that I didn't even have the energy to open my eyes. My whole body was screaming in pain, every muscle aching like I'd been hit by a truck. It took everything I had just to pry my eyes open. The room was dimly lit, but I could still make out my friends sprawled on the floor, unconscious. My heart sank. But the stalker… I couldn't make out their face. The shadows cloaked them, standing there like they were waiting for me to wake up, just watching, waiting.
I forced myself to focus, taking in the horror around me. Rose was tied up, ropes biting into her skin. She looked so still, too still. Scarlett was face down on the floor, her back to me, and I couldn't even see if she was breathing. My stomach churned when I saw Ella. There was a wire wrapped tight around her wrist, cutting so deep that blood was spilling out everywhere, pooling beneath her. The sight made my head spin, and the thick, metallic scent of blood filled the air, hitting me hard. I took a breath, instinctively, but instantly regretted it. It felt like my chest was being crushed from the inside, and my lungs burned as something toxic filled them. I gagged, my eyes stinging with tears.
Fear shot through me, hard and fast. I couldn't stop trembling. My eyes darted around the room, desperate for answers, for anything to tell me where we were, what was happening, but everything felt wrong. The place was unfamiliar, dark and oppressive. A heavy sense of dread settled over me. How had we even ended up here? What had we done? What had I done? My mind spiraled with guilt, questions and doubts gnawing at me. Was this my fault? Could I have stopped this? And now, looking at the nightmare surrounding me, I couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, I was the reason we were trapped in this hell