Room with no escape

Room with no escape
Aria’s POV

My head hurt so badly that it felt like someone was hitting the inside of my skull with a hammer. The pain pulsed in slow, violent waves. I tried to move but my body refused. Everything felt heavy. My arms. My legs. Even my eyelids.

Something soft was beneath me. A mattress. A warm blanket. A bed.

A clean bed.

A strange bed.

I forced my eyes open. The room spun the moment I did. My vision blurred into streaks of color. For a second I could not see anything at all. I blinked hard, trying to bring the world into focus. My ears rang loudly, like a high buzzing sound trapped in my head.

I pushed myself up on shaking elbows. My arms trembled with the effort. Silk brushed against my skin. Cool. Smooth. Expensive. I looked down slowly and saw I was wearing soft silk nightwear. Pale. Glossy. I did not own anything like this.

Confusion spilled into my chest. My breathing came in short gasps. The room around me swayed again. I blinked faster until the shapes started forming clearly.

A large room. High ceiling. Beautiful furniture. A chandelier. A wall of windows covered by long curtains. Everything looked rich and perfect.

Nothing looked familiar.

My stomach twisted hard. The hair on my arms stood up.

Then it happened.

Everything came back at once.

The attack.

The loud shots.

The shouting.

The hands grabbing me.

My own scream.

The struggle.

Something covering my mouth.

The smell of chemicals.

My vision fading.

Nathan’s face.

Darkness swallowing everything.

My chest tightened until it felt like I could not breathe. My heart punched against my ribs.

I scrambled out of the bed so fast that my feet slipped. The room tilted sharply. My knees buckled. I fell hard onto the floor. Pain shot up my leg and my head pounded even harder. I groaned, trying to swallow the dizziness.

I grabbed the edge of the bed and forced myself up. My hands shook so badly that I almost slipped again. I did not look at anything around me. I did not care where I was. I only cared about one thing.

Getting out.

I stumbled toward the door. My legs felt weak and unstable. The room kept shifting in my vision. I reached the door and grabbed the handle. My fingers slipped once before I gripped it tightly. I twisted it fast.

It did not move.

I froze. My chest rose quickly.

I twisted it again, harder.

Nothing happened.

Panic exploded inside me. I pulled the handle with both hands. I tried pushing. I tried kicking the bottom of the door. Fear made my throat tight. Tears stung my eyes.

I started hitting the door with my fists. Each hit sent pain through my arms but I kept going.

“Help. Please. Someone. Help.”

My voice came out rough and hoarse. It sounded weak, almost broken. I yelled again but nothing came out right. It felt like my throat was bruised.

I kept hitting the door until my hands started to ache.

The room fell silent.

My breathing echoed around me, harsh and uneven.

Then I heard it.

A voice behind me.

“That will not help, by the way.”

I froze completely. My body locked in place. My heart dropped to my stomach.

Slowly, I turned my head.

Nathan walked out of the bathroom. Water dripped down his arms and chest. A towel hung low around his waist. His hair was wet. His expression was casual, like he had just finished a shower at home.

I stared at him with cold, burning anger.

“You fucker.”

My voice cut through the air in a sharp line. Nathan lifted his eyebrows slightly but did not look surprised.

“You kidnapped me.” My voice shook as I said it. “You kidnapped me. Let me go. Let me fucking go.”

Nathan sighed loudly, like I was being dramatic. His shoulders dropped a little.

“Would you just calm down, Aria.”

Calm down.

Calm down.

After everything he had done.

Something inside me snapped.

I grabbed the closest thing I could reach. A vase sitting on a small table near the door. My hands wrapped around it. I lifted it and screamed as loudly as I could.

I threw it with all my strength.

Nathan moved fast. The vase missed him and smashed into the wall behind him. Pieces scattered across the floor. I kept screaming at him. The words came out broken and angry. I hardly recognized my own voice.

I turned back to the door and slammed my fists against it again. My nails scraped at the wood. I tried to break it. I tried anything. Heat flushed across my face. My whole body shook.

Nathan rushed toward me. His hand closed around my arm as he tried to pull me away from the door.

“Aria. Stop. Stop. Listen to me.”

I twisted hard. I kicked at him. I clawed at his skin. My nails dragged across his arm. He hissed in pain but kept trying to grab me.

I leaned forward and bit down on his arm. Hard.

His skin pressed between my teeth. I tasted salt. Nathan shouted and yanked his arm back.

“Aria. Enough.”

I pulled away and reached for the door again, but he grabbed both my arms from behind. I thrashed wildly, trying to break free. My breathing grew frantic. The panic drowned everything else.

Nathan pulled harder.

And then it happened.

His palm struck my cheek.

Hard.

So hard that the sound echoed across the room.

My head whipped to the side. My hair flew in front of my face. My body froze. The room suddenly fell quiet. Completely quiet.

Nathan stood still behind me. His chest rose and fell fast. He stared at me with wide eyes, shocked at himself.

I did not move.

My cheek burned.

The silence grew heavy between us.