251

251
  Chapter 251
  Riley Burke  
  ~•~
  Everywhere was stark dark! 
  The last thing I remember was when I stopped to get gas at the gas station. I honestly couldn’t remember anything else. My head was spinning and I couldn’t think properly. 
  I had no idea where I was or how I even got there. 
  My eyes were open but the room was dark and I couldn’t see anything. I tried to move my hands around but I couldn’t touch anything. 
  It was as though I was in an empty room. 
  The cold ground sent shivers through my spine. 
  I had never felt that way before. 
  I tried to stand up and make my way to an exit, but I couldn’t even get up. My legs were hurting. In fact, my entire body was hurting. 
  What was actually going on? 
  I searched my pockets to see if I could find my phone. I had kept it there after I called my brother to send me some gas money. 
  My heart started racing as I couldn’t find my phone. 
  I still had no idea where I was. 
  I was extremely confused by what was happening. Maybe it was a dream. I decided to stay calm and get myself to wake up. 
  A few moments later, I heard footsteps coming in my direction. I knew it wasn’t a dream, but I didn’t want to accept what was happening. 
  I’ve seen it in movies. I’ve read it in books. 
  But it had never happened to me in real life. 
  I never imagined that I would be a victim. 
  I waited patiently for whoever it was to reveal themselves. But after about five minutes, nobody showed up. I was starting to panic. This couldn’t be happening. 
  I had no idea how long I had even been in the darkroom. My mother would be really worried about me. They would think it was another of my tricks. 
  They would feel that I didn’t want to go back home and go somewhere else. But in reality, someone had taken me. I had no idea who the person was, I couldn’t even remember how it happened. 
  I was losing my mind. 
  After much struggle, I managed to sit upright. I needed medical attention as soon as possible. I felt so weak and hungry. 
  My eyes were dizzy and it felt like I was about to pass out again. 
  But what if it was my father who locked me up, just so I would stay away from Mason? No, it wasn’t possible. Mama wouldn’t let him do something like that to me. 
  He wouldn’t even think about doing something like that to me. Who else could it be? Or was it Mason’s parents? Or was it just a random person who needed ransom money? My mind was racing with different thoughts. 
  I didn’t want them to be true. I still wanted to believe that it was just a bad dream. 
  Even if I was just a little girl, I still remember how tough it was for my mother when we thought that Rowan got kidnapped. I also remembered how I felt. Even if it was just for a day, it still felt like my world was crashing right in front of me. 
  I couldn’t help but wonder how they would be feeling now. 
  I needed to find a way out and go back home. 
  Gathering all the strength I had, I crawled forward, hoping the door was in that direction. But when I got to the end, I realized it was just another corner of the room. 
  I let out a frustrated sigh and tried another angle. 
  But it was still a dead end. 
  Plus, I was running out of breath. 
  It was a good thing that the floor was smooth or I would have had severe injuries. 
  I decided to try one more direction. If it didn’t work, I would give up and wait until the person who took me revealed themself. 
  But just as I was about to crawl to the next place, my eyes closed slowly and I passed out on the floor. 
  ~•~
  The next time I opened my eyes, the bright light coming through the door made me wince as I adjusted to the newfound light. 
  It took me a second before I realized that someone was standing right in front of me. The figure handed me a glass of water and I looked up to see a strange man. 
  I was thirsty, so I took the water without even saying anything. I gulped it down like a hungry dog who hadn’t eaten anything for days. 
  I mean, I had no idea if I had even eaten anything for days. I had no idea about how long I had been locked up. When I was done, I kept the glass on the floor. 
  “Where am I?” I asked, looking around the empty room. I tried to look outside but the man blocked my view. “Who are you? How did you take me and what do you want from me?” I asked, my patience wearing thin. 
  “I don’t answer questions. I’m just a messenger.” His husky voice echoed through the quiet room. “Boss will be here to see you soon.” 
  “Boss?” I narrowed my eyes on him. “Who is the boss? Please let me leave.” I pleaded, the desperation palpable in my eyes. 
  The man sighed as he picked up the glass. “I don’t answer questions. I’m just a messenger. Boss will be here to see you soon.” He repeated the same message as before like he was programmed to give a certain response. 
  As he turned around to leave, I tried to follow him but I couldn’t even get up. No matter how hard I tried, I still couldn’t move my body. 
  What did they do to me? Who was even the boss? What did they want from me? I watched helplessly as he closed the door on my face. 
  I was still confused about what was happening. 
  A few moments later, the door creaked open and I looked up in anticipation. But my lips parted and I blinked as I saw who walked into the room. 
  “What the actual fuck!” I whispered to myself.