♯ closed starter › @lastflowcrs.
her head throbbed as she slowly came to, the sharp scent of damp concrete filling her nose. the dim bulb swinging lazily from the ceiling casted flickers of light that did little to chase away the darkness. her wrists bound behind her back, the rough rope biting into her skin. every breath she took felt heavy, and a sickening wave of disorientation washed over her. and then she saw him. a figure standing just beyond the edge of the light, half-consumed by shadow, watching her. silent, still —- his gaze locked on hers. the quiet stretched between them, thick with unspoken threat, and though he made no move toward her, the weight of his presence felt suffocating. her heart pounded in her chest, but she refused to let the fear show. swallowed hard, the taste of dust and iron lingering in her dry throat, and forced the words out, steady despite the pulse of terror just beneath her skin. " where am i ? " max's voice cracked, but the sharp edge of defiance remained. her eyes never wavered, fixed on him, trying to pull some meaning from the shadows that clung to him like a secret. " who are you ? "
