Chapter 147: Alexis and the phantom
When Alexis slowly came to, the first feeling that greeted her was the painful ache of hunger, a huge emptiness that seemed to hollow out her belly like she had not eaten anything in weeks but she recalled having coconut rice and steamed fish with her boyfriend.
Her mouth felt dry, her lips parched and cracked, and her tongue heavy and unresponsive. She tried to lift a hand to her face, but it was stuck. Did she drink?
Alexis tried again but it was as if her hands were bound by something.
She rubbed against it. It felt like a rope, a rough rope that chafed against her wrists.
She was tied up.
Calm down! Calm down! She was Alexis Russel. She was calm, she was collected, she was in control but no matter how she spoke the words in her mind, she could not take hold.
Like a sea, the waves of panic began to stir, fluttering in her chest like a trapped bird. She wanted to speak, but her voice was barely a whisper, very hoarse like sandpaper against oak wood.
Alexis struggled, taking a deep breath. The air was stale and musty, filled with the scent of damp earth.
Was she underground? She was lying on a hard, cold surface, and as she shifted, she felt the rough texture of concrete beneath her.
Alexis began to struggle, she could not see, she could not see anyone. As she moved, the blindfold that covered her eyes seemed to tighten, pressing against her eyelids, heavy and alone.
"Help." She scratched out of her throat. The imminent situation dawned on her.