I was out walking, and I was hit over the head.
Alexa repeated the words in her mind, willing them to make sense, but how could she ever understand such a violent, unprovoked attack?
With a wobbling chin, she ordered herself to stand, but her heavy limbs barely twitched. Worse still, her minuscule movements sent ripples of agony rolling through her.
But through the pain, Alexa heard something. A strange, foreboding clanging noise.
Searching the vault of her memories, Alexa tried to place the sound, but it was too hard to concentrate when her attention was absorbed by the sensation that something was weighing her down. Brow furrowed, she peeled her head from the pillow to look down at her body.
As soon as she saw why she couldn’t move, Alexa Clarke froze.
Chunky metal handcuffs encircled her wrists and ankles, attached to chains so thick it would take a chainsaw to cut through them. Alexa’s blurry vision followed the links to the metal bedframe they were locked to, leaving her immobilised.
Leaving her captured.
Terror like nothing Alexa had ever felt before pressed against her throat. Peeling her fuzzed tongue from the roof of her mouth, she opened her pale, cracked lips.
‘Help!’ she screamed into the silence. ‘Someone, please, help me!’
CHAPTER 7
Kamal makes a cup of tea for me the next morning, but I’m downstairs before he has to use it to lure me out of bed.
‘You’re up,’ he says, unable to hide his surprise.
‘I heard the kettle. Besides, I’ve woken up feeling like I could run a marathon. You know, if I actually enjoyed running.’
‘Does that mean lots of words are brewing in you?’
‘Something like that.’ A lie, but it feels safer than admitting the only thing brewing in me is the desire to find Alexa Clarke.
Kamal grabs his lunch and goes to leave, but then he stops. ‘Before I forget, we’re out of milk. Could you swing by the shop and get some?’
My pulse flutters at the base of my throat. Reading my silence, Kamal shakes off the question.
‘Don’t worry, I can go on—’
‘No,’ I interrupt. ‘It’s okay. I’ll go.’
He hovers. ‘You’re sure you want to?’
‘Yes, I’ll go. I’ll make friends with the locals.’
It’s hard not to be upset by Kamal’s happiness, given that it highlights the severity of my isolation. Once upon a time, which one ofus would do such a simple chore wouldn’t have been up for debate, but that was before tiny village stores and small talk made my palms damp.
When Kamal is gone, I swill the tablet he left out for me down the sink and stand at the kitchen window. Sparkling frost glimmers as far as the eye can see, while a dark sky peers down on the frozen wonderland. The perfect day to stay indoors and avoid the harsh world.
But you’re not doing that, I remind myself.Today you’re going out, and you’ll be fine when you do.
The assurance is enough to calm me down. Marginally, at least.
Draining the last of my tea, I check my phone. A notification from Natalya is waiting, one I open quickly when I see it’s an update on Alexa Clarke.
Apparently, she’s still not home. Surely it’s time for Otis to go to the police now?!x
The words ‘Katherine is typing’ appear at the top of the screen, but I close the conversation. I don’t have time to chat when there are more useful things I could do.
Things like looking for Alexa myself.