The cold was the first sensation that hit Elisa. Her head throbbed as if she had been struck, and her throat burned... remnants of the soaked cloth that had silenced her hours before. When she opened her eyes, the dim light revealed damp concrete walls, a small barred window, and a lamp swinging above her head.
Panic came like an icy wave, she looked at her belly fearfully, but her babies were still there, protected.
She tried to move her wrists, but they were tied behind the chair with thick ropes. Her breathing quickened, her heart raced.
Hello?! Is anyone here?! ... she shouted, but her voice echoed without response.
In the minutes that followed, each memory returned like cutting fragments: Sophia's smile at the orphanage, the black car, the suffocating smell, the darkness.
It felt as if the ground had disappeared beneath her feet.
No... it can't be... she murmured, feeling nausea rising.
