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Prologue
The foul odor of decaying flesh roused the wos like a freshly snapped ammonia capsule
She blinked, clawed toward consciousness, searching the pitch-blackness for a land except the stench that grew ed The contents of her stomach churned and rose up in her throat
She lifted a treht h herand had her rolling to her side Tears burned her eyes as she gripped the edge of the metal table and vomited until her throat burned
When the worst of the vo only small shallow breaths as she stared into the darkness She closed watery eyes and gently swiped her fingertips across her lips The odors still hovered, but the worst of the nausea had passed
With the sickness satisfied, there was only the pain Only Every square inch of her flesh pulsated Throbbed Burned
Fear rose up, but she quickly wrestled it down Noas not the time to crumble
She blinked Once Twice But the fetid darkness didn’t diht, winter or summer She couldn’t tell
She tried to rise again, but her insides screaain, she collapsed
Where was she? What had happened? She had to get free
Think back
In the last feeeks, she’d sensed that she was being watched At first she’d chocked up the feelings to an overactive irew stronger whenever she’d stepped out of her apartment, whenever she arrived at work, or whenever she took a Pilates class Soon she’d thought twice before she went anywhere She’d stopped going to the gyhtclubs Her world shrank to the small path between home and work
And then the notes arrived I love you Together always You are never out of my mind
The notes had been a relief In fact, she’d laughed when she’d received the first Of course! Her ex had been her stalker It had been three weeks since they’d shared a bed or seen each other, but she kneas the one watching He enjoyed dark, erotic ga her off balance
Knowing he atching, she’d worn tighter skirts and sweaters, proudly strutting and hoping she tortured hierin the shadows
When she’d found the red velvet box with the ivory pendant nestled inside, she’d known she’d won She’d been energized by her power over hiiveness Men were so easy So weak
“Oh, God,” she whispered
So But it had not been her lover
Pushing through pain and sickness, she sat up “I’” She repeated the words like a mantra
She blinked again and again, willing the blackness to fade and the stench and pain to vanish But no lights hts moved like thick muddy waters
Where had she been last? The theater? Her apartment? The club?
And then she remembered She’d been at the Duke Street Café There’d been an ie donation to the theater The donation ensured that the theater would be able to rander,
The party had been a glittering, exciting affair, and she’d been happy There’d been lots of chane—so much so, that she’d lost count of how lass Of course her ex had not come He never met up with her at public events But another old boyfriend had hit on her, and because she’d felt so good she’d flirted back It had been fun Intoxicating
How had she gone froical moments to this cave of horrors?
She ticked through the evening’s events Wine Music Singing A bite or two of food Souy, one of her ex-boyfriend’s buddies, had offered her cocaine, but she’d turned hiht and mak
e her look too puffy for tomorrow’s photo call
Had the actor and his friend slipped her so anyway?
Thoughts blurred in her h the ht memories All she had was the party and then this dark, dank hole that smelled of death The middle had vanished
It didn’tAnd if she was good at anything, it was cutting her losses
As much as she strained to see, she couldn’t rave, and then suddenly she heard a tap turn on and water trickle
She cocked her head “Is someone there?”
Water gurgled and bubbled, but no one answered
Struggling with a choking fear, she swung her legs over the side of the metal table Her head spun, pain slammed her, and her stomach threatened another revolt She hesitated and waited for her body to calm
Gingerly, she set bare feet on a floor made of cold, wet stone Her toes curled She hated the slimy surface, so much like a lake bottom
Wobbly liht as she stood Every muscle ached Her dress felt damp, but she had no idea of the cause
The soothing drip, drip of water remained her only reference It sounded as if it was off to her right At least now she had a direction
Get to the water, and she’d figure out her next move
She took a tentative step away fro to her breasts, hugging her nipples in an inti as it was to cover up with her arms, her outstretched hands were all that kept her balanced
With each step, the stench greorse, and the urge to turn away increased Still, she kept shuffling toward the water Without warning, her knee buiant metal tub Bolts of pain shot out and reverberated up and down her leg She gasped, and the smells nearly overpowered her
Instinct had her turning from the tub “Shit”
She didn’t have the strength to retrace her steps to the table noed up in shadowy obscurity
Tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks It would be so easy to surrender But she’d never been a quitter Ever
Su her most imperious tone, she said, “I demand to know if anyone is there”
The shadows hovered around her, mutinously silent, still, and unmoved by her practiced sternness Her only ansas the steady, quiet trickle of water dripping into the tub
“I shouldn’t be here,” she said “This is a terribleme to show up at work They’ll call the cops if I don’t show”
She shoved a shaky hand through feathered curls and righted her hunched shoulders Body and bones creaked as if she’d just passed her ninetieth birthday and not her twenty-sixth What had happened to her? “I demand to knohere I am”
This time a shadow in a corner shifted “You de”
The rough, clipped voice had her head jerking around “Why should I beg?” Even as she asked the question, she saw the absurdity She’d beg or do whatever was asked of her to get out of here “What do I need to beg for?”
“Your life would be a good start” His voice was so silky and gentle And for a moment, it sounded very familiar Had he been at the party? Where had she heard his voice before?
She leaned against the tub, fearing her legs would give way and she’d fall to her knees “I am not afraid”
A soft chuckle snaked through the gloo her more than if the shadow man had hurled threats “You should be afraid”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she raised her chin “What is that smell?”
“Rotting flesh”
This ti long fingers into the stone “Why?”
“Why? Why are you here? Why is there rotting flesh in the room? Why what?”
His voice sent fear knifing into her “Why me?”