Chapter Fourteen
Amara
M y head feels like it’s filled with cotton, and every inch of my body aches. I blink slowly, my eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light around me. Where am I? The last thing I remember is packing my bags at my apartment. I try to sit up, but the effort makes me dizzy, and I slump back down onto the hard, cold surface beneath me.
Panic rises in my chest as I take in my surroundings. This isn’t my apartment. The room is small, almost claustrophobic, with concrete walls and a single, flickering light bulb hanging from the ceiling. There’s a faint, musty smell in the air, like damp earth and rusted metal.
I struggle to remember what happened. Someone knocked on the door, and then... everything went black. My heart races as fear tightens its grip on me. I try to move again, more slowly this time, and manage to sit up. My hands are shaking, but I force myself to stay calm and think.
“Hello?” I call out, my voice trembling. There’s no response, just the echo of my own voice bouncing off the walls. I try again, louder this time. “Is anyone there?”
Still nothing. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I need to figure out where I am and how to get out of here. My thoughts turn to Ghost. He must be looking for me by now. He always knows when something is wrong.
As I sit here, trying to gather my strength, I hear a door creak open in the distance. Footsteps approach, slow and deliberate. My heart pounds in my chest as I brace myself for whoever is coming.
The door to my prison swings open, and a man steps inside. He’s tall and muscular, with a cruel smile that sends chills down my spine. I recognize him instantly – Hunter, Ghost’s best friend.
“Hello, Snow,” he says, his voice dripping with malice. “Welcome to your new home.”
I stare at him in shock. “Hunter? What are you doing? Why am I here?”
He chuckles, a dark, unsettling sound. “Let’s just say you’re going to help me make a lot of money. And Ghost will never know it was me.”
Fear grips me tighter, but I refuse to let him see it. “Ghost will come for me,” I say, trying to sound braver than I feel.
Hunter’s smile widens. “We’ll see about that. For now, you should get comfortable. You’re going to be here for a while.”
I swallow hard, my mind racing. “Hunter, listen to me. I have a seizure disorder. I have at least one seizure every single day. If I don’t take my medication, it can be life-threatening.”
He crosses his arms and smirks, clearly unimpressed. “Nice try, Snow. But I’m not falling for it.”
“I’m serious,” I insist, my voice rising with desperation. “I don’t have my meds with me. If I don’t take them, things could get really bad.”
Hunter rolls his eyes and shrugs. “Even if that’s true, it’s not my problem. You’re not going anywhere. You’re my good luck charm, remember?”
Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I force them back. “How am I supposed to make you money if I’m having seizures all the time?”
His expression changes, a gleam of excitement lighting up his eyes. “Oh, you’ll make me money, alright. In a way you can’t even imagine.”
I frown, confusion mingling with fear. “What are you talking about?”
Hunter leans in closer, his grin widening. “People pay a lot for special content. Videos that are rare and hard to find. You, Snow, are going to be my star.”
My stomach churns as realization dawns on me. “You mean... you’re going to record me?”
“Not just record you,” he says, shaking his head. “People will pay to watch you suffer, to see you in distress. Every seizure, every moment of panic I catch on camera will bring me bank
. It’s a sick world out there, and they pay top dollar for this kind of content.”
I stare at him, horrified. “You can’t do this. It’s inhumane. I could die!”
Hunter shrugs again, completely unfazed. “It’s all about the money, Snow. And you’re going to make me a fortune.”
Desperation claws at me. “Please, Hunter. You have to let me go. I can’t survive without my medication.”
His smile fades, replaced by a cold, hard look. “You better figure out how to. Because you’re not leaving. Not until I’ve made enough money to disappear for good.”
I shake my head, trying to understand.
“Why are you doing this? Why me? Ghost is your best friend. How could you do something like this to him?”
Hunter’s eyes darken, and he steps closer, his voice dropping to a low, menacing whisper. “Ghost plans to take everything from me. The club, respect, the power. He always thought he was better than me. But now, I’m going to show him just how wrong he is.”
I gasp, the realization hitting me like a punch to the gut. “This is about revenge. You’re doing this to hurt him.”
Hunter smirks again, a cruel glint in his eyes. “You’re smarter than you look. Ghost’s going to be destroyed when he finds out what happened to you. And by the time he does, I’ll be long gone with enough money to start over.”
He turns and walks out, leaving me in the dim, musty room. My heart sinks as the door slams shut behind him, the lock clicking into place. I lean back against the wall, fighting back tears. I have to stay strong. Ghost will find me. He has to.
But until then, I have to survive. And I have to find a way to escape before it’s too late.
***
“Stand up.”
I’ve been stuck in what I can only assume is a basement for hours. After Hunter left, I tried everything I could to escape. There’s a small window near the top of one of the walls that I can’t quite reach. Even if I could, I wouldn’t be able to fit my fat butt through it.
“I need my meds,” I say as Hunter shuts and locks the door behind him. “I was already weak when you took me. If I don’t get my medicine, I’m going to have another seizure.”
“Wait until I get the camera set up,” he says, placing a tripod on the floor. “I already have paying customers waiting. Originally, I was just going to rough you up a bit for these sick bastards to jerk off to, but someone has paid big money to see you get fucked in the ass.”
Oh no.
“Please, Hunter. You don’t have to do this,” I plead, my voice trembling with fear. “I could die. Is that what you want?”
Hunter’s expression hardens. “Stop talking. Stand up.”
My legs are weak, and I’m trembling all over, but I force myself to comply. I stand up, leaning against the wall for support. “You can still let me go,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “Ghost will forgive you. We can pretend this never happened.”
Hunter laughs a cold, mirthless sound. “You’re delusional, Snow. This is happening. And the more you fight, the worse it’s going to be for you.”
I feel the familiar aura of an oncoming seizure starting to build, a tingling sensation in my limbs, metallic in my mouth, and a pressure in my head. “Please, Hunter. I can feel it starting. I need my medication.”
Hunter ignores me, adjusting the camera on the tripod. “Just a few more minutes, Snow. And then we can begin.”
I stumble, my vision blurring as the seizure’s aura intensifies. “Please! I’m begging you!”
He looks at me with a mix of annoyance and impatience. “Shut up and stay still, or this is going to get a lot worse for you.”
I collapse to the floor, my body starting to convulse as the seizure takes hold. The last thing I see before darkness engulfs me is Hunter’s frustrated face and the cold, unfeeling lens of the camera.