Forty-Seven
Sally felt a thick heaviness in her head as she slowly came to. She sat still, with her head down and her chin resting against her collar bones, and hoped the feeling would soon lift and fade along with the throbbing sensation that was pounding through her skull.
When she tried to raise her head, she made a small moan and realised her mouth was taped up. An attempt to open her eyes was useless when she became aware of something tied over them.
She sat for a moment, allowing this information to sink in.
An initial burst of fear ran through her but she quickly worked on quelling it. She’d watched plenty of Hollywood action movies over the years and while she was fully aware of how false they were when compared to real life, they still provided some useful details she could use such as, and most importantly, not panicking until she knew there was something to panic about.
She quietly drew in a breath and began assessing the exact nature of her situation.
She was sitting on a chair. It was an upright chair, something akin to a dining chair or a kitchen table chair.
Her hands were bound on each side to the outside struts of the chair back.
She didn’t know what the binding was.
Her ankles were also securely tied – one to each front leg.
Wherever she was, it wasn’t warm but it wasn’t cold. It was also dry but she could hear the rain outside.
At that moment, she sensed a presence behind her.
‘Do not move! Do not make a sound or you die.’
And then something cold and metallic was pushed against the base of her skull.