Page 84 of Rescuing Sophia

I try to lie down, but the mattress offers no relief, only pressingagainst my bruises, making the pain throb deeper and more insistent.

The absolute darkness is a vile, living thing, wrapping itself around me, invading every corner of my mind. It smothers me. Its weight is so heavy it’s hard to breathe. My heart races, a wild, panicked beat that thrums in my ears.

I close my eyes, not that it makes any difference, and try to sleep. But in this suffocating blackness, sleep is impossible.

The darkness is alive, whispering in my ear, twisting my thoughts into nightmares that aren’t quite dreams. It closes in on me, a relentless, choking force that threatens to drive me mad.

I curl up tighter, pulling my knees to my chest, trying to find some small measure of comfort in my own warmth.

Restless, I toss and turn, my body trapped on this slab of metal, my mind caught in the clutches of despair.

Time loses all meaning. Minutes could be hours. Hours could be days. All I know is that the darkness is endless, and it’s winning.

“Please,” I whisper into the darkness, a prayer to whatever god might be listening. “Give me strength. Let me endure. Let me find a way back to my son, Blake, and the life I’ve lost.”

But as silence engulfs me once more, I can’t shake the feeling that my words fall on deaf ears.

In Malfor’s domain, there is no room for hope.

Only survival.

And tomorrow, I’ll learn just how much I can endure.

TWENTY-NINE

Sophia

Sleep eludes me.The darkness is absolute, pressing against my eyes like a physical weight. I blink, desperate for any sliver of light, but there’s no difference between eyes open or closed. It’s like being buried alive, every breath a struggle, every heartbeat a reminder that I’m trapped and vulnerable.

The cold seeps into my bones, a relentless ache that joins the chorus of pain from earlier. Every slight movement sends jolts through my body, sharp reminders of the punishment I’ve already endured.

How long have I been left here?

Hours?

Days?

Time has no meaning in this suffocating blackness.

Nothing Malfor does is by chance. His tactics are precise and calculated to break me. I’m aware of this, and it should give me an edge, should help me resist, but his cruelty is perfection, a finely honed weapon that slices through my defenses with ease.

Knowing this is his plan does nothing to fortify me against it. Instead, the knowledge only deepens my despair because I feel myself failing, feel the darkness closing in.

I can’t fight it.

Not here.

Not like this.

I try to hold on, to keep some part of myself separate, but the darkness is relentless. It gnaws at my resolve, whispering that there’s no escape, no end to the torment.

I curl in on myself, quivering in fear, my mind slipping further into the abyss. I’d do anything—anything—to make it stop. To bring back the light, the warmth, the sense that I’m still human.

But there’s nothing. No one. Just me, the darkness, and the knowledge that I’m losing and Malfor has already won.

The creak of a door shatters the silence. A sliver of light cuts through the darkness, and my heartrate skyrockets. Heavy footsteps approach.

“Good morning, my dear Sophia.” Malfor’s voice slithers through the air, dripping with false sweetness. “I do hope you slept well.”

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