Page 22 of Already Lost

She stepped out of the circle of one ofthe streetlights and almost immediately her momentum caught up with her, makingher tangle her feet and drop to the floor with a whoosh of breath. Tessa letout a gasp as she felt her knee hit the sidewalk – definitely not drunk enoughanymore to avoid feeling that – and she sat up. There was grit on the palms ofher hands where she’d gone down. She tried to brush it off and winced again,realizing it had ground in with her own weight.

Out of nowhere, a hand appeared in frontof her.

“Thanks,” Tessa said, not even looking up.It was so dark, anyway, and she was still too drunk indeed to be confidentabout being able to get up on her own. She took the hand and felt it flex andpull, taking her weight as she was yanked to her feet so fast she almost fellagain.

There was a blur of movement, confusingand much too fast, and Tessa thought she was going to throw up. She lookedahead. What was that? Wasn’t that – wasn’t that where she had just come from?Why was she facing the wrong way?

Something pressed against her face –something like a piece of cloth – Tessa squirmed, not wanting it there, but shefelt the outline of a hand clamped over her mouth and nose – and there wassomething behind her holding her still – her hand – he still had hold of herhand – Tessa tried to break free, giving a muffled shout of complaint, tryingto get a breath to shout again, a strong chemical smell filling her nostrils –

***

Tessa blinked slowly, trying to open hereyes. They were heavy. Like they had decided they wanted to stay shut. For amoment she wondered if she’d managed to glue her real eyelashes together underthe false ones.

Then she managed to get a look at the roomshe was in, and her confusion deepened.

Wasn’t she at home?

She remembered leaving the party, butnothing else. That wasn’t too unusual. But – where was she? Normally shemanaged to find her way home. And this didn’t look like someone else’s homeeither. This was – it was like some kind of warehouse. Big and empty. A good venuefor a party, actually.

But this wasn’t where she had been lastnight.

Tessa wanted to groan, but she moved hertongue slightly and felt how dry her throat was and held the noise back. Sheblinked her eyes a few more times to try to clear them. Why did she feel soheavy and slow? How much had she drunk last night?

Had she been spiked?

She turned her head slightly, just a tinymovement, but it sent pain ricocheting through her skull. Hangover. She knewthat one well enough. What a time for it to strike, though. Where the hell wasshe? Was she going to be able to walk home from here, or would she need a cab?And why was she on the floor?

Tessa saw something move ahead of her andrealized it was a figure – a person – someone shrouded in so much darkness shehadn’t even seen them. “Hey,” she croaked, thinking they might be able to tellher where she was and why. She moved to sit up, trying to put her hand down –

And failing.

What the hell?

Tessa moved her hands again and then herfeet, realizing in panic that she was tied up. She couldn’t move. Not onlythat, but the figure she had seen had gotten up and was walking towards her –no, not towards her, towards the wall. There was something over there, somekind of box. He did something to it with his back to her and then a songstarted up, something old and soulful, something she didn’t recognize. Itdidn’t sound like it was being played over speakers, either.

He was my man, and we were so happy

Two fools in love, how now it may seem

Now when I think of how I was happy

I don't recall was it nightmare or dream

What was this song? Why was it playing?

To hide her screams?

Tessa stared at him. “Who are you?” sheasked. “What are you doing?”

He turned and looked down at her, as ifsurprised to see her. He had the strangest look on his face. Like he was almostsorry she was down there tied up on her own.

“Allow me to help you up,” he said. Hereached for her hands and she felt something loosen, and thought he was lettingher go. It was weird that she’d been tied up in the first place, but if he wasletting her go then she wasn’t going to argue. She would just get out of hereand go.

He took one of her hands and pulled, andTessa came right up into his arms, in a standing position. The surprise for amoment took away her concentration, but then she realized. Her feet were stillbound at the ankles, making her nearly topple over and lose her balance. Andthe ropes around her wrists – they were still there, just looser. Loose enoughshe could move her hands around to her sides, but not much further than that.She tugged at them angrily, wondering what the hell he was playing at.

“Let me go,” she snapped, fear making herangry.

“Let’s dance first,” he said, his voicedreamy, like he wasn’t even really there in the room.

---