Ethan’s POV
My wrists burned. The ropes had been digging into my skin for what felt like days, the pain felt different, sharper, but hopeful. I wasn’t just pulling blindly anymore. I was loosening them.
The room around me was dim, lit only by a single flickering bulb overhead. It always smelled the same, sweat, mildew, and the faint metallic tang of fear that came from me.
They kept me tied to a heavy chair most of the time, a blindfold over my eyes, gagged in my mouth, only removing them when they wanted to taunt me or feed me.
But this morning, for once, I’d been left ungagged and without the blindfold, like they’d gotten careless. Maybe they didn’t think I had the strength to fight anymore.They were wrong.
I glanced toward the door. No shadows beneath it. No sound of footsteps. My
