I woke up in what seemed to be the backroom of the store. My surroundings were blurry. All I could see immediately around me were the different products on the shelf. It was slightly dark, with a single light hanging above my head, casting a pale-yellow glow throughout the room. I could hear hushed voices in the next room. They seemed agitated.
I started coming to a bit more and tried to say something. There was a cloth in my mouth. No matter how I tried to form words or fight, nothing came out except higher-pitched grunts. My arms and legs were bound to the chair, and I could barely move. That’s when something caught my attention. A sound. A sound of breathing. A sound of shallow, quiet breathing. I could turn my head and see another woman in the same situation that I was in. I tried gr
