Chapter Ten: Shadows of the past
1085 Words
Adanna’s fingers trembled as she rubbed her sore wrists. The restraints were gone, but the phantom feeling of being trapped still clung to her.
Daniel’s eyes searched hers, his face a mixture of concern and urgency.
“We have to move,” he said.
Adanna swallowed, her pulse still erratic. Her mind reeled from the memory—the voice in the dark, the warning that had been whispered before the crash. Someone had wanted her gone. But why?
She met Daniel’s gaze. “Where are we?”
He hesitated, then sighed. “A safe house.”
Adanna looked around. The room was plain, sterile, almost like a hospital but without the warmth of real care. Everything felt too quiet, too controlled.
“How long have I been here?” she asked.
“Two days.”
Her stomach churned. She had lost two whole days.
Adanna pushed herself off the bed, her legs wobbly beneath her weight. Daniel moved as if to steady her, but she held up a hand. “I’m fine.”
She wasn’t.
Her body still felt weak, and her mind was a puzzle missing too many pieces.
Daniel watched her carefully. “Do you trust me yet?”
She wanted to say yes.
But something held her back.
“I trust that you haven’t killed me,” she said cautiously.
Daniel smirked. “That’s a start.”
She turned away, wrapping her arms around herself. “Who do you think did this to me?”
His expression darkened. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. But I have a theory.”
Adanna’s heart pounded. “What is it?”
Daniel walked over to the window, looking out into the night. “Before the accident, you were investigating something.”
Her breath hitched. “Investigating?”
Daniel nodded. “You were onto something—something big.” He turned to her. “And you weren’t the only one who knew it.”
A cold chill ran down her spine.
What had she been involved in?
Adanna closed her eyes, trying to reach into the fractured corners of her mind.
And then—
A flicker.
A conversation.
A dimly lit office.
A voice—deep, urgent.
“You have to be careful, Adanna. If they find out what you know…”
And then, silence.
She gasped, stepping back.
“What is it?” Daniel asked.
Adanna gripped the edge of the dresser, her knuckles white.
“I think…” Her voice shook. “I think someone warned me before the crash.”
Daniel’s expression hardened. “Then we need to find out who.”
Adanna nodded, her fear swallowed by something new—determination.
She wasn’t going to be a victim anymore.
She was going to uncover the truth.
Even if it meant walking straight into danger.
Adanna’s fingers trembled as she rubbed her sore wrists. Though the restraints were gone, she still felt trapped, as if an invisible force was holding her back. The weight of uncertainty pressed against her chest.
Daniel stood a few feet away, his posture tense, his gaze fixed on her.
“We have to move,” he said, voice edged with urgency.
Adanna swallowed hard. She wasn’t ready to move—not yet. Her mind was still reeling from the memory that had resurfaced, a fleeting whisper from the past.
She glanced around the room. It was plain, clinical, like a temporary hideout. There was no sign of personal belongings, no warmth, no trace of a life lived here.
“This isn’t your home,” she murmured.
Daniel’s eyes darkened. “No.”
“Then whose is it?”
“A safe house.”
Safe.
The word felt foreign. Nothing about this situation felt safe.
Adanna sat down on the edge of the bed, pressing her fingers against her temples. “How long have I been here?”
Daniel hesitated before answering. “Two days.”
Two days.
She had lost two whole days.
The realization sent a fresh wave of panic coursing through her veins. She had no idea what had happened during that time, what she might have said, what had been done to her.
“I need answers,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Daniel exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “So do I.”
She met his gaze. “Then start talking.”
His jaw tightened. “Before the accident, you were investigating something.”
Adanna felt her breath hitch. Investigating?
The word sent a jolt through her, as if a door in her mind had been nudged open but refused to fully unlock.
Daniel leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “I don’t know all the details, but you weren’t just some bystander in all this, Adanna. You were chasing something… or someone.”
A headache pounded at her temples.
“I don’t remember,” she admitted.
“But you will,” Daniel said. “And when you do, you need to be ready for the truth.”
Something about the way he said it sent a chill through her.
“What truth?”
He hesitated before answering.
“The accident… it wasn’t an accident.”
Adanna felt the air leave her lungs.
“No,” she whispered. “That’s not possible.”
Daniel’s eyes didn’t waver. “Someone tried to kill you.”
The words landed like a blow.
Adanna shook her head, refusing to believe it. Who would want her dead? And why?
As if sensing her disbelief, Daniel took a step closer. “Before the crash, you told me you had found something. Something dangerous. You said it would change everything.”
Adanna’s pulse pounded in her ears.
She struggled to grasp onto any memory that would confirm his words, but all she found was darkness.
Until—
A flicker.
A voice—deep, urgent.
“You have to be careful, Adanna. If they find out what you know…”
The words echoed in her mind, sending a sharp jolt through her.
She gasped, her fingers digging into the bedframe.
Daniel was watching her closely. “You remembered something, didn’t you?”
Adanna swallowed hard, nodding. “Someone warned me. Someone knew I was in danger.”
Daniel’s expression hardened. “Then we need to figure out who they were.”
Adanna’s hands curled into fists.
She wasn’t just some helpless victim.
She had been fighting for something.
And now, she was going to finish what she started—no matter the cost.
- Writer
