LIAM CROSSWhen I opened my eyes, darkness swallowed me completely. I blinked, trying to focus, but nothing came into view. Then it hit me... the hard bang on my head before everything went black. I tried to move, but my body wouldn’t obey. My arms felt heavy, and my legs as well. Then I realized my hands were bound, stiff and tight. My face was trapped beneath a rough, suffocating hooded sack.“What the hell…” I muttered.A faint sound drifted from the distance, which was a door creaking open slowly. The sound stretched across the empty space, bouncing back in echoes. I held my breath, straining to hear, to guess, and to prepare. The darkness pressed against me, swallowing every sound I tried to make. "Hello," I screamed the moment the door made that small sound, my voice cracking because I didn’t even know if anyone was really there. I just needed someone to hear me, anyone.The footsteps came next, slow at first like the person was taking their time, then each one grew heavier,