Chapter 31. Captured

Avery’s POV

A sharp, throbbing pain brought me back to consciousness. My head felt like it had been split open, and the ground beneath me was cold and unyielding.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, blinking against the dim light filtering through a crack in the wall. My wrists were bound, the rough rope digging into my skin. The air smelled damp and metallic, and I could hear muffled voices in the distance.

My body trembled from the cold, pain, and discomfort, and my heart pounded erratically from fear and anxiety.

Where am I?

I struggled to sit up, my muscles protesting with every movement. The memories flooded back; the destroyed house, my fruitless search for Charles, and the sudden impact before everything went black. My breath hitched as realization set in: I had been captured.

My body trembled even more and tears stung the back of my eyes, it didn’t take long for them to spill as I blinked. I had never been so scared in my entire life, I had n