It took everything she had not to scream as blind terror exploded through her. Her blood froze in her veins; her heart stopped and then jackhammered against her breastbone. The blackness closed in around her, suffocating her. She lay on her side, and her hands were bound behind her, bronze blistering her flesh. Her fingers trembled, and she fisted them tight, trying to fight down the need to gag. She didn’t know where she was, just that she was bronze-bound and alone in the vast, gloomy nothing. It was the sum of all her fears. Her stomach heaved at the thought, and she swallowed bitter bile that coated her tongue. Sweat slid down her face to burn her eyes. Tremors ran through her muscles, and she panted, her face pressed to the hard, cold floor. Something landed on her back, and she bucked, biting back a terrified shriek. Whatever was on her rolled away, but she knew it wasn’t gone. She could hear it breathing. She went rigid, waiting for the next nightmare to materialize. Sandpaper rasped against her left cheek, and she flinched away from the harsh sensation.
