Chapter Sixteen

The surroundings were pitch-black, with only a distant light illuminating the area. The stench was overpowering, and I noticed piles of dumped objects all around. Two things were immediately apparent. First, my head and shoulders were throbbing with pain. Second, the world around me was spinning. I tried to move and realized I was bound to a wooden bench. I strained to hear the muffled voices in the background, struggling to comprehend their conversation. Slowly, the haze in my mind began to clear.

"No news yet. Maybe we got it wrong," I heard one of them say.

"That's impossible. You saw how he defended that girl," another retorted.

"But if that's the case, why isn't he here yet?" someone asked.

"I don't know."

"Two days and still no sign of him," another voice chimed in.

Two days? Have I been here for two days?