Reason to Suspect

Orion woke with a startled gasp of air, his body jerking upright. His chest heaved up and down in rapid succession as he glanced around his surroundings. This was a foreign place, that he was sure of. The room was dark — gloomy, almost — and whatever light that was available had a reddish hue to it.

Instantly, his body tensed with alertness. His limbs felt an awful lot weaker than usual, even bordering numbness. Instinctively, he reached for his ears, only to find his earlobes empty.

His ear studs weren't there.

Orion tried his best to maintain a straight face as he thought back as far as he could. However, whenever he tried to pull for his memories, a sharp pain would run through his skull as though he was pierced with a spear. He clutched the side of his head, forcing himself to remember.