Understanding A Killer

Prison friend

The dark room gradually lit up with a faint morning light. Eliana noticed the change, but couldn't see where it came from. She pulled herself up slowly, rubbing her puffy eyes. Her vision finally crystalized, letting her get a good look at the room for the first time. The long night spent crying was over, and now it was time to start thinking. To asses the situation objectively, she needed to scan her surroundings first. There was still some hope left.

She managed to stand up while holding onto the edge of the bed. The source of daylight that made her head pound was a small window located pretty high on the wall. So, she wasn't in some hidden basement like she theoretized before.

It was a medium-sized room that contained only the bed and a desk in the corner. There was a broken door on the left side that led to a narrow bathroom. The whole place looked old and abandoned, with pieces of wallpaper peeling off. Nonetheless, it was clean, and the furniture looked unused.
Apart from two books that laid on the table, there were practically no objects.

The metal door was most definitely locked, but Eliana tried opening it anyways. She let out a frustrated sigh as it remained unmoved, slamming a fist into it. It was a thick metal door, but the keyhole wouldn't be complicated to pick. If only she had something to do it with. But there was absolutely nothing, not on her or beside her. Hannibal made sure of that.

She checked for cameras or listening devices in every corner down to the tiny vent on the top of the wall. To her suprise, the room was completely private.

By climbing on the table, she was able to look through the window. There was nothing much to see except for the dried, brown grass. It couldn't be opened, so she knocked on it to check the thickness. The knocking was interrupted by an unlocking sound, so she quickly climbed down, taking a defensive stance.

The door opened, revealing her captor with a bag in his hand. "Good morning. I see you're already getting familiar with the place. How do you like it?" - He locked the door behind him.

"I don't like it, honestly. And it's... Too empty." - She kept her distance, gripping the table behind her. "For a very good reason, I suppose."

"I tried making it comfortable, even though the conditions aren't ideal. I hope you're not thinking about escaping." - He raised both eyebrows slightly, taking a step closer.

"To escape from you?" - She chuckled with a grin, "Is that even possible? Even right now, you're armed, right? While you made sure I have nothing to use as a weapon."

"Your guess is correct." - A threatening tone echoed in his voice. "You're only going to get hurt if you try something. And that wouldn't be... In my best interest."

Ealiana swallowed down a wave of nausea, careful not to provoke him any further. "Can I... At least know where I am?" - She beggeded in a silent voice.

"An old factory. This room, in particular, was used as an office." - His eyes scanned the place, "It's now completely abandoned. You'd have to walk very long to get anywhere."

"In other words...I'm in the middle of nowhere. With no one coming around."

"Well, in these temperatures you'd get nowhere. At least not with all your toes."

Eliana looked down, noticing the lack of  shoes inside the room. "Right."

"Anything else you'd like to know?"

She blinked twice, trying to read his face. "So, what are you planning to do with me?"

He smirked, amused at the question. "Nothing. You get to spend your time however you find pleasing. If you're reffering to torture, there won't be any of that."

"Huh." - She ramarked snarkily,
"If you don't count psychological torture, at least."

"You're really funny at times, Eliana." - He stepped closer to put the bag on the table. "Unfortunately, I can't spend more time with you right now. Tommorow, we'll have a nice, tasty dinner. For now, I hope you'll like this." He took out a closed food plate and laid it down before leaving the room.

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The day passed as Eliana paced around the room, trying to work out a plan. There was no other way around it, so she finally admitted the fact that it just wasn't going to work. She needed to create an opportunity.

Completely immersed in thought, she didn't notice she was now almost in complete darkness as night fell once again. She got on the bed and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep unintentionally.

Not even an hour passed before a sound shook her awake. She rubbed her eyes, wondering what it was, or if she fell asleep at all. A minute passed before she concluded that it was the sound of her own voice, or just a dream. She shut her eyelids, only to hear it once again.

Certain that it was real now, she got up, looking around for a source. It sounded like a woman's whimper, quiet but clear. Was she not alone here, after all?

Realizing that it came from above, she climbed on the table, knocking on the ceiling. "Hey! Can you hear me?"

Only silence echoed as the voice faded completely.

"Hey!" - She said louder this time, "Who are you?"

Silence, again.

Eliana blinked in confusion as questions about the realness of the sound came up again. Maybe it was just an animal. A sad smile formed on her lips as the thought reminded her of Will's adventures with imaginary animals. Sadness washed over her as she thought about wether she'll ever see him again.

Just as she decided to go back down, the voice returned. It was clearer this time, but it still sounded like incoherent words. Whoever the woman was, she was either crying or talking in her sleep.

"HEY!" - She tried once again, tapping on the wall firmly. "Please, respond!"

After a few seconds, a quiet response came from above. "Who... Is it?"

Eliana exhaled in relaxation, happy for getting a response. "My name is Eliana. I've been... Imprisoned here since yesterday. What's your name?"

"My name is... Miriam." - The girl spoke with odd uncertainty.

"Miriam?" - Eliana repeated, storming her mind for the reason the name felt familiar. It came to her quickly as her expression changed from curious to shocked. "Are you, perhaps... Miram Lass?"

"...Yes."

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Author's note: I'm soooo sorry for not updating. Hopefully the hiatus is over.