Tears blurred my vision, but I couldn't stop them from coming. My body trembled with the aftershocks of fear, and my chest ached with a mixture of disbelief and desperation. Why did he leave me? Why didn't he take me with him?
Then the door slammed open, and I froze. The masked man was done chasing Jason.
His heavy footsteps echoed into the room as he cursed under his breath. His anger filled the air like an electric charge, and I felt it ripple through me.
"Dammit!" His voice was low, muffled by the mask, but it was unmistakable in its fury. "You let him get away?"
The woman who had been in the room with me stiffened, her hands shaking. She didn't say anything, just stood there, her eyes flicking nervously between the masked man and me. The fear in her face mirrored my own.
I tried to make myself smaller, pushing back against the wall, as if the space between us could keep me safe. But there was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. I was trapped.
The masked man's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, filled with menace. "I told you to keep her under control. Now look what you've done."
The woman's eyes widened, and for a moment, she looked almost apologetic. But then her gaze shifted to me, and I could see the hesitation in her eyes. She was afraid too.
But it didn't matter.
"Get it done," the masked man growled, his words harsh and cold. "Inject her. Now."
I felt a wave of ice-cold terror wash over me, and I struggled against my restraints once again, but my body felt weak and useless. The woman stepped toward me, holding the syringe in her hand like it was some sort of weapon.
"No… please…" The words barely left my lips, but they were filled with more desperation than I could have ever imagined.
The woman didn't look at me. She couldn't, or maybe she just didn't want to. Her hands were trembling, the syringe poised above my skin, as if she didn't want to do this either. But the masked man was watching her, his gaze cold and unforgiving.
"Do it," he ordered, his voice low and commanding. "Now."
Her hand shook as she pressed the needle against my skin, and I flinched, my breath catching in my throat. My mind screamed at me to move, to fight, but my body betrayed me. I was paralyzed, unable to stop what was happening.
I squeezed my eyes shut, tears spilling down my face as I waited for the inevitable.