Here's the extended version with improved depth, pacing, and emotional weight while keeping it engaging:
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**CHAPTER: TRAPPED IN DARKNESS**
Pain.
That was the first thing I felt. A dull, burning ache that spread through my entire body like wildfire. Every breath I took felt like I was inhaling shards of glass. My limbs were stiff, my skin tender, as if a thousand tiny needles were pricking me all at once.
But that wasn't the worst part.
The air smelled… *different.*
It wasn't the damp, musky scent of the basement. It wasn't the overwhelming floral perfume that clung to Anamis like a second skin. No. This air was sterile, clean, sharp.
*Hospital?*
I forced my heavy eyelids open. Bright white light blinded me for a second before my vision adjusted.
A pristine ceiling. White walls. The steady *beep, beep, beep* of a heart monitor echoed in my ears.
I was lying on a bed. A drip bag was connected to my left arm. My body was covered in fresh bandages.
My mind raced.
Did they… *save* me?
No. No, that wasn't possible. They would never. They'd rather watch me bleed to death. If I was here, then someone—*someone*—had called for help.
Before I could think further, the door slammed open, the sound making me flinch.
Three figures stormed in.
My stomach twisted.
*Them.*
My *so-called* family.
They had on their best fake smiles, but their eyes… their eyes told the real story. And I knew, right there and then, that I was *screwed.*
Whoever had saved me… had only delayed the inevitable.
Anamis crossed her arms, tilting her head with mock sweetness. "You gave us quite the scare, dear sister."
My mother sighed dramatically. "Honestly, Ely, why must you always make trouble?"
My father was the worst of them all. His smile stretched across his face, but his eyes burned with unfiltered rage.
"Let's get going," he said smoothly, his voice eerily calm.
Calm was bad.
Calm meant he was beyond furious.
The car ride home was suffocating. No one spoke. No one even *looked* at me. I sat between Anamis and my mother, their presence pressing against me like walls caving in.
As we pulled up to the mansion, dread coiled in my stomach. My fingers curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms.
The driver's voice cut through the silence.
"We're here."
The moment we stepped inside, I felt it—the *shift.*
The air in the mansion was thick, suffocating, like a noose tightening around my neck.
I stopped at the center of the living room.
They sat before me, relaxed, poised, their expressions blank.
I knew this game.
The calm before the storm.
Then—
"You little bitch," my father snarled, his teeth clenched so hard I thought they might shatter.
I flinched.
"Who the fuck helped you?" His voice was dangerously low, a warning.
My heart pounded. My throat dried up.
"I-I… I don't know," I whispered.
Silence.
A thick, heavy silence.
Then—
*SLAP!*
My head snapped to the side.
*SLAP! SLAP!*
The blows came faster. My vision blurred.
"Ah—!"
A sharp kick to my ribs sent me tumbling to the floor. I curled up, gasping, my body screaming in pain.
Boots. Fists. Nails clawing at my scalp.
They didn't stop.
Not until my father growled, "Sebastian. Lock her up."
Just before I was dragged away, my father's cold voice echoed in the air.
"You won't see the light for a *long* time."
Then I was thrown into darkness.
---
At first, I was numb.
Then—
Panic.
I ran to the door, banging my fists against it with everything I had left.
"Please! *Please!* Open the door! Ahhhhhh! Mom! Dad! I'm sorry! *Please!*"
No answer.
I slid to the floor, chest rising and falling rapidly, silent sobs wracking my body.
I was alone.
Completely alone.
---
I was running.
The forest was dark. Shadows moved around me, silent watchers.
I couldn't stop.
I *wouldn't* stop.
I had finally escaped.
Then—
I tripped.
Fell face-first into a deep pit.
Pain shot through my ankle.
I stood, tried to run, but—
Figures loomed over me.
They had found me.
I looked up, tears streaming down my face.
My father.
His face was emotionless as he raised an axe above his head.
Then he swung.
---
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
I jolted awake, my entire body trembling.
My breathing was ragged, uneven, my heart pounding so violently I thought it might burst.
I was still in the basement.
Still trapped.
The dream… it wasn't just a dream. It was a *premonition.*
I curled into myself, rocking back and forth. My skin itched.
I started scratching.
And scratching.
And scratching.
Until it burned. Until it bled.
"Why… why me…?" I whispered.
Something inside me *snapped.*
I ran to the door, slamming my fists against it with renewed force.
Screaming.
Banging.
Nothing.
No one was coming.
No one was ever *coming.*
My eyes darted around the room, searching—searching for *anything.*
Then I saw it.
A thick rope.
I grabbed it.
Wrapped it around my neck.
And pulled.
The pressure built. My vision blurred. My head throbbed.
*It has to end. It has to end. It has to end…*
Then—
"AHHHHHH! STOP!"
The door burst open.
Maria.
She yanked the rope away, her face pale with horror.
I gasped, coughing violently, air flooding my lungs.
She stared at me, her eyes wide. "Ely…"
Something in me cracked.
I collapsed to the floor, sobbing.
Maria knelt beside me, wrapping her arms around my trembling frame. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm here."
But I just kept shaking.
Kept crying.
Eventually, my sobs faded into empty silence.
Maria handed me a tray of rice and stew. "Eat," she urged gently.
I stared at it blankly.
I couldn't.
She sighed, covering the food. "At least try later, okay?"
I didn't respond.
She hesitated, then whispered, "Even in the darkest times, don't lose hope. You'll find a way out of this misery. And it must not be through death."
Then she left.
Her words lingered in the air long after she was gone.
I glanced at the clock.
*11 PM.*
Maybe… maybe she was right.
There was still a way.
*Escape.*