The man’s outline blurred into view. May squinted through her one good eye, the other sealed shut from the initial attack.
‘Some water?’ said the man.
May attempted to speak, the words lost in her throat. A dry rasping sound escaped from her mouth. The man pulled her hair back and parted her lips. May maintained eye contact as the cold water trickled down her throat. She struggled, her wrists and ankles bound tight on a cast iron chair as she choked on the liquid.
The man released his grip. ‘More?’
It had been at least twenty-four hours since she’d been taken. She couldn’t remember anything about the journey from outside the hotel to her current location. She’d awoken in the darkness a few times, her limbs heavy, her body desperate for liquid. Each time she’d tried to stay awake only to fall back asleep within seconds. She wanted to accept more water, though feared the liquid was drugged.
‘It’s merely water,’ said the man, reading her thoughts.
May nodded and he tipped more water down her throat. Her body was damp with sweat. She’d wet herself during the night, her underwear and trousers were damp and sticky. ‘Can I have a shower?’ she asked, her voice little more than a rasp. She knew the answer but wanted to start a dialogue.
‘I’ll bring you some food later,’ he said.
May fought the drowsiness, the remnants of whatever drug he’d pumped into her still circling her bloodstream. ‘What happened to Sean?’ she asked, remembering the glint of silver. Her ex-boyfriend’s vacant eyes, the slash of red on his neck.
‘He won’t be troubling you any more, Sarah.’
‘And me. Am I going to be one of your victims?’ She needed to keep him talking. Adrenalin flooded her system as she asked him the question. She tried not to think of his previous victims. What they’d endured before their death. Her mind was still sluggish as she tried to reconcile this new information. She remembered each of the victims, desperate to discover their connection to the man who stood before her. The man who was now walking to the door.
‘I sincerely hope not,’ said the man, switching off the light and closing the door.