The abandoned house stood in eerie silence, as though it had chosen solitude, as if having people around was an unnecessary luxury.
Before the varnish was applied, the floor had once been a highly polished parquet, with individual blocks carefully placed and sanded to a smooth finish. The window frames were sturdy, the walls were rock solid, and the glass was unbroken and triple-glazed. In general, the area had the appearance of a set waiting for life to happen.
But the smell gave it away, and the dust. Mostly, the smell. Musty and dry, like a place sealed up for too long, untouched by fresh air.
Inside the house, four burly men stood guard, their eyes sharp, masked to hide their identities. In front of them sat Hannah and Louis, tied to chairs with their hands bound behind them, facing each other. Both looked pale and weak, unconscious.
Louis stirred first. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, trying to make sense of his surroundings. His gaze fell on Hannah, tied up just like him.
“Hannah! Hannah, wake up!” Louis shouted, his voice hoarse, stamping his feet hard on the floor.
Hannah groaned and slowly opened her eyes. “W-What?” she stammered, confused. When her eyes locked on Louis, her panic flared. “Louis! What is this? Where are we? What’s happening?!”
“Calm down, Hannah,” Louis urged.
“Calm down? How can I calm down? We’re tied up!” Hannah’s voice rose, her fear taking over. “What is going on?!”
“I don’t know, okay? Just breathe.” Louis kept his voice steady, trying to keep her from spiraling.
“Don’t tell me to breathe!” she snapped. “This is serious! How did we end up here?”
“I don’t know either. The last thing I remember is… we were at the coffee shop, waiting for Kimberly.” Louis furrowed his brow, trying to piece it together. “Then those two guys approached us.”
**Flashback**
Hannah and Louis had been sitting at a corner table in the coffee shop, talking about their plans for the day while waiting for Kimberly. The cafe’s warm tones and the smell of fresh coffee made it a cozy spot, but the peace was interrupted when two men walked up to their table.
One of the men, lean and tall, spoke first. “There’s someone who wants to talk to you both,” he said.
Hannah gave him a hard look. “And who might that be?” she asked, suspicion clear in her voice.
“You’ll see when you come outside,” the second man replied, sounding annoyed.
Hannah folded her arms and shot back, “Well, tell them to come here. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Louis leaned in, trying to de-escalate the situation. “Hannah, maybe we should go see who it is,” he said softly.
“No! We don’t know these guys, Louis! I’m not moving.” Hannah’s face was set with stubbornness.
Louis sighed and stood up. “I’ll go. You stay here.”
Reluctantly, he followed the men outside. Hannah sat there, waiting, tapping her fingers anxiously on the table. Fifteen minutes passed, then twenty.
“Where’s Louis?” she muttered, standing up. After a few more minutes, she grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
Outside, she spotted a black van parked near the entrance. The two men stood next to it. “Where’s Louis?” she demanded, approaching them.
“He’s inside, talking to our boss,” one of them replied casually.
Hannah frowned, uneasy. “Let me see him.”
“Sure,” they said, opening the van door. But the moment she peeked inside, they grabbed her and shoved her in. The van sped off before she could scream.
**End of Flashback**
“I told you not to go with them!” Hannah yelled, her eyes blazing with anger. “But you didn’t listen!”
“I’m sorry, okay?” Louis said, his voice full of regret. “I should have listened to you.”
Hannah let out a deep breath. “Fine. Now, we just need to figure out how to get out of here.”
“Agreed.” Louis shifted in his chair, trying to get closer to her.
But before he could move further, a deep voice rang out. “Where do you think you’re going?”
A large man stepped out from the shadows. His face was hidden behind a mask, his build as intimidating as a linebacker. “Did you really think you could escape?”
“Who are you?!” Hannah shouted.
The man stepped closer, bending down so that his masked face was just inches from hers. He grabbed her chin roughly. “You’ll find out soon enough,” he said, his voice low and threatening.
Hannah glared at him, then spat in his face. “Go to hell!” she hissed.
The man’s expression darkened. He slammed her back into the chair, gripping her throat. “You’ll regret that!” he snarled, his hand tightening around her neck.
“Hannah!” Louis yelled, struggling in his chair.
The man smacked her across the face, and blood trickled from her lip. “Next time, keep your mouth shut.”
Another man, wearing a similar mask, walked over. “Joey, are they giving you trouble?” he asked, glancing at Louis and Hannah.
“No,” Joey replied, releasing Hannah and stepping back. “Not anymore.”
The second man nodded. “Good. We need to figure out what to do with them.”
Louis and Hannah exchanged a nervous glance.
“What does the boss want with us?” Joey asked the other man, who he called Gilbert.
“I don’t know yet,” Gilbert replied. “But she’ll decide soon enough.”
“Well, let’s make it quick. I don’t like keeping them here for too long,” Joey said, growing impatient.
Gilbert checked his watch. “It’s been two hours. Time for another dose.”
Joey nodded and walked over to a small box. He pulled out a syringe and approached Louis.
“What are you doing?!” Louis shouted, trying to pull away.
“Just something to keep your wolf in check,” Joey smirked as he injected the substance into Louis’ arm.
Louis winced as the needle pierced his skin, the liquid burning as it entered his bloodstream. Joey moved to Hannah next, doing the same.
“Joey! The boss is here!” Gilbert called from the doorway.
Joey and Gilbert immediately straightened up as footsteps echoed through the hallway.