…Sophie awoke slowly, as if surfacing from great depth. It was dark. She could hear muffled voices nearby, speaking a language she did not understand. She felt very weak, but surprisingly clear-headed, not something she’d expect after a night in the club… the night in the club… suddenly she did feel a little dizzy.
She tried to turn over, but a sharp tug at her wrist forced her back. She was handcuffed to the bed. Both wrists. She wanted to cry out, to call for help, but fought the urge: who knows who might hear her.
Sophie felt at her handcuffs. They did not feel like regular police handcuffs – not that she had any experience wearing those – but they were clearly heavier, chains much more massive. What was the word… she could not remember and that bothered her more, absurdly, than the fact that she was alone, chained to a strange bed in the dark and surrounded by people speaking no language she could recognize.