FEBUWHUMP DAY 1: TRAPPED
Febuwhump challenge by @spidersonangst English is not my first language, so please do tell me about my mistakes. Ann Halstead is a main character from my story "The Disappearance" that I abandoned at 3rd chapter, this is just bits and pieces that can't leave my head.
"Damn it", Ann angrily whispered, sitting down on a squeaky old bed. "Fucking hell." Somehow, swearing did help to calm down her nerves. Like it always did.
Breathe in. Hold it for a second. Breathe out.
That didn't help. Nothing did, actually. Screaming, shouting, whispering, banging on the insides of the shipping container she ended up in. Nothing helped to set her free. She was rid of her phone right after her captor knocked her out, gently lowering her on the ground. Her gun, too. And the badge. "Fucking badge", Ann swore out loud. She's in a very big trouble. Outside the container, that is. She let some asshole to steal her service gun, which already meant a bunch of problems. And the badge... That's a fucking combo. Time doesn't feel like it's going too fast or too slow, it feels like everything is just frozen. Ann doesn't really know how much time it has been.
An hour? Two? A day? She doesn't even know how long she was unconscious, for Christ's sake! "And the reason", she finally said out loud. "Who the fuck is stupid enough?" She stood up, hearing something scrape the metal wall of the container. A short, barely noticeable scrape. A scratch. Like someone is out there, listening. She tried her best to get off bed as silent as she could, the bed giving out a low squeak - low enough to pass it for some wind if you didn't know about the woman inside. Ann tiptoed on her bare feet in the direction of the sound, barely touching metal with her fingertips, trying not to lean too hard so it wouldn't give her out and started to listen. Nothing. With a shaky breath, she took a step back, wiping away the sweat off her forehead with a sleeve of grey jacket. The darkness made all sounds louder and so Ann didn't move, awaiting for another scratch. Another couple of minutes passed by and Ann heard a commotion on the other side of container, quickly stepping to that place. It was like someone was out there. Not one person, rustling with their clothed bodies and feet, maybe two, she noted. They were quiet, trying to keep themselves unnoticed. Suddenly, the lock jingled, giving a good loud rumble to the whole place, and the door opened. Ann closed her eyes of the sudden brightness for a second, trying to see something in light after being in the dark for so long, but before she opened her teary eyes, the door closed. She jumped to it, banging on the metal and screaming another set of curses. "Fuck you!" was her final note when she turned back into the darkness of an almost empty place. She was angry and tired and unbelievably disappointed at herself. Huffing out another puff of breath, she finally leaned off the door and slowly started to walk in the direction of her bed. Slowly, because the first time she got off the bed and tried to find it later, she hit her knees on the metal sticks so hard that it's still hurts a little. Slowly, step by step, reaching one hand out just in case, she started her path. One step. Two steps. She stumbled onto something on her third, so she carefully lowered down, while her heart rate jumped high in the sky. Ann shakily gulped, suddenly blind and deaf to the world out of fear while being high alerted to anything and everything at the same time. She touched the thing. The thing gasped. A human. They dropped someone else with her. "Hey," she whispered, mouth dry and voice cracking, "Are you alright?" "Annie?" the familiar hoarse voice called back, breathing hard.
