Prologue

THE SEARING PAIN OF a thousand tiny needles stabbing her brain shattered the darkness and pulled Amy back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open and, through a fog of disorientation, she tried to make sense of what was happening.

Strange sensations bombarded her, from the musty odor of the air to the damp chill invading her bones. Every inch of her hurt from her hair to her toenails. She raised her hands to massage her temples, hoping to ease the persistent pain, but her body protested the movement, and her arms fell limply to her sides.

Since sitting up was out of the question, she turned her head to the side. Even that was a struggle. Then she gasped in alarm. Were those bars? She blinked repeatedly; they couldn't possibly be real.

Desperately hoping it was all an illusion, she reached out, ignoring the stiffness and pain. When her fingertips grazed the cold metal, a whimper of fear escaped her throat. It was beyond thinking that someone had brought her there and confined her to this cell without her knowing. She didn't want to consider what else they might have done while she was unaware.

As she studied her prison, she realized the ceiling loomed oppressively close. Surely too low to stand. This was no ordinary cell. It was a cage, and she was trapped inside like an animal.

Amy groaned as she rolled onto her side then farther onto her stomach. She forced herself up on all fours despite the pain. She had to get out of there—somehow.

Moving with excruciating slowness, she fought against her weakened body, using every ounce of strength to push a hand and one knee forward. Her muscles screamed in protest, but she forced herself forward. The effort drained what little energy she possessed, however, and she collapsed onto the cold, hard floor. Frustration consumed her, and a desperate sob escaped her lips.

As she lay there, unsure of her next move, she heard a loud thud followed by a faint humming noise. Was someone coming? Her jailor, or perhaps a rescuer?

Amy peered through the bars, but the room was shrouded in darkness, the only light a faint blue glow in the distance. She squinted, trying to focus, but could see only a few feet beyond the cramped cage. Then she noticed another set of bars next to hers, and inside a male figure sprawled awkwardly on his back.

"Hello," she called out, her voice raspy and strained from her dry throat. She licked her lips and swallowed, but it did little good, as parched as she was.

She made another attempt, croaking like a frog this time as she asked, "Are you all right?"

When he didn't respond, she squinted, trying to make out the rise and fall of his chest. But there was no movement at all.

Was this her fate, too? To die in this wretched cage all alone ?

Amy strained to recall how she had gotten here. Flashes of waking came to her, like now. But her mind was a chaotic whirl of fragmented images, making it impossible for her to grasp on to any specific memories.

The sound of a rock skittering across the floor and the crunching of dirt beneath a shoe made panic flare inside her. The blue light grew stronger until, like a specter from her worst nightmares, a waxy, white figure with black eyes appeared. To her horror, it moved in her direction. Soon it was at the door to her cage, its gaze cold and soulless as it locked on her.

The hinges let out an ominous creak that spiked the panic surging inside her. Amy couldn't scramble away, so she rolled, but her efforts were in vain, thwarted by the cold, unyielding bars that blocked her escape.

She tried to scream, but only a feeble squeak escaped her terror-stricken throat as the being crouched down, its bony, pale fingers extending toward her.

A memory of another moment flashed before her, of the same skeletal hands. She had thrashed and struggled against her captor's forceful grip as he removed her from the cage. Though its gender was indiscernible, the sheer might it possessed left no doubt in her mind it was a male. The events that followed were a blur, but a profound weariness and a deep sense of hopelessness consumed her upon returning to her prison.

Now, as she looked into his dispassionate black eyes, a chilling awareness crept into her mind. This could very well be the end.

"No, please," she begged, as he grabbed her upper arms and dragged her out. Her hoarse cries and desperate pleas fell on deaf ears, his cold and emotionless appearance matching his indifference to her suffering.

The intensity of her fear was more than Amy's tormented mind could bear. Her grasp on consciousness shattered, plunging her once again into a void of darkness.