Chapter 49

• Belle***
• "Who’s there?" My voice trembled, a raw whisper that barely pierced the suffocating darkness. The smell of blood and something worse, something rancid, clawed at my senses. It filled the air, thick and suffocating, as though the darkness itself had soaked in the remnants of pain and despair. The silence was so complete, it pressed against my ears, making each breath sound louder than the last. My chest felt like it was closing in, suffocating, as though the very air in this room had turned to stone.
• A sinister chuckle fractured the stillness—low, rasping, like it came from the depths of a nightmare. The sound scraped against my nerves. Agony made audible. Then came the metallic clink of chains, dragging along the floor, slow and deliberate. My heart raced, my pulse quickened, and every muscle in my body tightened with dread.