The Man With The Strange Tattoos (Part One)

      Amber found herself lying on a cold cement ground unaware of where she was or how she had gotten there. The only light source came from a small flickering bulb on the far side of the room. It only illuminated a small corner of the large space and Amber found it difficult to see. She stayed on the ground, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Minutes went by and she was still trapped in a foggy gloom that only allowed her to see faint silhouette. Slowly she stood up, brushed a thin layer of dirt off of her worn jeans and felt around until she bumped into a wall. From what Amber could tell, the room was littered with boxes or maybe crates.

     “Hello” She said into the seemingly empty room. “Is anyone here?”

     When there was no answer she followed the wall towards the light. The sound of metal scraping against concrete made her stop in her tracks. A chill ran down Amber’s spine as a chair, containing someone, was dragged into the small patch of light by a large man. She quickly ducked behind a wooden crate and peeked over the side.

     The man looked to be over six feet tall and had an athletic build. Amber could see a tattoo on each of his forearms. She could make out a crescent moon on the right one and a sun on the left. The man put the chair in the middle of the lighted space and walked away murmuring to himself.

     The person in the chair was facing away from Amber and she studied them from a distance. It was apparent that the person was unconscious. It was clearly a young woman, no older than twenty-five. She was gagged and her wrists were bound to the arms of the chair with clear zip ties that dug into her skin. Her shoulder length, strawberry blond hair complemented her porcelain skin. Amber imagined she was a beautiful woman. The type of girl that got all the guys in high school. She was dressed in a flimsy tank top and athletic shorts. Her feet were bare and legs were littered with dark purple bruises.

     Something about this woman struck Amber as familiar and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the unnerving feeling that was building in the pit of her stomach.

     Amber carefully moved towards the woman, keeping one hand on the wall. As she circled towards the front of the woman, Amber’s heart stopped. It was in that moment that she realized why the woman seemed so familiar. The woman’s heart shaped face and full lips were a common sight for Amber.

     “Lily!” Amber yelled reaching for her older sister. Just before Amber reached the chair she was grabbed from behind. “Let go of me! Who are you? What do you want with my sister?” Amber’s attacker, obviously a man, was refusing to answer any of her questions.

     Amber looked at Lily again. Her arms were covered in deep, thin cuts that had yet to heal. Lily’s face was covered in bruises that were more yellow then purple. Blood dripped down from Lily’s temple.

     The room was suddenly dimly lit. A spot light hovered over Lily. A new figured walked into the room, although he stayed in the shadows. He seemed to be slim and lanky.

     “This is all your fault Amber. You put her in danger.” The figure’s voice boomed through the concrete room.

     Before Amber could respond, a hand clamped over her mouth. She glanced over at Lily to see that she was conscious. Her eyes were wide and filled with terror. Lily tried to scream when she noticed Amber. A different man in a red beanie stepped in front of Lily with a long, thin knife. Amber tried to lunge forward but was held back by the man with the tattoos.

     The man in the red hat held the knife at Lily’s throat. Before anything further could happen Amber woke up breathing heavy. Her palms were sweaty and her heart hammered in her chest. She looked around her room, confused by the nightmare that she had just been pulled out of.