Chapter Seven

Darkness.

Nathan woke to darkness. His brain was fuzzy; he couldn't make sense of anything. Nothing but the dark.

Adrenaline immediately began to kick in. Nathan struggled but his body wouldn't move. There was something keeping him in place. It was only then that he realized he could feel his restraints; something cold and hard around his wrists and his ankles. That couldn't be right though, he wasn't supposed to be able to feel anything.

Nathan looked around but there was nothing but black. Wherever he was, it was completely devoid of light. He tried to call out but his mouth was covered and full of something that made it difficult to even move his tongue, and the most that came out of him was a muffled groan. He was trapped in the dark, unable to yell for help, unable to move, and strangely able to tell that he was being restrained.

His heart rate instantly jumped higher until it was pounding in his ears, so loudly that he couldn't hear anything but the frantic thumping. This only served to make him feel even more afraid. For a moment he was a seven-year-old boy again, lost and alone in the dark with no way to escape. Panic rolled through him and he fought against the cold metal around his wrists, trying to pull free and feeling the way it scraped against his skin.

The fact that he could feel it was just odd enough to slip through the terror in his mind. He wasn't supposed to be able to feel anything, not unless his Affliction had gone away. No, the only thing he could feel was Audrey.

Audrey.

The memories flooded back to him in a rush. He had been with Audrey through the night, he could remember that. It had been beautiful – perfect, even. Then he'd gone to get coffee for them, and… and…

Chloroform. He could remember the smell of it now, could taste it on the insides of his lips passed what tasted like material. Someone had chloroformed him when he'd been outside his truck and he'd fallen. That's right. So he'd been – abducted? Someone had taken him. But why would anyone want to kidnap him? Unless they'd been after Audrey.

Nathan tried to shout for her but the garbled noises he was making were barely audible to his own ears. If something had happened to him then he would deal with it and work it out, but he couldn't let something happen to Audrey. Not to his Audrey. He would do whatever it took to save her.

"Well look who finally decided to wake up."

A cool, lazy drawl sounded from somewhere far off to Nathan's left, and it seemed to echo around him. So he wasn't alone. He twisted his head in that direction but he couldn't make out anything through the darkness. There were the sounds of footsteps, surprisingly soft for belonging to such a curt voice, coming closer.

"Chief Wuornos," the voice said slowly, like it was tasting the words. The voice was definitely male, smooth and calculating and without any trace of the local New England accent. "I must admit I'm disappointed."

Nathan frowned, trying to place the voice, but it definitely wasn't anyone that he recognized. The steps stopped close by and he could hear the person shifting around on their feet, a coarse sound of leather scraping across something rough, like concrete perhaps.

"I mean the way he talked about you I was expecting someone, well, more. Especially from the chief of police in a town as unique as Haven. But so far this has been all too easy." There was a pause, and then, "Of course, Haven always leads to interesting jobs, that's for sure, and this is one place where you've proven yourself. Nathan Wuornos, the man who feels no pain."

There was a sudden stabbing pain in Nathan's stomach and he flinched, his body reflexively trying to shy away from the pain. He let out a strangled yelp that never made it passed the gag. His mind began racing. He could feel it. The pain redoubled as the sharp object slipped out of his skin again. There was a lingering pain radiating from the wound in his stomach, so unfamiliar that it set his nerves on edge.

How was this possible?

"Looks like they were wrong about that," the voice said with a shallow laugh. "You know it was all too easy to get around this curse thing. It's a crime that none of you figured it out before me, really. You people should be ashamed of yourselves."

This time it was a slice across his thigh, just deep enough to make Nathan's leg thrash in surprise. The man left the knife in this time, shifting it back and forth slowly so it pried the wound open further. Nathan couldn't stop himself from screaming into his gag.

"No, it was almost alarmingly simple," the man said, lifting the blade away. "I mean, really? A woman shows up in town and suddenly all of those dormant curses go haywire. The logical solution: get rid of the catalyst."

Nathan froze. The horror that had filled him at waking up in the dark was nothing to what he felt at the man's words. Audrey. She was the key to all of this. She was the one who could counter all of the Troubles. And this man had done something to her.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to yell and rage and pummel the man until he said what he'd done to Audrey. If he had hurt her, Nathan was going to kill him. He didn't care what happened to him, but if this man had hurt his Audrey then he would pay.

The man laughed again, a laugh that was cold but full of a dark mirth. It sent chills up Nathan's spine. "Oh right, I forgot how close the pair of you were," the man said in a voice that clearly stated he had forgotten no such thing. "Then it's time for the blindfold to come off, Chief Wuornos. I want to look you in the eye when I give you the news."

The darkness lifted and Nathan squinted against the blinding lights. It was like he was underneath an entire row of spotlights, all pointing directly at him. He had to squint through his lashes to be able to see at all, and he couldn't make out anything beyond the dazzling lights.

And then the face appeared. The man leaned down so his face was just inches from Nathan's, effectively blocking most of the light and making it so his face was all Nathan could see. A sneer twisted up his face as he spoke:

"I killed Audrey Parker."

Nathan scrutinized the man's face, looking for any of the tell-tale signs of a lie. His pupils did not dilate; his voice did not falter; his lips did not twitch. He was completely cool and confident, and Nathan could see no lie in him. Which meant, Audrey…

This time Nathan did yell and rage and try to attack the man. He fought against his bonds so hard that he felt the skin bruise and tear. He yelled himself hoarse even though the words never made it passed his lips. He did absolutely everything in his power to get free, to let this man know that he would suffer for what he had done.

And the only result was that the man's smile widened.

"Yes, I thought you might feel that way," he said casually. "Well either way, I have plenty of preparations I must finish before we get down to business. So how about we pick this up against later? Glad you agree."

Nathan caught the sweet smell just seconds before the white cloth was pressed over his nose. Even as he fought it, the heavy weight of unconsciousness crept back up and pulled him under once again.