Chapter 187: Greedy

While Kimberly and the others searched for him, a throbbing pain exploded in Melvin's head, pulling him from the oblivion of sleep.

His vision swam, blurry and indistinct. Panic clawed at his throat as he tried to raise a hand to his head, only to find his arm immobile. A cold dread settled in his gut.

He blinked rapidly, willing the haze to clear. Through the fog, he saw his hand, wrist twisted at an unnatural angle, held fast by a thick rope that bit into his skin. He was bound, tied to a rickety wooden chair that creaked ominously with the slightest movement.

Fear, cold and clammy, snaked its way through him. He tried to remember what had happened and memories flickered back – He remembered talking to Nathan and Stefan and then taking a walk. He also remembered talking to a lady… a lady who was crying, the lady whom he had unknowingly fallen into her trap since he remembered seeing her smile before darkness claimed him.