The Edge of Collapse

Deep and unrelenting, the pain gnawed at Adrian's body, but he refused to give in. His wrists ached from the rope digging into his skin, his muscles burning from the hours—days? —of captivity, but he gritted his teeth and made himself stay upright. He couldn't afford to break. Not now. Not yet.

A door creaked open, the sound of metal against metal slicing through stale air. Footsteps followed, deliberate and unhurried.

Adrian didn't lift his head. He knew who it ...