Chapter 2 Drugged
The man who opened the door wasn’t who she expected. He was older, maybe in his fifties, gray hair, lines carved deep into his face like life had not been kind to him, he looked at her for a second too long, like she didn’t belong here.
“Can I help you?” he asked in Italian, his tone careful.
Lyra lifted the paper with the address, her fingers trembling despite how hard she tried to steady them. “I’m looking for someone,” she said in broken Italian, then gave up and switched to English. “This address… do you know them?”
His eyes dropped to the paper, for a moment, something changed in his face, recognition. Then it was gone, shut down so fast it almost made her doubt she saw it.
“No one by that name lives here anymore,” he said. “They moved, long time ago.”
The words hit harder than she expected and her chest tightened. “Moved where?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I bought this house three years ago. The people before me didn’t leave anything behind.”
Three years, her grip on the paper tightened. Her mother had sent her here with this. This was all she had.
“Please,” she said, and this time she couldn’t hide it, her voice broke. “I need to find them. It’s important.”
The man studied her, really looked this time, like he was trying to decide something, then he sighed and stepped back. “Wait here.”
The door stayed half open as he walked away, Lyra stood there, her heart beating too fast, her suitcase handle digging into her palm. Every second stretched, filling her head with doubt.
What if this was a mistake? What if her mother lied? What if she came all this way for nothing?
The man came back and handed her a small slip of paper.
“The agent who sold me the house,” he said. “Maybe she knows something.”
He hesitated, then added, “There’s a bar downtown. The Pit, the man who lived here… he went there often, people talk in places like that.”
Lyra swallowed and took the paper. “Thank you.”
He only nodded before closing the door, just like that, she stood there a moment longer, staring at the paper like it might disappear if she blinked, then turned and walked back down the path, dragging her suitcase behind her, the sound loud in the quiet street. She decided to find a place to sleep before looking again.
The motel was worse than she expected, the smell hit first, old carpet, smoke that had sunk into the walls, something damp underneath it all. Lyra paid for one night with the last of her cash, forcing herself not to think about what came after that.
The room was small, a bed, a chair, a window facing the parking lot, that was it. She set her suitcase down and sat on the edge of the bed. It creaked under her weight, her hands were still shaking as she pulled out the paper again.
The Pit.
That was all she had now, no address, no family, no certainty, just a name. She sat there for a long time, too tired to move, too restless to sleep, her mind kept circling the same thought. What if this goes wrong too?
After an hour, the silence became too loud, she stood, grabbed her jacket, and left.
The club was already packed, music hit her the moment she stepped inside, loud enough to make her chest vibrate. Bodies pressed too close, voices blending into noise.
Lyra pulled her jacket tighter around herself even though it was warm. She had changed into the only clean shirt she had left, simple, plain, nothing that should draw attention.
It didn’t matter, but she still felt eyes on her, too many. She ignored them and pushed toward the bar, slipping between people who barely noticed her or noticed her too much, the bartender, a woman with bleached blonde hair, looked up.
“What can I get you?”
“Water,” Lyra said quickly. “Just water.”
The woman gave her a look but poured it anyway. Lyra turned with the glass, scanning the room, she didn’t know what she was looking for.
A face? A sign? Someone who looked like they knew her?
Nothing stood out, just strangers, she took a small sip, trying to calm the tight feeling in her chest.
Then she felt a hand on her lower back, she flinched and turned sharply. A man stood too close behind her, tall, broad, his smile wrong in a way that made her stomach turn.
“You look lonely,” he said.
“I’m not.”
She stepped back, and he stepped forward. “Let me get you a drink,” he said. “Something better than that.”
“No.”
Her answer came quicker this time, his smile didn’t change. “Don’t be difficult.”
His fingers brushed her arm. Lyra pulled away immediately, her pulse picking up. “I said no.”
For a second, something flashed in his eyes, annoyance, then it was gone, replaced with that same smile.
“Relax. I’m just being nice.”
She didn’t respond as she turned and walked away, faster now, pushing through the crowd. Her chest felt tight again, this was a mistake. She shouldn’t have come.
She found a spot near the wall and leaned against it, trying to steady her breathing, she didn’t need to look to know the man was still watching her, she could feel it, she lifted the glass again and took a sip, then paused, something wasn’t right, the taste. She frowned and looked down at it.
It looked normal. Still... she took another small sip, a mistake, a few seconds passed, then the room shifted, not fully, just enough to feel wrong, her head felt heavy and her fingers tightened around the glass.
Her breath hitched as the realization hit.
No, no, no... She looked up, the man was moving toward her again, this time, he wasn’t pretending. Panic hit hard.
She pushed off the wall and started walking, fast as she could, but her steps weren’t steady anymore, the floor felt uneven under her feet, the lights blurred.
She tried to focus on the door, on anything that would get her out, but her body wasn’t keeping up, her legs weakened and her vision dipped.
And then... She walked straight into someone, a solid chest stopped her fall, strong hands caught her arms before she hit the ground.
“Easy.”
The voice was low and firm, not the guy chasing her. Lyra tried to pull back, but her body didn’t respond the way she wanted. “Let me go,” she managed, her words slurred.
The grip on her arms tightened slightly. “Not a chance.”
Fear spiked again, but it didn’t feel the same, she tried to look up, but everything blurred together, a different scent, not like the other man.
“Stop fighting,” the voice said, closer now. “I’ve got you.”
Her body gave up before her mind did, the last thing she felt was being lifted, and then everything went dark.
