She woke with a start, gasping for air as if emerging from a long trip underwater. It became clear fairly quickly that everything was somehow wrong. Her entire body was overcome by a vague, all encompassing ache. Her chest was too tight to take in a full breath. The air was thick and wet. Perhaps most concerning of all, however, was that she could not recognize the room she suddenly found herself in.
She felt around for something familiar, some sort of anchor, but none could be found. There was only the familiar jingle of the heart-shaped locket she wore on a bracelet around her right wrist. She sat in nearly complete darkness, save for the soft light coming from a large clock. The clock was counting down from twenty minutes, and sat on a small table next to a book of matches and a candle. With shaking hands, she lit a match and ignited the flame. Once her immediate surroundings were finally made clear she let out a scream. Bound to her by a painfully tight vest were three large, red explosive containers.
She looked at the vest then back at the clock. Panic began to set in. She pulled and pulled at the...