Cage (Dark World Book 1) Read Online Free

wondering when the dots would appear. Her fear increased as her breathing grew labored.
    Am I dying?
    Long moments passed and her hyperventilating slowed. Breathe, you’re fine. Nothing happened. The red welt itched, nothing more. She was lightheaded but surmised it was her own fault. Another insect buzzed by. Cyra danced around it, swatted it and watched as it too dropped to the ground. Cyra stomped on it with her good foot until it was smashed into the dirt.
    “Who would attack a lone woman? And how would someone direct real insects?” The idea was confusing as hell and somewhat scary. Obeying insects? What type of life form were these things? The government would be hearing of this new development. No one attacked women and lived; filthy animals weren’t permitted on Earth.
    A swarm of the tiny insects buzzed in a circle at eye level a few feet away. Cyra held her breath and inched back. Absently, she scratched at her arm. When far enough, she trot-limped as fast as she could in a different direction.
    Dusk settled as time waned. As Cyra moved she realized there might have been more damage done to her body then she first realized. Her movements slowed to a creep as the aching in her bones could no longer be ignored. Her eyes gazed about for a place to rest and unfortunately spend the night. She was surprised she hadn’t been approached by anyone. The microchip in her hand should have activated some type of sensor indicating her whereabouts to personnel. All government employees were chipped for safety reasons. Cyra wasn’t expendable. A small comfort in the middle of nowhere.
    Up ahead in a tiny clearing was a wall made of small tree trunks lashed together. A sure sign of life. Cyra stood before the structure wondering what it would take to expand on it to create a safe sleeping area. It was one simple wall, about twelve feet high and twelve feet long. The tops were carved into pointed spears; the tips looked dipped in a metal substance. Cyra looked behind it; there was nothing there, just the other side of the wall.
    “Huh. Who would go to the trouble of building one single wall? Bored children starting a fort? How sad if there are young ones trapped in a radioactive zone. Also highly unlikely.”
    Cyra touched the wood; it was smooth under her fingertips and sturdy as hell. She howled and spun in a fast circle when three more walls shot up from the ground sealing her in before she could react. Cyra banged against the walls with opened hands and closed fists; she kicked the solid mass, her body protesting with pain, her sore ankle was in agony supporting her weight. She was trapped, caged within the twelve foot by twelve foot enclosure.
    She tried running at the walls to scale the height, but the sides were more than smooth, they were slick. She skidded down each time to land on her butt. Struggling to her feet, she stood in the middle of the structure and swore. It had to be an animal trap, a huge-ass animal. Cyra tried not to panic, knowing if someone set the trap they would come back to see if they had been successful and would let her out. A small amount of panic niggled the back of her mind as she wondered if this were some plot, kidnapping her for her expertise. She shrugged off the thought, she was brilliant but there were others far more superior.
    Well maybe one or two others.
    A humming sounded. For a second, she spun in circles wondering if she was under attack again. On one of the walls near the bottom a box opened she hadn’t noticed. She approached with caution. A clean container filled with what appeared to be water sloshed. Parched and sweaty Cyra dipped her hand into the liquid. She supposed now was a good time to declare herself desperate. A tiny taste confirmed it was plain water. It was apparent whoever trapped her wanted her alive. She drank until satisfied. She scooped huge amounts to toss over her head and rinse the back of her neck and then throat and breasts. The bucket refilled from the