C1 English Reading – Short Story & Grammar Quiz
The coarse rope chafed against Anya’s wrists. Her blindfold had been tied tightly, but she could still imagine doing anything to escape this suffocating darkness. Hours had passed since she was seized from her apartment, the suddenness of the event still a jarring memory. She could recall hearing the harsh voices, the scuffle, then the sickening thud as her head hit something hard.
Anya tried to resist doing anything that might provoke her captors, but a cold dread gripped her. The air was heavy with the smell of damp earth and something metallic. She must have looked terrified, even though no one could see her eyes.
A heavy door creaked open, letting in a sliver of light. Footsteps approached. “She has been awake for a while now,” a voice mumbled. Anya tensed, her heart thumping. This had to be the moment. Her initial inability to process the horror was fading, replaced by a desperate need for survival. She might have heard police sirens earlier, or perhaps it was just a hopeful sound.
She focused, trying to piece together any sound, any hint of her surroundings. Suddenly, a loud bang was heard from outside, followed by shouts. The door burst open, and bright lights were shone directly into her eyes. “You’re safe now,” a firm voice said. Anya had survived.