Excerpt: Iris

A sharp throbbing beat inside her head, and disorientation numbed her mind.
When she tried to sit up by pressing both palms against the cold, hard concrete below, she barely managed to lift her torso. Her arms trembled with the pressure of holding her body up. No matter how much she hoped moving would ease the pain extending through her limbs, it did nothing to help.
Everything still hurt.
Where am I? The question echoed inside her mind until it made her teeth chatter. The temperature was close ...