Threnody (Book 1) (38 page)

1

Severin Smith found himself in a foreign room.  Brilliant, white walls caused his eyes to ache and beg for mercy as he gazed around the unfamiliar room filled with an abundance of impossibly bright light reflecting mercilessly off every surface.  All part of their plan to break me, those torturing rat bastards! What the hell is this place‽ Who the hell are these people‽ He was unsure of how long he had been there and had no recollection of exactly how he came to be in the room.  Taking in his surroundings, he saw nothing that told him of his location, and with no clocks or windows, he was not even sure of the time of day.

He tried to move his arms, but realized they must be bound to the bed, as he was unable to do so.  In fact, no matter how hard he strained, he could not move either arm or leg so much as an inch.  Thankfully, his neck was not strapped down and he was able to raise his head to better assess his surroundings.  Across the room he saw a man clad in equally brilliant white, making him appear to glow like some majestic heavenly body.  Despite the fact that the room around him appeared cold, hard, and sterile, Sev briefly wondered whether the place could be Heaven and the white figure standing across the room, an angel.  He quickly dismissed the idea as he thought back to the events of the preceding week.  Heaven is the last place I’m likely to find myself!  Besides, torture isn’t permitted in heaven!  As if the white entity across the room was reading his mind, it unleashed a stimulus so unpleasant and revolting that Sev wanted to plead for death to take him.  It was only then that he realized he was unable to speak.  What have they done to rob me of my words‽

A thousand times worse than the sound of sharp fingernails scraping down a chalkboard, the unbearable noise smashed against his tympanic membranes, causing them to vibrate until his entire being convulsed in pain.  The sound of running water flooded his mind with unimaginably intense fear and dread well before his body was racked with spasms so severe that his every muscle felt as though it would tear itself to shreds.  With absolute, unbridled terror, he realized they must be planning to drown him.  Though he tried fervently to scream and shout, the violent spasms ravaging his neck and chest caused every attempt to die painfully within the confines of his throat.  You waterboarding bastards!  I’ll kill every one of you assholes if I get free!  Feeling his vision begin to fade and sensing the futility of his struggles, Sev quickly abandoned all attempts to yell in favor of focusing on the simple task of breathing.

Looming over him in stark contrast to every stereotypical preconception of death, the man in white wore a deceptively benevolent expression that did little to dispel Sev’s rising panic.  As he strained uselessly against his bonds, Sev’s vision began to fade, engulfed by a relentless, slowly encroaching, black ring, as if the white man’s very presence could somehow deprive his retinas of vital oxygen.

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