darkness

My eyes were open but it was so dark I couldn’t see. The only glimmer of light was that which was came from under the thick steel door that kept me captive. I heard the drip drip drip of water hit the concrete floor. I felt the coldness of the uneven concrete on my naked body, my back to the wall. My arms above me tied with chains from a ring in the wall.

I heard the rustling of keys from outside. Then a click and a flood of light poured in from the ever expanding gap the door was making. I closed my eyes. I could hear a man entering, making his way over to me, keys dangling from his belt.

‘Eyes open boy’ he screamed in a very regimental tone. I opened my eyes at once and saw a clean shaven heavy set white man with a bald head. He was smiling, why I didn’t know.

He reached behind him and produced a chain with a closed padlock at the end.

‘This is your last chance,’ he started, ‘to tell me who it is you work for!’

I kept quiet. There was no way this man was getting anything out of me. I was determined to keep my mouth shut no matter what.  

‘This ain't going to be pretty boy,’ he smiled, ‘well not for you anyway!’ he laughed an evil laugh.

He stepped back once and turned sideways. I think I knew what was about to come but I was afraid to even think about it, until I saw the chain with the padlock swing towards me with great force and speed.

I screamed as it collided with my body, breaking the skin as it hit. Before I knew it it was coming back for a second time, the padlock hitting me on the side of my head. I could hear my ears ringing. I saw the man’s lips move but for the life of me I couldn’t hear what he was saying.

The chain once more came hurtling towards my body.

‘Will this ever end?’ I asked myself. I could feel a warm liquid fall down my body, it was my blood. That last wrap of the chains made me spit blood. I didn’t dare look down to see what damage had been done to my body. I didn’t need to. I closed my eyes and waited with baited breath for the chain to be swung again, but it wasn’t.

The bald man grabbed me by the hair and screamed ‘eyes open boy!’ once more. I could barely hear him because my ears were still ringing but even so I reluctantly opened them, my left eye bloodshot.

I stared into the bald mans eyes. They were wide and cold, as if he had lost his soul, and almost bulging out of their sockets.

He said, ‘I’m proud of you boy, you have successfully completed 24 hours of being kept captive. Welcome to special branch.’