A noise. My eyelids strained under the weight of deep sleep. A black silhouette hovered above me. I tried to move but couldn't. My wrists and ankles were shackled, held fast. I twisted and strained against what bound me, my body writhing like a snake struck with a garden spade.
From behind me, two strong hands clutched my head and held it steady. As I thrashed unsuccessfully, the figure above me slowly dragged a heavy, damp cloth over my chin, covering my mouth and letting it rest just below my eyes. He wanted to watch my rising panic and savor my fear. He was drinking in the exquisite pleasure of the dread of death. My muffled screams were lost in the darkness as I strained against my shackles with the desperation of a doomed soul.
After a horrible delay, he dragged the cloth up covering my face entirely. The second set of hands held my head immobile. And then it came. Water cascading over my head, soaking the cloth over my mouth and nose. A long steady stream. It was like being held submerged by strong hands. The wet cloth clung to my face blocking my nose and mouth, letting only water through. I tried holding my breath, but eventually I gasped. I sucked in water, sputtered, and gagged. I felt like a person drowning.
The cloth was removed and my breathing clattered as I coughed up water. I gasped and choked, having trouble breathing. My tormentor said nothing. This was simple torture. First, there would be the pleasure of my panic. Once he was satiated,there could only be one outcome, death. I heard water splashing into a metal bucket somewhere in the dark. The sound stopped. The hands behind me gripped my head as I struggled. The figure still hovering over me slowly pulled the wet cloth up over my face, again leaving my eyes uncovered for a moment. As the cloth slipped over my eyes, I heard his voice, "Now, you'll pay for what you did." Attempting to hold my breath, I flailed my arms and legs to the point that the shackles cut deep gouges in my wrists and ankles. Blood ran down my hands dripping onto the floor. Water filled my nose and throat. I gagged and gasped again.
----- Author's Note -----
Are you familiar with what's happening to the narrator in this chapter? If not, there will be more explanation at the end of the next chapter.
Please vote. I enjoy hearing from you, so comments are welcome.
YOU ARE READING
Dreams of the Sleepless
Mystery / ThrillerJoe has been running for months, trying to escape the nightmares of his past. On a sleepless summer morning, he becomes entangled in the lives of Molly, a young woman who can no longer see a future, and Eli, an old man who wishes he could erase his...
