The Prisoner

He thinks back to the night he thought he was shot. He's sure he was shot, but it's possible that the VC gave him some medical treatment. John remembers the nightmarish first interrogation, and maybe this is the new camp and his captors have given him some type of drug. He wonders how long has he been out. As he tries to think back to what may have happened to him, his head begins to hurt. It hurts to remember, or even just think. John begins to get very groggy and falls into a deep slumber.

Suddenly he is jarred awake, as if someone is kicking his cage. Focusing hard he tries to concentrate on his situation and surrounding. It seems as if his captors have put him in a smaller cell this time. He finds its confines more cramped. He tries to move about squirming and kicking in an effort to get comfortable. As he moves about he thinks he feels something else in his prison, he pauses for a second then continues to squirm about. Feeling panicked and scared, he tries to relax to listen for any hint of his captors' movements. At first all he can hear is the sound of his own heart beating wildly. Then as he relaxes further, he hears another sound one that is louder. At first he thinks it's the noise of his last captors, bamboo stick. The longer he listens to it the more it sounds like the steady beat of some kind of large engine or a motor far off in the distance. Again his head begins to hurt and a great weariness engulfs him and he falls back to sleep.

He awakens and finds his cage is once again smaller, tighter. The walls press in on him mercilessly. He can feel his arm tightly pressed against his chest. As he lies in the pitch-black cell he feels like he's in this constant dream like state. He begins to squirm in his constricting cell. While squirming he tries to focus again but he soon realizes that he can't remember large portions of his memory. He's not even sure that he's ever been fed or the last time he ate, although he doesn't feel hungry. He wonders what his captors have been doing to him while he was asleep. The distant sound of the engine beat constantly in his head. The constant sound and his loss of memory are beginning to drive him insane. With a fit of anger he thrashes about in his cell, but something seizes him around his neck. As he moves about the snakelike thing begins to get tighter and tighter around his neck. He tries to let out a scream but nothing comes out. He continues to wiggle until he becomes exhausted. He feels a great tiredness wash over him. As he begins to relax the Serpentine noose loosens its grip from around his neck. Once again darkness seizes him.

He slowly begins to wake up. A faint red glow appears off to the right of his cell. The glow appears like opaque light barley filtering through the wall. He then hears deep booming voices off in some far distance. He doesn't know what they're saying but he know it must be his captors. He can't remember how long he's been imprisoned by his cruel keepers. Why is he in here, and what has he done to deserve this punishment? He can't remember anything. The only thing he remembers is slight glimpses of a blue open space, but he doesn't know why. He hears a sound, the constant drumming beat, this time it slowly calms him.