Interrogation

The water in the rusty cup was bitter and luke warm. I’d sipped it twice in desperation only to regret the action immediately. The table I sat at was cold steel, and the chair I was in stole body heat faster than I could manufacture it. A single light bulb hung just above my face, blinding me from everything outside its three foot radius of light. 1

My nose had finally stopped bleeding, but I was sure my right eye would be incapacitated for the next few days at least. The few ribs that weren’t yet bruised or cracked were having difficulty picking up the slack for the rest. I was at a loss as to what my captors actually wanted other than to see how much damage I could sustain and still function. 2

I had no idea how many there were, but I knew who they took orders from. She had been present at every encounter. It was her maddeningly familiar though unrecognizable voice that had issued every order; posed every question. She’d never shown herself, and that vexed me all the more.3

There was no marking the passage of time in the hole of a room they kept me in. Between sessions, I had only the eons of darkness and the pain of each breath to count the days with. It made for a sorry calendar. I began to think there was nothing more to my existence. Had there ever been anything else? My past became a dream, and my future a nightmare. 4

I could feel hope slipping steadily away. Each passage of unmarked hours took with it another sliver of the light that kept my mind from shattering. I began to be sure I’d left the thing called life and entered some freak dimension of Hell. The sun became a myth, the warm breeze a madman’s raving tale. Nothing existed for me but cold pain and darkness. Even the light in my face was dark. Soon it would consume me, and they would have won. The worst of it was I couldn’t stir myself to care.5

I heard the whining creak of the door opening, and the steady tap of high-heeled boots coming toward me; Time for another conversation.6

“Good morning,” came the honeyed greeting.7

“Is it morning?” I rasped through parched vocal chords. “I missed the memo.”8

“It is. It promises to be a beautiful day.”9

“Big word, ‘promise’,” I retorted. “Will I be freed today?”10

“That depends entirely on you.”11

It was infuriating how familiar her voice was. I knew if I could just think hard enough, I‘d be able to place it. I hated her, I knew that. But why did I feel so sure I’d met her before? It wasn’t even a vague familiarity. It was the compelling sensation of having been intimately acquainted. Without a doubt, she was an inner circle connection, yet I could not for the life of me match a face to the voice. 12

“Who are you?” I demanded with a passion that came out of some abyss within me. “What do you want from me?”13

“You already know me.” The damnable voice purred. “What do you want from me?”14

Her answer served to infuriate me beyond words. I was so sick of the games; the endless cycle of madness. It seemed to me another being arose within me. A voice I’d never used before hurtled from my lips in tones of black oil. “I would have you die.” 15

I heard the quick hiss of my tormentor catching her breath. Whatever surprise had assailed her was nowhere evident in her tone as she answered, “That would be unwise.”16

“Really,” the voice from my mouth continued. “Care to enlighten me with your logic?” 17

“If you do not control yourself, you will destroy us both.” 18

The hollow tap of her high heeled boots gave away my captor’s movement. She was pacing. She was nervous. 19

“I fail to see how that is a problem. I’d just as soon die as continue here to suffer under your torture.” 20

“You are here by your own choice. You may leave when you wish.” 21

“You think I am so far gone from sanity that I would fall for such deception?”22

“I have done nothing but my best to protect you.” 23

“I’m sure you have.”24

“Are we to remain here indefinitely?”25

“You tell me?”26

“It is your decision.”27

I had to maintain control of myself, or they would win.28

I could not understand. What was the purpose of continuing this way? 29

“You are the one keeping me here.”30

“I am not.”31

“It was you who brought me here.”32

“Why would I do that?”33

“I’m sure I don’t know.” 34

I placed my palms on the tabletop, letting the coolness of the metal settle my nerves. I could not continue this way. I could feel my sanity slipping away with every moment. 35

The echo of the stiletto boots had stilled. I could see a vague human outline directly across the table from me. 36

A sudden, feral scream filled the room, and a form sprang over the table. 37

I was knocked to the floor; my attacker groping in the dark for my neck. The lone light bulb swung wildly from its wire, casting sweeping shadows about the room. 38

Desperate to escape what I knew would be my destruction, I kicked at the weight on top of me and rolled. 39

My attack caught her by surprise, but she was quick to recover. I found myself with my back to the floor; her body weight threatening to pin me and end the struggle. I swung my fist and, by sheer chance, connected solidly with her skull.40

There was an explosion of light behind my eyes. For one disoriented instant I could not remember what I was doing. It was one instant too long. 41

I felt my attacker’s hands tighten around my throat. The end was near.42

“You… cannot… kill me.”43

“I beg to differ. It would seem I am quite capable at the moment.”44

“No…” I clawed at her fingers, desperate for air. “It… will… destroy…”45

“Yes. Destroy you, and I walk out of this prison.”46

I released the pressure for a moment, and watched her suck in pathetic amounts of oxygen. 47

I coughed, struggling to refill my lungs. “The light…” I gasped.48

The bulb had settled to a gentle rock on the end of its wire. 49

I drug my captive by her hair to the edge of the light pool and thrust her in face first. The shock shook my very core.50

My nose had finally stopped bleeding, but I was sure my right eye would be incapacitated for the next few days at least. The few ribs that weren’t yet bruised or cracked were having difficulty picking up the slack for the rest. 51

The water in the rusty cup was bitter and luke warm. I’d sipped it twice in desperation only to regret the action immediately. The table I'd sat at was cold steel, the chair stole body heat faster than I could manufacture it. A single light bulb hung just above my face. 52

I was leaning heavily on the table, gasping for breath. My own handprints still prominent in angry red around my neck.53

“If you kill me… you’ll destroy us both.”54