Prologue Part 2 - Out of the frying pan

I awake to something wet dripping down my forehead.
Struggling against renewed pain, I crack one eyelid open, and then the other. A small victory.
The rest of my body isn't as cooperative.

A small droplet of water falls dead center onto my forehead from somewhere above. At least I hope its water. I try to move my numb arms and hands to wipe my slick forehead but they refuse to obey. My neck, arms, legs; my entire body useless. I wonder if that last blow did more than just knock me out.

I wonder if my nose isn't the only thing that the bastards broke.

Another drop of water and reality hits me like a ton of bricks. There's nothing wrong with my spine. I'm simply tied down. I have about 10 seconds of relief as the feeling returns to my extremities before the offending droplet of water returns. Again the light tap on my forehead brings a kind of fevered clarity to my thoughts.

Its not going to stop.

Drip.
Not for hours.
Drip.
Not for days.
Drip.
They'll break me.
Drip.
And they'll do it soon.

I lose track of time. Each drop is like a stinging slap, preparing me only for the next inevitable drop. And drop it does. I lose track of time. Sleeping is impossible. I'm vaguely aware of going hungry as the endless barrage of water pounds me senseless. The beating I can handle.

But not this.

I cry and beg and babble, laugh, shout, mutter every obscenity in every language I know and still it goes on. They want it from me. A little information is a fair price for sanity. Just give it to them, I tell myself. Just tell them what you know and then they'll kill you.

No more pain.
No more suffering.
No more God damned water.

A fair trade.

Somewhere in front of me a door opens almost before I even raise my voice. People in black suits and masks take position around me and wait. A moment later the man I used to work for comes striding into the room, stopping short just out of my useless arm's reach. He leans forward and takes in my broken form with disgust clearly etched on his lined face.
I smile to show him my gap-toothed grin.

Just when I thought i'd be free from the Devil, the Devil waltzes straight back into my life.

I should have known.

He says something I can't quite hear and the men around me close in. One of them puts a needle through my arm and everything goes black.

I should have known.