Chapter 57: A Star has fallen

When the blindfolds were removed, the bright light blinded me. I squinted and narrowed my eyes. I couldn’t shield them with one hand because my hands were chained to the wall on the left and right.

I couldn’t say for sure how long I had been sitting there. If I counted the meals correctly, it must have been four days. The eye openings in the rubber cap over my head had been closed the entire time. Even the faintest glimmer of light was reliably blocked out.

After Aaron had injected me with the sedative, I had been led to the basement, undressed, and chained up in the bunker, where I was left alone until the sedative wore off. In fact, I had even fallen asleep. Only a splash of cold water brought me back to my senses. Diana and Jelena had been standing in front of me. Without thinking, I had started to curse them, threaten them, and announce that I would go on hunger strike, since I was no longer here voluntarily. Completely unmoved, they had then dressed me as I was now. It had been stupid of me, of course. I was certainly not the first girl to rebel against the treatment down here. They probably had experience with that.

A feeding tube through a gag ensured that I could be fed without having to remove the gag. There were plugs in my ears, small speakers that either emitted a soft, constant noise or caused complete silence. In both cases, I heard absolutely nothing from my surroundings, but during the quiet times I could hear the sound of my own blood. A few times I had been washed with ice-cold water because I had soiled myself. Most of the time, however, I sat chained to the tile floor, almost unable to move. Four times my restraints had been loosened. Then I was led blind and deaf to a treadmill. Short strokes with a whip signaled when I had to start running. The pace was quite moderate, which was a good thing considering the limited breathing space through the narrow nostrils. It was total isolation. Completely alone with my thoughts and the pain I was being inflicted.

But it also gave me time to reflect on my situation and my options. I also thought about the last few weeks, trying to understand how I had ended up here, and I just couldn’t comprehend it. Why had Isabell betrayed me?

By now, I was absolutely certain as I went through everything again in my mind: she couldn’t possibly have stood there so indifferently next to Diana if she hadn’t known about it beforehand. So it was a set-up. The only question was, when had it been decided?

Now I squinted into the light and tried to recognize the person who had removed my blindfold.

It was a slave. Four, if her rank hadn’t changed.

First, she removed my gag and pulled it off the feeding tube. Then she began to carefully pull out the feeding tube. It hurt like hell in my throat. She said something, but I couldn’t hear it. When the last piece of the tube came through my throat, I had to vomit. Unimpressed, she pushed me forward a little, as far as my chains would allow, and patted my back so I wouldn’t choke. Then she wiped my mouth and held out a cup to me.

I sipped it cautiously. It was water, but it had a strange aftertaste. I wanted to stop drinking, but she indicated that I had to finish the cup. Reluctantly, I did so. Shortly afterwards, I noticed that my tongue was becoming slightly numb, but the pain in my throat was also subsiding.

Meanwhile, Four opened my collar and took it off. Then she pulled the rubber hood off my head. Finally, she removed the earplugs.

“Hello, 20!”

I wanted to say “Hello, Four,” but only incomprehensible babbling came out of my mouth.

“Don’t try to speak. There was a substance in the water that relieves your pain, but it also paralyzes your tongue a little. You mustn’t speak for the next four days if you don’t want to end up with a permanently hoarse voice. The feeding tube has irritated your vocal cords. Will you be sensible now and voluntarily eat what you are given?”