The crazy dude stood over me in the dim light of the basement. He wasn’t wearing his uniform, so I figured it must be the weekend. I had heard him coming down the stairs as usual that morning, and I thought he was there for the routine—giving me some food. I was still half-asleep inside my helmet, so when I heard him speak, it caught me by surprise. He unlocked my chains and ordered me to stand up. Pins and needles prickled my legs as the blood rushed to my feet; I felt queasy and grabbed onto the pole for balance.“Follow me,” he said.I started to get excited. Is he going to let me go, after all? He’d mentioned letting me go at Christmas; had I been there longer than I thought? Maybe he finally trusts me, I thought. Maybe I can make it out of here after all!“Get moving,” he said, grabbing my arm and jerking me away from the pole.I could hardly budge after being chained up for so long, but I managed to take one step forward. He didn’t say a word about why he was suddenly moving me, and I knew it would be foolish to ask.
