The flash of light was blinding and the heat searing. The world seemed to die out in that instant as all that filled her ears was a high-pitched ringing, loud enough to make any men deaf. She could feel her toes and fingertips burning, could hear her hair sizzle as it singed. Through the toxic fumes, she could even smell her flesh and hair burning. She wanted to scream but no sound escaped her scorched throat. She blinked her eyes but her vision was still a blank void. She felt her limbs start to shake uncontrollably, sending new waves of pain throughout her body. Though she couldn't see, she felt the world spinning around her and felt her head crash against the cold hard ground. The ringing got worst and if she had the strength, she would've tore her hair out and begged for it to stop. She tried rolling on her side but was restrained by strong grips on her arms and legs. She wanted to shake them off but soon the agony overwhelmed her and she felt her consciousness slip through the tendrils of her mind.
She swam in the vast oblivion that was her mind, wandering, lost and confused. She was detached from her body and yet had never been more in tune with it. Everything faded away, her pains, her hunger, her fears. Everything melted away as a cool wave of understanding and acceptance washed over her. Was this purgatory? Or was it heaven? She couldn't tell and she didn't care. Memories of her childhood sporadically flashed in front of her eyes just to vanish moments later, leaving no trace behind. She could relive her memories, one last time before they vanished forever. She could taste the dates from her mother's garden, could feel the sea splashing against her face and feel the sand beneath her feet. One last time… One last time she could feel her mother's embrace. If she had known what was happening to her, she probably would've been scared but timeless time went by, the void slowly consumed her past and left nothing behind.
She sat in the white abyss. It had been a while since she had seen the last of her memories. Like all the others, it had faded away slowly, had evaporated into oblivion. She wondered if she would also turn senseless and leave behind only a husk, an empty shell wearing human skin. The thought didn't amuse or scare her, it simply was. She had forgotten her past and along the way, it seemed, forgot how to feel.
How long does it take for one to lose his mind once he lost everything else?
It didn't take long before a great darkness seemed to grow on the horizon of her vast nothingness. But something was off with the black clouds hovering towards her, surrounding her mind and trapping her in a corner. They weren't death.
Slowly, a creeping feeling invaded her mind. Things she thought forgotten came back, slow at first, but gaining speed at an alarming rate. It began with her left leg. It was a strange sensation. It wasn't painful at first. But as things progressed, soon her whole body started tingling, as if it was starting to wake up from a decade of coma. Fear gripped her stomach and jolted her mind awake and out of its abyss. She felt pain for the first time in what seemed like centuries. She was now aware of every single nerve in her body, from the burning feeling in her limb's tips to her aching stomach. It felt as though it was the first time she had feared of felt pain and never did she think she would ever feel them at such intensities.
It all happened in a flash. It splashed over her, freezing her instantly. She gasped; her first breath in over an eternity. The pain increased, as if spurred by the freezing water that dribbled slowly and agonizingly down her trembling frame. She tried to move but found she was constricted by strong iron shackles around her ankles and wrists. She could barely make out the noises that now surrounded her. Such commotion filled the air, a cacophony of angry voices pilling up and echoing painfully in her throbbing head. It was so hard to concentrate and decipher what they were screaming about. It sounded more like angry roars and noises than human voices articulating thoughts into words. She could feel the shackles digging in her wrists as she hung inertly from them. Another wave of cold water crashed down upon her body like waves on rocks in the sea. She didn't have the strength to even whimper at the assault.
"Wench! Tell us how you got in!" Shouted a dominant voice.
Panic flooded her veins like poison. She struggled weakly against her restraints even though she knew it was futile. Her wobbly feet slipped on the wet stone beneath them and her full weight yanked at her wrists. She felt as though her shackles had turned white hot, a burning sensation erupting from her wrists. She felt a blood ooze lazily down her stretched up arms. Compared to the ice water they had thrown at her, the crimson liquid was comfortably warm.
"Answer me!" The men bellowed.
She tried speaking; she wanted to say something, anything. But nothing came out of her trembling lips. The men exhaled loudly before sending his palm flying across her pallid cheek. The bitter taste of blood slowly seeped in her mouth from her cracked lips. She felt her stomach contract as tears stung her eyes. She wanted everything to stop, she wanted to disappear.
"I will ask again: How did you get in?!" he thundered.
Her lips were barely obeying her, irregularly opening and closing without making any sound. Even if she could've mustered up the strength to form a coherent sentence or even a couple of words, she had no idea what to say. The men let out another angered sigh before striking her again, this time aiming at her left ear. The ringing drowned out all other sounds the group of men were making. She vaguely made out the silhouettes of her assailants leaving the grey coloured room before closing her eyes in hopes of falling asleep and waking up somewhere else or simply not waking up at all.