Evening.
The sky outside faded from orange to grey, but Alex couldn't see it. He hadn't seen anything in hours.
His head was still covered with a dirty sack. His hands were tied behind his back. His body ached in places he didn't even know could hurt. The ropes had burned into his wrists, and his clothes were soaked with sweat and blood. Every movement was a cry from his bones.
The room had gone silent.
No more footsteps. No more shouting. No more beatings.
Just… silence.
It was the kind of silence that made you hear your heartbeat louder than thunder. That made every second stretch like an hour. That made hope feel like a lie.
Alex swallowed hard, but even that hurt.
His lips were cracked. His throat was dry. And for the first time in a long time, he felt his mind start to slip into that dark place, the place where you stop fighting.
"Is this… is this how it ends?" he thought to himself.
