He was so thirsty. His throat was so dry he couldn’t swallow. His tongue felt like a dry, hard rock in his mouth. Had he been sleeping? He didn’t know. He didn’t know anything. He didn’t know where he was, or how long he had been there. He was so thirsty. The rough material that cloaked his head made it hard to breath - he was desperate for fresh air and water. Something to drink, anything, Just a sip of water, and some fresh air.

He laid on the floor. He had no choice. He couldn’t move his arms, and his legs were bound together, completely numb. His legs were numb. He remembered being uncomfortable for a while - and then pain in his shoulder and hips and back from laying on the hard floor. But now all he could feel was thirst. He didn’t care about pain anymore, the pain was gone. All he had now was thirst.

There had been a mistake. A terrible mistake. That was why they were taking so long. Someone was getting told off. They had the wrong man. They were checking their papers and they found out they had the wrong man. They would soon come and untie him, and give him some water. They would apologize. They would be so sorry. How could this happen, they would say. They would give him a big glass of water and apologize to him. He would be free to go. He would write a letter to someone and complain. He would tell them how thirsty he had been, how he had been kept for days without water. They would apologize and say it was a terrible mistake, and they would untie him and give him a glass of water. That would happen soon. They are probably checking their paper right now. They will be saying that they got the wrong man and that they should go and untie him and give him a glass of water and apologize to him. That is what is going on. That is why it is taking so long.

They come and untie him and give him a glass of water, and apologize - he will tell them he will write a letter. He will ask for their names and the names of their supervisors. Their supervisor will be the one who comes to untie him. He will be very sorry - he will tell him that he is very sorry, that there was a mistake and they arrested the wrong man. The supervisor will ask him if he wants a glass of water. He will tell the supervisor that he is going to write a letter, and he wants the supervisor's name. It is unacceptable. He was tied up on the floor without any water for such a long time. He will ask the supervisor, do you think that this is acceptable? The supervisor will say sorry - we made a mistake. There was a mix up. We checked the papers and we got the wrong man, but we have gotten you a glass of water and we have untied you.

Maybe he shouldn’t mention the letter. Just get out of here and then he can write the letter later. As soon as the supervisor comes with the glass of water and unties him he will leave. He will not make a scene. He doesn’t want any trouble. The supervisor is shouting at them right now - how could you make this mistake? This man is innocent, the supervisor will be saying! Go and untie him and give him a glass of water. They will come in and say sorry - it was a mistake, that the papers got mixed up and we arrested the wrong person. But we have brought you a glass of water and we are going to untie you.

There was loud noise - metallic and clunking. Through the hood the man could see light, and the sounds of people. He tried to speak, he tried to say ‘Water’ but all he did was make a noise. He couldn’t swallow. They were going to untie him and apologize. They had the water, a big glass of it. He wasn’t going to mention the letter. The papers got mixed up and they didn’t know why - but they were sorry. They had got the wrong man.

He was picked up and put on something. He tried to say water again, but he couldn’t even make a noise. They were going to untie him now and apologize and give him a glass of water. He was moving, and he could hear noises like people speaking. Muffled. His head hurt now that he was moving. He was dizzy. As soon as they watered him and gave him a glass of apologies he would untie them. What is going on? His head spun. He heard the sound of someone laughing.

He wanted to speak to the supervisor. He wanted to be untied and he wanted a glass of water. He had stopped moving. He was picked up again and was now in a chair. He couldn’t try to speak. His head was throbbing and pounding and his mouth was so dry. He sat, not moving. Motionless, he waited for something. He heard another metallic clunking noise and someone moving around, and the noise of a chair moving. He heard someone say something and then the hood over his eyes came off.

He opened his eyes and the back of his pupils felt as though they were being electrocuted. A searing pain shot through his optic nerve and stunned his brain. He closed his eyes again. Slower this time, he opened his eyes a crack, and through his blurred vision he could see a man sitting across a table looking at him.

‘Wah…’ - he said, his voice croaked.

He wanted water - he was trying to say to the man ‘Please give me some water!’, but all he could manage was - ‘Wah…’

‘Sorry comrade? - I didn’t catch that’ - said Number Four.

‘Wah..’ - he croaked again.

‘I think he wants some water’ - Number Four said to a man standing behind the man in the chair.

‘Wah..’

‘Comrade - get this man a glass of water’ - Number Four said to the standing man.

They were in a large meat locker. Along the ceiling were rows of stainless steel bars with shiny meat hooks hanging from them. The table was set up in the middle of the room. The table was a standard wooden rectangular table, but it had what appeared to be a doorbell button fixed to the left hand side of where Number Four was sitting. Behind the seated man was a table with a water jug, and a glass set upon it. There was also a large wooden box. The standing man turned and poured a glass of water. He walked to the table the two men were seated at and placed the glass in the middle of it.

‘Wah…’ - the man said again.

‘What’s the magic word, comrade?’ - Asked Number Four.

‘Wah..ple..’ - the man said, mustering the last of his strength.

‘Good enough comrade’ - Number Four nodded at the standing man. The standing man picked up the glass of water and held it up to the man’s mouth, and he greedily slurped the water. Some of the water spilled out from his mouth. He finished the glass, and closed his eyes enjoying a moment of reprieve.

‘Could...I...have...some..more...please...comrade’ - said the man.

Number Four nodded, and the standing man walked back to the table and refilled the glass. He returned to the seated man and held the glass up to his mouth again, and the seated man guzzled the refreshing water - draining the glass. He closed his eyes again, enjoying the refreshment the water brought. He opened his eyes again.

‘I...want...to speak to your supervisor’ - he said.

‘I’m afraid my supervisor is busy at the moment - is there something I can help you with?’ - said Number Four, smiling.

The man looked around the room - his eyes adjusting to the harsh industrial lighting.

‘Where...am I?’

‘Somewhere safe’ - said Number Four.

The man looked at Number Four and then at the standing man.

‘You..’ - the man started to say.

‘I know what you’re going to say’ - said Number Four - ‘You’re going to say we have made a mistake...a terrible mistake. That you haven’t done anything wrong, and that there must have been some mix-up. Is this right?’

The man looked at the standing man again, and then back at Number Four - ‘Yes.’

‘Is your name Charles Ellis? Known as Charlie Ellis, aged 42 from Badgertown?’ - Asked Number Four.

‘Yes’ - Charlie Ellis replied.

“Then there hasn’t been a mix-up’ - said Number Four, smiling again.

Charlie Ellis looked again at the standing man, and then back at Number Four. He looked confused.

‘Who are you?’ - Asked a confused Charlie Ellis.

‘We are just some concerned citizens Charlie - just trying to get to the bottom of things’ - said Number Four.

‘Could I have some more water please?’ - Asked Charlie Ellis, feeling even more uncomfortable - if that was possible.

‘Let’s play a game Charlie’ - said Number Four - ‘This game is called trick or treat. I ask you a question, and if you give the right answer you score a point. Once you have five points you get a treat. The treat could be a glass of water, or maybe something to eat...but if you give the wrong answer you lose a point. When you get minus five points you get a trick. Do you want to play this game Charlie?’

‘Can I just have a glass of water? I am very thirs..’ - Charlie Ellis bagan to say.

‘That was the wrong answer Charlie - you are now on minus one point’ - said Number Four.

‘I don’t feel very well’ - said Charlie Ellis, he began to cry - ‘Please, I just want to go home. I didn’t do anything.’

‘That was also the wrong answer Charlie - you are now on minus two points.’

Charlie looked at the standing man - ‘Please, help me! I don’t know what is going on. I don’t know what is happening. Please tell him I didn’t do anything wrong!’ - Charlie Ellis was screaming.

‘Charlie - calm down. You are on minus three points now. The game is simple Charlie - and it is easy to win. Do you want to play the game?’ - Asked Number Four, leaning forward.

‘FUCK YOU YOU FUCKING CUNT!’ - Charlie Ellis screamed.

‘Minus four!’ - Number Four said - ‘Get the box of tricks.’

The standing man walked to the back of the room and picked up the wooden box and brought it over to the middle of the room. He removed the lid and lifted out a car battery, a control panel, two cables with alligator clips on one end, and another bunch of cables. Charlie Ellis looked at what the standing man was doing, and then back at Number Four.

‘Okay...okay...yes! I want to play the game! Yes - don’t fucking touch me with that. Don’t fucking do anything. I will play the game!’ - Charlie Ellis shouted, panicking.

‘Plus one point!’ - Number Four said - ‘You are now on minus three points.’

The standing man continued with attaching cables to the control panel, and he leaned under the table and connected two cables to the doorbell button. He connected the control panel to the battery and then plugged in the cables with the alligator clips into the control panel. He pulled from his pocket a folding knife which he unfolded and he knelt on the floor beside Charlie Ellis’ feet. Using the knife he cut through the nylon restraint that was holding Charlie’s legs together. He reached into the wooden box and pulled out two more nylon restraints. Using one of the restraints, he secured Charlie’s left ankle to the chair leg. The standing man undid Charlie’s right shoe and removed it. He then removed Charlie’s sock, and rolled his trouser leg up about six inches. Using the other nylon restraint, he secured Charlie’s shoeless leg to the other chair leg. The standing man reached again into the wooden box and retrieved a thick nylon strap which he placed around Charlie’s waist, and secured him to the chair. The chair was bolted to the floor.

‘All set’ - the standing man said, moving back and behind Charlie Ellis.

‘Alright - let’s get on with business’ - said Number Four - ‘We will start with some easy questions, try to get you out of the minus numbers Charlie. Here’s the first question - Have you heard of The Unit?’

‘Sorry...the what?’ - Asked Charlie Ellis, looking from Number Four to the car battery on the floor and back again.

‘Minus one point - you’re back to minus four Charlie’ said Number Four, nodding to the standing man.

‘What...what the fuck!’ - Charlie Ellis breathed heavily.

The standing man moved back into Charlie Ellis’ view and picked up the cables with the alligator clips.

‘No...no...don’t fucking do that!’ - Shouted Charlie Ellis.

The standing man attached one of the alligator clips to Charlie’s left ear lobe, and kneeling down he attached the other to Charlie’s right little toe.

‘Don’t do that...don’t fucking do that..what the fuck are you doing?’ - Charlie Ellis was thrashing around, trying to break free.

‘Ready when you are’ - said the standing man, moving back behind Charlie Ellis.

‘Let’s try that again shall we Charlie?’ - Said Number Four - ‘Just remember that you are on minus four, lose one more point and you get a trick! Now concentrate - Have you heard of The Unit?’

‘Yes, yes. I have heard of The Unit!’ - said Charlie Ellis, breathing heavily and switching his gaze between the car battery and Number Four.

‘Good - plus one point! Back to minus three Charlie!’ - Number Four, smiling. ‘What do you know about The Unit?’

‘What?’ - Charlie Ellis said.

‘Minus four again Charlie - you do like to live a little bit dangerously, don’t you? That was a rhetorical question, Charlie - you don’t have to answer that one.’

‘Please - I don’t know what you want. I just want to go hom…’

Number Four had pressed the doorbell button on the wooden table. An electric shock shot through Charlie’s body starting at his right foot and exiting his body via his left ear lobe. His head snapped back and his body went rigid. Charlie made no noise. Number Four held the button for five seconds and then released it.

‘Minus five Charlie’ - said Number Four.

When the electric shock released Charlie’s body, he slumped forward and gasped. Snot shot from his nose, and tears dripped down his face.

‘Let’s try that again shall we Charlie’ - said Number Four, his hand next to the doorbell button and his demeanor rigid. - ‘What do you know about The Unit?’

‘I...I...I...read...about...them...in...the...paper…’ - Charlie Ellis gasped.

‘Okay - I will give you half a point for that one Charlie. You are on minus four and a half. I will ask again - what do you know about The Unit?’

‘I don’t know what you want…’ - Charlie was crying, tears streaming down his face and snot running out of his nose.

Charlie Ellis’ head snapped back again and he went rigid. Charlie’s wet eyes bulged. Number Four held the doorbell button down for five seconds and then released it.

‘Minus five and a half Charlie’ - said Number Four.

Charlie Ellis slumped forward again - sobbing.

‘It is important Charlie, that you take this game seriously. As I said, it is an easy game, but you have to take it seriously. In your condition, I am not sure how much longer you will be able to take being at minus five.’

Charlie Ellis gathered himself as much as possible. He continued to sob but managed to lift his wet face to look at Number Four.

‘Okay Charlie - one more time. What do you know about The Unit?’

‘They...they..are..terrorists…’ - Charlie Ellis said through sobs.

‘Well done Charlie - yes they are! You earned a point. Minus four and a half. I think you’re getting the gist of this game’ - said Number Four, smiling again - ‘Now the next question - remember to pay attention - Do you know anyone in The Unit?’

‘What…?’ - Charlie looked confusedly at Number Four.

Number Four pressed the doorbell button and Charlie Ellis’ body went rigid. His head snapped back again and his eyes bulged. Number Four held the button down for five seconds and then released it.

‘Back to minus five and a half Charlie’ - Number Four said, shaking his head.

Charlie had blacked out. When the electric shock was turned off his head stayed snapped back, but his body went limp. Foam formed in the corners of his mouth. Number Four gave a nod and the standing man walked up to Charlie Ellis and checked his pulse. The standing man also placed his cheek close to Charlie’s mouth.

‘Still breathing, with a pulse.’

‘Alright - bag him back up and we’ll have another go tomorrow. Day one is always the hardest’ - said Number Four, standing up.

Number Four walked to the meat locker door and opened the heavy latch. He opened the door and left the standing man to pack things up.

The standing man removed the alligator clips from Charlie Ellis’ ear and toe, and detached the cables from the control box and placed them back in the wooden box. The standing man cut the nylon restraints holding Charlie’s legs with his folding knife, and then took another nylon restraint from the wooden box and tied Charlie’s legs back together. The standing man removed the nylon strap from around Charlie’s waist which secured him to the chair, and placed it back in the box. He then pulled the hood back over Charlie’s head, and zipped it up.

Charlie Ellis was placed on a trolley and wheeled out of the meat locker, back to the disused refrigerator. He was lifted off of the trolley and placed on the non-slip ceramic tiles, unconscious. The door of the disused refrigerator closed, and he was left in darkness.