Zachary's head swayed, the colors in his vision swirled. He was confused, he suddenly felt like he was falling. And then it all went blank.
Awakened by a splash of cold water, Zachary suddenly knew the type of initial fear felt by the character in Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum.
His first rational thought was: who threw the water?
He opened his eyes. Though his vision was still blurry, he knew very well the figure that stood over him.
The musty scent of his clothes and tobacco on his breath made it obvious.