• tab I can't remember how I got here, only that I know I will soon die.
    tab I've been in this dungeon for too long. I lost track of the days as my cell has no windows. There is a bed, a clock, and concrete surrounding me except for the steel door that separates me from freedom. I've slept little and ate even less than i would. Heck, I lost fifty pounds just being here. I used to be "chunky" before I was kidnapped.
    tab I hear their footsteps clack on the concrete floor outside, echoing and reverberating off the walls with an almost hypnotic-like pulse. I know what they've wanted: my source for a story I did that toppled a drug cartel. They want vengeance. They want my contacts that gave me the evidence. I gave them nothing. I glance at the clock. 5:42 p.m.
    tab I retreat into my mind, as I had always done when they torture me. I think of my old home in Arizona. It always seemed like such a large house, even as an adult. I remember the solemn pink stucco-like walls, the hardwood floor, the sounds of my mother cooking (always cooking) and my older brother, Stan and Michael, arguing over who would win in a fair fight, Spider-Man or Wolverine. I miss those days. I left home at 18 to go to college, and met my wife, Sally.
    tab The footsteps move even closer. 5:42 p.m.
    tab Though I had hears some say Sally was not beautiful, she was a goddess to me. I saw a depth of beauty and grace no other woman could ever hold. When she chose me to go out with her for our first date, my heart skipped several beats. Even to this day, I long for her. I hope she is doing well, and missing me only half as much as I miss her. Without Sally, there would be no Jenny, by beautiful daughter. She was, of all the people I know, the only one that made me question life even more. She would ask a child-like question like "why is the sun yellow and the sky blue?". I would not have an answer. i'm a journalist, not a scientist. However, once she questioned everything, she would leave it to me to find the answers, only to leave me with more burning questions.
    tab The footsteps stop at my door as they fidget with the lock. 5:42 p.m.
    tab I will tell this to you: of all the thoughts I had went through, the last thought is of my golden retriever, Sparks. I had him when I was 7, and he was my pal. I remember when the vets had to put him down after biting me badly on the leg. My mother thought he was a menace, but the truth was it was my fault. I pressured the poor guy and taunted him until he bit me. I'm sorry, Sparks, for everything.
    tab The door opened, and two men in gray silk suits walked in. Both had their hair slicked back with smiles on their faces. One pulled out a gun from under his jacket, aimed, and fired.
    tab Time of death: 5:43 p.m.
    tab Funny how the mind can make you relive a life in sixty seconds.