Chase Shustack

So I left.

I walked out of their house, got into my car, and drove home on autopilot, my thoughts still tangled in everything I'd seen and heard.

I didn't notice the headlights that stayed just far enough back to blend into the night.

I didn't notice them pull over when I did.

And I definitely didn't notice the second set of footsteps, perfectly matching my own, until I was already climbing the steps to my front door.

And I never noticed when the person who'd followed me inside raised a hand from behind.

Only the sudden, crushing blow to the back of my head, and then nothing at all as I collapsed onto my living room floor.

How I got to where I was, I have no idea.

In fact, where I found myself after I woke up was still a mystery.

The only thing that I knew, except for a splitting headache and a feeling of blood dripping down my nose, was that I wasn't anywhere close to home.

The darkness and smell of stale water in the room made me think that I was in a holding cell somewhere.

I had woken up only because I felt two men grabbing me.

In the dim light, and perhaps I was still woozy from the blow, I couldn't recognize them right away.

They were huge and burly, their outfits a dark camo green.

I was picked up under each arm and carried down what I hazily remember was a long hallway.

Every so often, one of them would shake or slap me awake, presumably to make sure I was awake for what happened next.

A door was opened and the men guided, or more accurately dragged me by my heels, into a brightly lit room.

So bright in fact, that my groggy eyes went totally blind for a minute or two.

I was sat down on a steel chair in front of a bare metal table.

I wasn't alone in the room as, sitting across from me, was a man dressed in a military uniform.