Philippe strained his eyes against the thick velvety darkness, but the blackness was complete, and he could see nothing.

He was bound so tightly to the wall, that it felt to him as if he had been stuck to it with glue.

He was in agony from the freezing cold water that trickled down between his back and the slimy rough rock. It felt as if tentacles of ice were penetrating deep into his flesh, seeking out the warmth so that it could crush to extinction the small flicker of life’s flame that was still burning faintly, deep within his breast.

But it was different sort of chill that crept down his spine as he heard another one of them swish past. It was near, so close that he could feel the air move as it passed.

Terror alerted his senses and snapped him back to life with a start, as his heart pumped, the icy claws inside retreated as with a sudden leap, the flame grew stronger. 

‘How can they see in the pitch black?’ he asked himself again.

Yet this was a strange darkness, something about it seemed wrong, it was not normal at all. Then, as the penny started to drop, a chilling horror of realisation rose within him, they could see, but he could not.  Now he began to understand, the darkness was on the inside, this was not like looking into the darkness with your eyes and seeing nothing, this was like having no eyes at all!  In one horrific flash the truth burst across his mind... They had blinded him!  With an instinctive reflex he tried to reach for his eyes, but his hands were held so firmly at his side that he could not move his arms at all – He could not move a single muscle, he was blind and completely paralysed.   

Panic had exploded in his chest like a grenade, he lost control and in sheer terror he tried to scream out... He strained his lungs but he could make no noise - no sound escaped from his mouth.

It was an empty scream, silent and lost in the pitch black darkness.