I jerked awake from a dead sleep. I saw nothing, and cursed my situation. Surely they would find me soon; I would have to move again in the morning. I was just about to lay my head back on my pillow when I saw the hand with the wet cloth.

I awoke again I knew not how much later, it could have been minutes or days. Blinding darkness surrounded me. I was lying on a cold floor of what felt like polished stone. I had been nearly naked in my bed, but I could tell that I was now fully dressed. I coughed, and the lack of an echo told me that I was in a small room. I rose to my hands and knees and crawled cautiously across the floor, feeling ahead for the walls.

When I reached a certain part of the floor, I felt a strange tingling sensation in my forward hand. When I thrust that hand further ahead, the tingling turned to searing pain. I jerked my hand back quickly and the pain disappeared.

I moved laterally along this force, and found that it moved in a straight line. I followed the line until my head and right shoulder began to tingle; I had reached a corner. Soon I determined that the debilitating force surrounded me. I had but 20 feet by 20 feet of living space.

I marveled at my cell, as I had never before been in one quite like it. I studied the force field but could find no weak points. After a while I gave up and sat down on the cold, hard floor. I tried to imagine what was ahead for me.