The Reunion

Benny listened to the soldier’s footsteps carefully as they disappeared. He looked at the old man sitting across from him and decided he really wasn’t a very smart policeman. Benny guessed him to be no match for a younger man such as himself, especially since he’d just completed months of intensive physical training. Now that Sanchez was gone, he decided this would be his chance to escape. When he heard the door at the end of the hallway close, he lunged at the old policeman. Benny prided himself on his speed and agility, guessing he could quickly overpower the old man. He would use the confusion that would follow to make his way to the outer hallway, up the elevators, and hopefully, off the base. He never hit the old man. Everything became a blur! He couldn’t breathe! His momentum carried him passed the policeman, onto the floor. He tried to focus, but all he could think about was how he was going to get his next breath. It felt like a vice closed on his throat. He couldn’t get it to release. His mouth was open, he tried to gasp for breath, but the only sounds to be heard were the low guttural sounds of his vain attempts to bring oxygen to his lungs. He kept telling his body to fight, but it needed oxygen. Slowly he began to lose consciousness. He thought that he heard a soft, gentle voice telling him to sleep.