When Matthew woke up, his hands and feet were tied tightly with coarse rope, a black cloth bag was over his head, and a rag had been stuffed into his mouth so that he couldn't make a sound.
In the darkness of the unknown, fear wrapped itself around his spine like a poisonous snake, making his whole body tremble.
He had no idea how long it had been when the door finally creaked open. A large hand suddenly grabbed him by the hair and started dragging him out.
He was yanked around like a rag doll, slamming into corners and banging against stair railings, until beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead from the pain.
But every time he tried to struggle, a brutal slap landed on his face, accompanied by a man's fierce curse. "Move again, and I'll kill you!"
At last, the dragging stopped.
