Chapter Nine
Maureen woke up fifteen hours later. Her head was pounding and her body ached everywhere. She was lying on a thin mattress that smelled of urine. Except for a filthy sheet that only partially covered her, she was naked. Her right wrist was shackled to the iron headboard of the narrow bed. Around her left ankle was a metal bracelet. This was attached by a short heavy chain to the footboard.
She looked wildly about. The room was an eight foot square. The walls were cinderblock. A single light bulb swung from the damp ceiling. Next to the bulb hung a large steel hook. It was attached to a pulley and thick ropes. These ropes ran through two additional pulleys and were attached to brackets on the side wall.
Taking up a major portion of the room was what appeared to be a very la
