Hundred and Twenty

VALERIA

Judging by the dull headache I felt, I had been asleep for a long time. I had just woken up rather abruptly. Lately, I had been doing a lot of sleeping. Who would blame me? What else was there to do in my lonely cell but to plot on how to escape if I ever had the chance, and to sleep. At least dreams brought oblivion and made me forget how miserable I was for some time.

I stretched my legs, began to sit up and froze. The hairs on the back of my neck began to prickle. The room was dark as usual, but I felt instinctively that there was someone with me in the room. Someone was there, watching me. Seconds later, I was sure it was this feeling that had woken me up.

I blinked rapidly, shut my eyes tightly and blinked again. Opening or shutting my eyes made no difference in the oppressive darkness of the room. I could not see a thin, just a solid wall of darkness that somehow looked more solid at a spot on my left. Or maybe that was my imagination. The feeling of being watched made m