The first thing I felt was the cold.

Then pain.

So much pain.

My head was pulsing like a war drum, each beat pounding hard behind my eyes, making it hard to tell what was real, what was a dream and what was memory. I blinked slowly. Once. Twice. And then finally…

The world finally came into view.. a bit crooked and gray and damp. Dirt and mud clung to my skin, while my limbs ached like they’d been slammed against trees and mountains .

And then I saw him.

The masked man.

Kneeling ...