A blood-red haze dims your vision as you struggle to open your eyes. You moan feebly as a terrible flash of agony stabs down through the base of your skull to your neck and shoulders. Almost losing consciousness again, you rest your forehead on the hard floor on which you are lying. After a few dazed moments you realize that your hands are tied behind your back. Your legs are tied as well. It is pitch black and you can’t see a thing. Your mouth tastes of iron – blood, you realize with shock – and you are incredibly thirsty. As your mind surfaces from the abyss of nothingness, the pain at the back of your skull becomes worse. You grit your teeth and try to remember what happened.