The sudden, loud clanging woke him up. He looked around, trying to locate the source of the noise. Everything seemed still. As he shook himself awake, he noticed that something was different today. The place was even quieter than usual.
His wandering eyes came to rest on the door. He sat up and stared, his heartbeat quickening. It was not possible! Getting to his feet, he shuffled slowly towards the door. He tried not to get too excited, after all it HAD to be a trick that his eyes were playing. But as he reached the door and pushed it hesitantly, it gave way. The unthinkable had happened! The creaking of the rusted hinges seemed to be the sweetest sound he had heard in his life. It also sounded too loud in the prevailing silence. His instincts warned him to make as little noise as possible.
He stood stunned for a few moments before stepping out into the dark passage outside. Suddenly everything seemed intimidating...the ceiling seemed too far up, the walls too far apart. He leaned against the door while an overwhelming wave of nausea almost made him faint. How long had it been since he had seen anything outside the maddening cube of captivity, his own cell? 10 years? 20? It was impossible to tell.
The door of the cell facing his own was open, swaying back and forth gently. Where had the others gone? The silence was unnerving. He used to think his cell was dark, but until now he had never realized what real darkness meant. The passage seemed to extend endlessly in both directions, but there could be a brick wall at an arm's length and he would never know it. Tha dark passage and the absolute silence made him feel that he was blind, deaf and exposed. Even the air seemed stale and heavy with moisture. He could barely control his shivering, brought on by the drop in temperature and dampness of the passage.
He thought, "This is not freedom. No, it's just the beginning."
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