It closed off the ears and the voice began to fade away until the individual words could no longer be distinguished and the only sound that filtered through was an indistinct hum. Next came the nerves. It doesn't hurt, the mind told itself. It won't hurt. It can't hurt.
Nothing can hurt.
The sting of the slashing blows began to fade, and the mind turned further away, retreating into the safety, darkness and silence of unconsciousness, sheltered from all the terrors the world held. Copyright 2000 John Saul. All rights reserved.