I had no idea how I ended up in that frigid, dark, rank, disgusting hell-hole of a place. All I know is that I woke up with a wicked pain in the back of my head and neck, and I was there.

I figured I wasn't in a prison cell. It was worse than that. Besides, I hadn't broken any laws, at least not that I had known. Rodents were scurrying about, avoiding any bit of light that crept in through the soot-covered grates in what looked like a door. A mass of stink bugs covered one of the walls. Their stench, released as rats fed upon them, rivaled only the intoxicating fumes of an oily substance covering an adjacent brick wall.

As I sat holding my knees to my chest in a futile attempt to keep from freezing to death, I contemplated the gravity of my situation. I questioned myself - how and why did I arrive here? And more importantly, how would I escape? My head soon became filled with a torrent of possible yet implausible explanations. Was I in hell? Did I die and enter the underworld? Refusing to believe such a defeatist answer, I decided instead to focus on a means of escape.

The first thing I did was reach into the front left pocket of my jeans for my cell phone. It was GONE! Calling for help would have been too easy. Whoever left me in that dungeon must have taken my phone. I got up and walked toward the door, which provided the only light source in the otherwise dark and cramped cell. I kicked a few of the rats out of my way as I cautiously headed toward the light. One of the rodents appeared to be feasting on a much smaller one, probably a mouse. Poor thing, I thought. It was too terrible a place, even for a cute little mouse! Yet, I didn't want to end up sharing his fate, should the rats become bold enough to gang up on me.

In one corner of the room, approaching the door, was a pile of rat feces. I covered my nose to avoid inhaling any germs. A layer of rotting plywood covered the rusting metal lattice of the door. Bits of tar paper had peeled away from the plywood beneath. I gingerly tore off a small section of the covering and tossed it onto the rat droppings in the corner. A patch of daylight nearly blinded me in my right eye as I peeked outside. I tore off more of the covering, and I was able to see several stories below. It was a straight drop with no stairway to a mass of metal shards and industrial garbage below. It was a good 25' plummet, assuming I could kick the decaying door out. I was reluctant until I heard a malicious voice echo behind me in the distance. In one fell swoop, I burst through the door, miraculously landing safely to freedom.

Story and Cover Illustration Copyright © 2021 by Michael DeFrancesco