The only door ever used was the one on the side of the house that went into the carport. That made sense so the neighbors wouldn’t notice who came and went. I hadn’t heard much traffic on the street and wondered what would happen if I got outside. There was a window up high next to my cage. But it was too small to crawl through. It was some kind of venting window set about seven feet off the floor.

Jackson joined Allmand in the back room. I watched with interest over the next half hour as one man or the other came out and looked up things on the computer. Then they’d go back to the other room. I couldn’t figure out what they were doing other than looking up symptoms on WebMD.

Their next move surprised me. They brought the man out on a makeshift stretcher. A towel with knots tied in the corners for handholds. Jackson and Allmand carefully set down the man on the floor near Allmand’s desk. Jackson rushed and brought him back a glass of water.

The man did look sick. That was an understatement. He was from somewhere in the region, but had lost all the color in his face. His hair was falling out in clumps. Some of it was still on the shoulder of his nice button-down oxford shirt. He was not dressed like any of the other prisoners. With his jeans and button-down, he could pass for someone in the Midwest easily.

Blood started to gush from his nose. Allmand rushed to hand him a paper towel. It was about then I noticed they weren’t treating this man like all the other prisoners. I didn’t think it was just because of his illness.

The man said in English, “I must go to hospital.”

Allmand said, “We’re working on it, Parwez.”

I saw an opportunity here. Sow a little dissent and reap the benefits later. I said, “What’s wrong with him? He looks terrible. He looks like he’s going to die.” I hid my smirk.

It worked just the way I expected it to. The man looked up at me in a panic, then at Allmand. He wanted to say something, but vomited next to his towel on the floor. He didn’t even have the strength to move out of the way.

Allmand glared at me. “Mind your business. Not another word.”

“You mean, not another word about how this poor man is going to die if you don’t do something right now?”

Jackson had walked back in and stooped down to check their sick prisoner.

I called out from my cage again. “This man needs a doctor. Like right now. You still didn’t say what’s wrong with him.”