Aaron tried to break through, struck the bars over and over again with the heaviest thing he could lift, but they wouldn't give. His strength failed him and so did his hope. He dropped the piece of furniture and collapsed to his knees in the fading sunlight, gasping for air and bawling. He was trapped, helpless, doomed. He curled up into a ball on the floor, shaking and crying uncontrollably in pure terror. A single mantra kept repeating in his mind: I'm going to die here.