“Alison, you have a choice,” his words rang out loud and clear in my ear. “You can go with me, or I will turn you lose and you can take your chances with the rioters and the secret police. You saw what happened to your friend just now.” He had a tight grip on me. His right hand firmly over my mouth, and his left arm around my ribs just below my breast, a position he knew would make it difficult for me to breathe. I could smell the kerosene on his hand and the acrid smoke of t