Has it really come to this?, W. wonders. It has. Is it going to get any worse? Much worse. This is only the beginning. He feels like a Marie Antoinette being led out to the chopping-block, he says. He feels like Joan of Arc being bound to the stake.
When's the blow going to come? When are the flames going to leap up and surround him? It'll be a relief after everything that's happened, W. says. The horror of uncertainty will come to an end. The horror of not knowing how much further down I will lead him.
For where are we going? Downwards, that much is obvious. Down — and out — that, too, is obvious. We've long since left all friendly terrain. We've long since left the last human house behind. We're in the wilderness now, W. says, mapless and unsure.
Lars Iyer's Blog 