The correct option is C was
Since the tone of the paragraph is in the past tense, as well as the part of the sentence 'he was hungry' indicates a past tone. Hence, option A. and D. can be rejected since they are in the present tense. Now, by the previous 'he was hungry' and the next part of the sentence, 'he was tormented', we can easily figure out that Option C. 'was' is the correct answer.