An Extra Tribute

-real life nightmares-

My breaths are heavy and ragged as I run for my life. I race through spotless white hallways that are adorned with portraits of my archrival. My feet pad quietly against green embroidered carpets, but one foot drags slightly due to a limp they gave me upon my arrival as I hear them enter the carpeted section of the mansion. Their heavy and loud clacking footsteps become muffled against the soft flooring as they do so and the loud crash of the door banging open confirms this. I spot a staircase going into a dark room and I quickly dive down it, turning a corner and flattening myself against the wall. I try to quiet my breathing, waiting in silence for them to either find me or pass. They call to one another before moving on past the flight of stairs. I let out a breath of relief, turning down the hall.

There's a dim light at the end, looking to come from a small candle, and it illuminates the area enough to allow me to notice the dark, rusted bars trapping it in the far side of the corridor. I can't see any doors along the sides, so I decide to head into the large room that one of the three hallways the stairwell drops into leads to. A flickering LED light allows me to see most of what lies in the room.

I trace my fingers along the edge of large metal tables and cabinets. Glass bottles and beakers line the walls and countertops in wooden stands. They contain all sorts of liquids of different consistencies and colors; some being thick and fluorescent green, while others are a clear blue or yellow. One has a base of dark green with bubbles adorning the top layer, which is a clear golden mushed jelly. A purple beaker overflows in heaps of cream, but seems to be abandoned in one of the sinks.

I reach the end of the room and see a tall bookcase filled with beaker stands pulled into the back corner. Small, skinny vials rest in their designated wooden containers. There's about two hundred vials, with five stands (each holding four vials) lying upon each shelf. I take a closer look at the liquid, trying to understand what's hidden away back here. The light flickers back behind me, but it's stuffed over the cabinets on the side of the room, so it's difficult to see exactly what is in the vials. And then, I recognize the thin, deep red substance. Blood.

I shoot back, narrowly avoiding a glass-covered table. How could there be so much blood in one place? This has got to be at least five liters of blood. Where did it come from? Who did it come from? I quickly make my leave of the room, deciding that I'd have better luck of finding a way out down one of the other two hallways. There has got to be a map or a blueprint somewhere, right? I've run too far from where I made my entrance and I can't retrace my steps now. They're looking for me. Down here is my best bet.

My eyes catch on the small flame at the end of the first hallway again. I have nothing to lose at this point. Might as well go in. I walk slowly down the hallway and finally take notice of the flooring. Cobblestone. Huh, that's interesting. My feet make no sound as I tread softly down the corridor. I look all around me, extremely weary of the whole situation.

The bars start a couple yards from the back wall, leaving a small cell for the candle. I wrap my fingers loosely around the metal rods as I look inside for...well, anything. My eyes scan the area left to right slowly and when they hit the back right corner, my heart nearly jumps out of my chest. I slide down the cell wall, analyzing the broken body I see in front of me. Purple and green bruises pepper his skin and his arm looks mangled. A large gash is oozing blood and puss on his chest and scabs and cuts cover him head to toe. Dried blood sticks to his ripped dress shirt and pants and coats most of his mutilated left arm and cheek. His head is tucked into his chest and turned away from me so I cannot tell who it is exactly, but I notice his broken nose and black eye. His left leg doesn't seem real and when he twitches, my suspicions are confirmed. It's a prosthetic. His left hand moves to hold his ripped stomach and a wave of familiarity passes over me as I spot a gold ring on his forefinger.