Red as Blood, Black as Death

Chapter 5: Annoying people are always the first to go

All was quiet in Sigmund’s experiment room.  Nothing stirred, save for the invisible dust that slowly drifted down onto the floor.  There was no breeze, no leaks, no whirring of machinery, no faint pitter patter of rodents’ steps, no honking horns from the cars outside.  Nothing.

That’s not to say that there wasn’t anything in the room.  In fact, a new person had been added today.  Still, there was silence.

Luka didn’t dare make a sound, for if he made a sound and disturbed the chilling peace, he felt as if a calamitous happening could occur.  To make a sound would be the equivalent of desecrating a grave.  It was fear of a higher power.

Perhaps it was a sort of self-induced, overly cruel punishment.  The silence was the echoes of the people who had came before him, screaming and shrieking their throats raw in attempts to vanquish the pain inflicted on them by one sadistic maniac.  Each drop of silence was just a reminder to him about what happened in this room.  What could happen to him.  Terror seized his body, holding him absolutely stock still.

And with that thought, Luka realized he was utterly alone.  Alone with his imagination.  His breathing quickened as he started to imagine what would happen when Sigmund returned after he had left a few hours ago.   The obvious choice in this situation would try to escape or overcome his captor, but he doubted he could overpower Sigmund, and therefore he should escape.  But that too would be unwise.  Luka surmised that Sigmund would easily find him, no matter where he went.  After all, hadn’t he been able ot research everything about him?  Sigmund would certainly have no trouble finding out what he wanted to know.  And once he found him, he might have to endure more pain than those miserable corpses.  There was no foreseeable exit, unless perhaps someone came and killed Sigmund.

He gave another nervous glance around the room.  Nothing had changed.  The surgical implements were as sanitary se ever.  The candlelight flickered just as eerily, and the corpses were just as bloody.  The computer screen by the lab station was still as blank, and the file cabinets were still tall and imposing.  All he could do was wait in dread for the door to open and a crack of real light to escape through.  Wait all alone with his imagination and the excruciating silence.

But why was he like this?  Luka was never scared of anyone.  It seemed ridiculous to him that this Sigmund could cause so much terror.  Sure he was an obvious psycho with a fetish for cutting people, but he couldn’t cause emotional pain to Luka.  Only physical pain.  His life couldn’t possibly get any worse, thanks to verbally abusive mother, his obvious destitution, his unlikeable personality, his formidable reputation.  Luka resolved to no longer be afraid of Sigmund, locking the fearful part of himself away, out of reach.

After that point, he no longer knew how much time passed, only that time was passing.  Did he even know what time it was?  Maybe midday, maybe nighttime.  He didn’t know.  Abruptly he was shaken out of his stupor by hearing Sigmund fling open the door.

Sigmund hastily entered his apartment and bursted into his experiment room.  Luka was gripping the table he was chained to tightly, his knuckles white.  Slowly he released his hold he had on the furniture and put on a composed expression while his eyes adjusted to the sudden appearance of brighter light.

“Ah, hello, there young Luka,” said Sigmund cordially. 

After closing his mouth open and close and blinking rapidly, Luka finally had the strength to respond.  “You’re back,” he croaked.

“It seems that way.”  Sigmund hurriedly moved around the room, tossing stuff into a black bag that he had procured.

“Why are you in such a rush?” asked Luka.