I am the storm

Chapter 12 | The room

My eyes flickered open as my body was freezing while my mind was confused.

I was no longer in the safe space of my bedroom but a dark, small room no more than two metres by two metres by one and a half metres in height. The room had one door, that remained closed. My hands were bound together by a thick rope in front of me, but from what I could tell I had no phone, no pocket knife and no taser.

The only hope I had was the PTD still left in my pocket. At least I would know if a participant was near me that would give me an edge I would know when the man in the mask would come for me.

The man in the skull mask!
I still had no idea who he was?
I had no idea what he wanted?
I had no idea where he had taken me?
Where was I?

No one knew where I was. The last thing Shadow knew was I went home, Patricia would think I'm at home my dad thought I was at home or at Patricia's! No one would come looking for me!

Morbid thoughts drifted into my head like whispers from everywhere:
Was this where I died?
Alone in a dark confined room?
All I knew for sure was that...
I didn't want to die cold and alone.
Even if my efforts were fruitless I had to try and hold onto the thin sliver of hope  that was my prayers.
I will not die!

I fumbled in the darkness for a while I could find not definable large shapes in the room the room was completely empty...almost, in the centre of the room was a small shape.

I reached out toward the shape and grabbed it. It was a cylindrical shape with a outwards facing come on the end of it and a circle button on the side it was a flash light!

Clicking the button illuminated the room in an almost blinding white light sprouting from the cone end of the flash light.

To my horror the room I was in wasn't as plain as I had originally thought. Along the walls were hundreds Polaroid photos the repeated white squares all across the room's walls but what truly horrified me was what the pictures had on them:

One photo had the smiling skull mask of the man who had kidnapped me looking directly into the glare or the cameras lens.

Another photo was of me unconscious on the floor laying on my back my left eye being held open by a gloved hand.

Another photo was of me lying on the floor still unconscious but the one alteration I could see was on my face was the smiling skull mask.

There was many more photos some the same as the last and others were of me in other poses as if the man in the mask treated me like a puppet or a doll to use for his sick purposes.

The man in the mask had violated me just to torment me or was it just to see how much he could manipulate my form, he wanted to see what he could do with my body.
He was sick.

My mind was frantic my most primal animalistic instincts took over rage filled me I struck the walls repeatedly with my bare fists I did this so much blood flowed from the cuts that lay on my knuckles.

Then my instinct were drowned out by some other force that told me 'if he strung up these photos to gloat to bring your world down as he built his around you... What should you do?'

I then responded out loud to myself in the eerie room "i'll  tear his world down!"

I set about methodically removing the pictures off the wall pilling the picture in separate piles it was hard and the process was slow with my hands bound together. But eventually all the Polaroid photos filled with shame had been removed from the walls of this empty room.

Next I thought out what I would do when the man in the mask came back when as same idea sprung into my mind 'play defenceless see his strengths and weaknesses DO NOT reveal your own.' In response I slumped my self against the back wall adjacent to the door to the room, but the same voice in my head rang out again with 'make it believable...messy.'

As if responding to the voice I kicked the piles of Polaroid photos scattering the photos across the floor of the room to make the scene even more 'real.'

Suddenly, the PTD in my pocket rang out with 'Beep' while outside footsteps started growing closer and louder.

Every part of my being wanted to stay strong and not cry out in fear but the same voice rang out in my head once again 'cry out make it believable make HIM believe!' So I let go and tears rolled from my eyes and down my cheeks and I cried out loudly.

The footstep grew closer to the door as  I heard a heavy metallic object slid across another object (I assume the lock of the door sliding open). As the sliding finished the door swung open to let the outside light flood in like a flash flood as the man in the skull mask stood in the doorway and spoke in his usual muffled voice "now, now pretty pretty why do you cry?"

He leant closer to my face and started to wipe the tears away from my cheeks, while he continued to speak in a muffled voice "little pig, little piggy look at your beautiful body in these frozen memories!" As he beckoned toward the pictures as I tried to look away.

He grabbed my chin and pointed my eyesight toward the photos as he continued his raspy rant "piggy pig look at my art isn't it so beautiful and your body I so special in so many different ways!" I sobbed harder as he grabbed my chin and faced my face toward his mask's eyes.

I stared into the mask's cold unblinking emotionless eyes.

It was a long silence until the man behind the mask broke the silence by saying "pig why are you so unthankful! You should be grateful to me, GRATEFUL TO ME!" he shouted but as he came closer using both my feet I kicked him in the stomach!

The man in the mask gasped for air as I scrambled to get out of the room but the man grabbed me and threw me back into the room and shouted "OH YES PIG. Oh yes there's that spark that I capture in each of my photos the old Polaroid contrasts the your new young feisty nature that can be seen throughout my photos!" He then turned and walked away before saying "I'll be right back!" As he cackled away.

The man in the mask closed the door and slid the lock of the door once again engulfing me in the cold lonely darkness. The voice in my head then rang out 'good he uses no weapons he is relying on brute force to over power you, also from what we can tell he is erratic and clearly unstable.'

I could surprise him I would hide to the side of the door this would make him act out and hopefully leave without locking the door since there would be no reason too, but if this plan failed I could use the flash light and hit him over the head and then take him by surprise gaining the upper hand that way.

I practically dragged myself up off the ground and walked toward the side of the door where I waited...I focused all my energy into trying to hold my breath trying to be as quiet as I could. The room was so quiet the loudest thing I could hear was my own heart beat.

Thud Thud.

Thud Thud.

The beat was almost rhythmical being the only sound amongst the spine chilling isolate darkness of the enclose space.

Thud Thud.

Thud Thud.

I had the upper hand I could...

Suddenly, the entire room shook sending me flying into the back wall! I lay against the wall still bound as the PTD started to 'Beep' frantically.

Thoughts raced 'he was back the man in the mask was back to finish me off.'

The PTD continued to 'Beep' from my pocket. I was powerless to do anything!

Suddenly, the doors lock started to slide slowly open as the door creaked open letting light once again flooded the room surrounding me in light as a figure startle to step into view..

Fear clouded my mind
Was it a man?
Or a woman?
What did they want?
Were they going to kill me?
How would they kill me?
Would they slit my throat?
Would they stab me through the heart?
Would they impale me?
Would they burn me? Like a witch!
Would they crush me to death?

Would this person make my death quick or take time and pleasure in my agonising screams? Or would this person not even use force? Would they use some form of lethal injection?

I managed to keep my dark thoughts at bay and closed my eyes waiting for my inevitable death as my tears streamed from my eyes and my thoughts cleared and my mind faded...