OUBLIETTE

The Red Room

LUKAS KOVÁČ

I've been chained to this cold metal chair for what it feels like hours. My tears have dried, and my limbs are numb. But to my surprise, I'm still alive and well. I still find it hard to believe that this is it for me, this is how my life will end. Who knows what they'll do to me in the next few minutes. I wish I'd die quickly. Ha. I doubt that. The whole point of this barbaric web show is to see how much pain my body can tolerate before finally killing me off.

I wonder what my mom and sister are doing. I hope they'll forgive me for doing this. I couldn't let those people take my mom away. I can't stand the sight of her suffering at the hands of people who derive pleasure from torturing the innocents. I promised my sister that I'd keep them safe no matter what, so this is me keeping my promise; even if it leads me to my death. At least I know that they're safe, and that they'll never starve again. I've done my best to keep them safe, and now I'm ready to meet my creator. If there is such a thing.

The sound of someone unlocking the door draws my attention back to reality. I look around the place and everything is pitch black. Oh right, there is a hood over my head. How foolish of me. I can hear footsteps now. Someone is walking towards me.

I try my best to stay calm and silent. I want them to watch me die as a human being. Whoever is in the room with me run their fingers through something that sounds like a bunch of knives or God knows what instruments of torture they have prepared for them to use on me. I breathe heavily as I brace myself for the worst. They take the hood off my head.

***

I can't believe at what I'm seeing right now. Am I dead already? Standing before me is a girl, a beautiful- and very well dressed girl with a strange-looking headgear on her head. She dangles a hand in my direction.

"Delighted to make your acquaintance, subject 9713." She says.

I shoot her a confused look. Does she not know that my hands are chained behind this stupid chair?

She takes my gag off.

"M-my name is Lukas. Are you the client?" I ask. She ignores me. I feel the need to ask her another question. What have I got to lose, I'm going to die very soon anyway. "Aren't you a bit too young to become a killer?"

"They told me what happened." She replies. After grabbing a pair of metal pliers from the table she continues, "What a bargain, I must say!"

Silence.

She steps closer to me and say, "We were supposed to have this sad and weak middle aged woman, but look at what we have now; a healthy, and somewhat good-looking lad!"

"Leave my mother out of this."

She smirks, "So tell me, are you ready to meet your creator?"

I tightened my jaw, "Why don't you just cut the shit and get this over with, miss?"

"Feisty! Now I can see why they agreed to have you on our show." She says, with a sarcastic smile on her face.

She studies my face and then changes the subject, "How long have you been chained up like that?" She asks.

"I lost track of time."

"Are those too right for you?"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't, I was just trying to be polite." She replies.

I respond with a bitter laugh. I wonder what kind of a sick joke this is.

"Do I amuse you?" She asks. I study her face and say, "I'm ready to meet my creator."

"Straight to business, are we? as you wish!" she puts the gag back on.

I'm not religious, but I pray to God or whatever entity there is out there to let me die as quickly as possible.

The girl runs the pair of metal pliers across my jaw. "Now what shall I do with you?"

I wish she could just stop messing with me and get this over with.

She then walks around me in a slow pace, stops right behind my chair, and crouches down.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

With that, she grabs my forefinger and then uses the metal pliers to grasp my fingernail and slowly pry it from the nail bed before tearing it off suddenly.