Classical music filtered through the air, streaming from room to room in the dimly lit mansion. The music was being played from an old record player, cracks appearing in the wood on the side. The black vinyl disc slid smoothly under the record’s many rifts. Reading the vibrations on the disc, the stylus transported them to the machine and translated them into the beautiful music transcending into the air. The soft chorus of a string orchestra rose, mesmerising in a peaceful way.
Sitting next to the record player, sat a man in the dark. His head swayed to the rise and fall of the many violins and cellos, captivated in the sound. The music soothed him deeply, down to his very soul. His hands gripped the chair and relaxed. His full attention on the song, no other sounds could penetrate his bubble of peace.
The stylus on the disc skipped a ridge and the music stopped. The man jerked as if he were shocked. The bubble popped. His heart began to race as adrenaline began to fill his veins. His ears rang with the loss of his beautiful music, and were replaced with the outside sounds surrounding him.
Bang. Thump. Bang.
His hand shot out and replaced the stylus, trembling. The music began again, from the beginning. Buzzing pleasantly in his head, he sighed in relief and leaned his head back of the chair and closed his eyes. The tension left his body and he relaxed again. It wasn’t time yet. Calm down. Calm.
Time falls away from him as he dozes in and out of conscious. He could see brightly colored blobs flashing behind his eyelids. Sunny yellows, and calming blues mixing and drifting together. They danced to the music and his lips twitched up into a small smile. Such a pretty sound, he thought. Seconds turned into minutes, and in turn turned into hours. The disc rolled to an end as the orchestra played their last note.
Many strings vibrating with the last bow strokes on this note. The stylus slid back into it’s right position with a definite click that echoed in the now silent room. The man sat very still. Nothing moved, not even him, except for the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. His eyelids remained closed, lashes brushing his cheeks softly. His mind still drifted along with the remnants of the music still playing in his head. The colors remained, continuing their hypnotic, tangling dance. They twisted and bobbed to their own beat and totally captivated him. He felt happiness slowly building up inside himself.
Bang. Bang. Thump.
The man tensed, his house of serenity cracking with the interruption of the sound. His heart began to pound, electric excitement replace his peace. The yellows and blues stiffened and turned a violent red. He continued to take deep breaths. His sped heart up, keeping in time with the banging.
Bang. Thu-dump. Bang. Thu-dump.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in.
It’s time, he thought opening his eyes wide. With a heave, the man stands and wipes down his clothes. Despite the room’s darkness, he moved quickly and confidently around the side table and out into the hall. A smile grew on his face as he walked into the kitchen and stood in front of his basement door. The source of the sound could be heard behind the door. The banging was louder and other sounds joined it. Faint crying and the scraping of metal on concrete reached his ears. His heart beat with elation and his smile stretched into grin.
His music was a pretty sound but this. This sound was beautiful to his ears, the helplessness of his prisoner. He imagined her crawling around, on the cold, hard ground, her face disgustingly pitiful, her tears drenching her face. Her eyes screwed up in pain and throat hoarse from screaming and crying all this time. A ripple pleasure slid down his back, setting his nerves on edge. She’s been down there for hours. It was definitely gone. Her body must be tired from fighting against the steel door and him earlier.
He pulled open the door with a long creak and began to descend into the basement. The banging from within the darkness stopped, she must have heard the door opening. Each step he took brought him closer to his prisoner. At the bottom, he reached up and pulled dangling string, turing on a single lightbulb and saw the door. The steel was a dark grey with spots of brown rust at the hinges. It had a multiple locks secured to the wall, each one pulled to insure no escape. He walked over to the door and leaned his full body against it, his cheek resting against the cold metal. He heard nothing for a second then the rattling of a chain followed by faint sniffing. He moved his face off the door and lifted his hand. He began the long process of unlocking the many locks. At the last one, he held the door handle and took a deep breath.
Opening the door, the darkness in the room retreated as the light in the basement entered. The man stood in the doorway and looked the room over. Nothing but bare concrete walls and a lone girl. She sat in the middle of the room, her arms and feet manacled together connected by chains. He long hair was matted and dirty, hanging around her face in clumps. Her clothes were streaked with grass and dirt and torn around her ankles. The man looked up her body and ended at her face. It was dirty too, smears of dirt on her cheek and around her open mouth but her eyes. Her light brown eyes were red rimmed around the white and full of unshed tears. She was terrified. Scared. But still beautiful.
A quote he’d heard a long time came to mind. “Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. Its the transition that’s troublesome” the man laughed to himself. Death. Unfamiliar territory to the human race. The great beyond after living. Such a powerful word. Just the thought of today being their last day alive scared most people. But strangely, not him. Maybe he would die tomorrow. Maybe even today.
But not just yet. Let him have just a little more fun. He stepped into the room and the girl began to scoot away from him, crying freely, whimpering. He reached behind him and pulled the door shut. He licked his lips and walked over to her.
