Krimson Mind: The Krimson Cycle Vol. 1

Chapter Twenty-One - Krimson

"Welcome home bitch!" Phantom laughed as he roughly shoved me into the cell. He quickly slammed the door. The deadbolts slid home and moved into place. I was effectively trapped and there was nothing I could do about it. Phantom laughed as he walked away and the sound echoed for a long time before it was once again silent.

I decided to check out my prison in hopes of finding some sort of flaw that I might exploit. The cell was ten feet wide by ten feet long and about fifteen feet high. In the exact center of the cell, was a large stone slab that served as a bed and a chair. There was no toilet or sink, but I really didn't need either of those things. So that was okay. I had already passed those chimichangas that I'd had at El Leon's.

The cell's only source of illumination, was a singe fluorescent tube that was recessed into the ceiling. Every inch of the interior of the cell had been painted a bright white. And that made the light seem impossibly brighter. I found myself squinting to try and block out some of the glare.

"Do you recognize it?" Asked a very familiar voice.

I looked at the ceiling and saw a single loud speaker hiding behind a white metal grill. I suspected that the metal grill also housed a camera, because there were no peek-holes in the door or walls.

"Hello, Kaign. No, I don't recognize it. Should I?" I replied coolly. I didn't acknowledge his title on purpose.

"I've improved the place since you last visited." Kaign said, sounding very proud of himself. I suddenly had the strong urge to vomit.

"This must be the hole you stuck me into after you kidnapped me." I said, remembering the last night that I was still human.

"It remained empty since your first visit. I have had this cell reserved just for you." Kaign said quietly.

"You'll just have to excuse me if I don't jump for joy." I replied sarcastically.

Just then, the door lock released. I spun around to face the door. I really wasn't surprised when I saw who entered. I knew that he would want to gloat over my capture.

Lord Kaign stood about five foot eight and probably weighed around 150 pounds or so. He'd always been a slender man. His skin was the color of light chocolate milk. I remembered feeling fascinated by the color of his skin at one point in time. Believe me when I tell you that I was over it. He didn't have any hair on his head, with the exception of his eyebrows, which were dark brown in color. Kaign's eyes were elfish and almond-shaped. There were no whites to his eyes. They were totally black. I found myself creeped out every time I looked at them. His nose was flat and wide, like a native African's. Over all, Kaign looked as though he didn't belong to any racial group that currently existed on the planet. The truth was that Kaign fell somewhere between Neanderthal man and modern man. Yes, he was that damned old. He liked that everybody knew it. I suppose it made him feel more powerful or something.

He wasn't dressed as I thought a king should be. For instance, today's wardrobe consisted of a pair of faded blue jeans, a white t-shirt that had the Batman logo emblazoned on the front, and a pair of cherry red high-tops. But despite his state of dress, Kaign oozed power. It crawled over my skin like a living thing. I shuddered and took a step back. It felt as though the air pressure in the tiny cell tripled suddenly. I found that it was hard to draw a breath. I wasn't going to back down from him, but I didn't want him to get too close to me either.

Kaign entered the cell, and walked over to the stone bed. He sat down on it and just stared at me. I decided that if I was ever given the opportunity, I was going to kill him. Of course, I had decided that long, long ago.