Descent

Prologue

"I
apologize for dragging you away from your home at such a late hour but, this does need to be done", the man said with a smirk. Mr. James sat blindfolded, gagged and his arms and legs tied to a chair trying to figure out who had taken him away from his wife and children to do who knows what. The man sat in the one chair in the room he had locked them in." You see Mr. James, I need something of yours and I have a feeling you know what I want don't you?" Mr. James froze. Yes he knew what the man was asking for. Yes, he knew there was no one in the room but them. But, still he had a suspicion of who this strange man was. His gag was removed, but the blindfold stayed. He was about to scream when a cold, sharp metal tip was pointed to his head. He felt a warm drop of his own blood drip down onto his nose and start to dry." Now now Jonathan we wouldn't want to leave a mess for your beloved sister to clean." He gasped. No one used first names in their town in fear of traders discovering who they were, and also at the sudden realization of where they were.
" Leave my sister's home this instant! And where is she and her husband to stop you?" Mr. James exclaimed. The man laughed from his throat and sighed.
"Oh Jonathan you are not only blinded by the mask over your eyes but by the innocence you've been shown by your sister and I, or, how innocent she was." He removed the blindfold from John's eyes and what John saw gave him shock and sickness as well. He saw his sister's husband, or what was left of him; his eyes had deep purple and black circles under them and his chest was muscle with the exception of the bone sticking out of his hip."What happened to you Mr. Bream? and why do you want-" Mr. Bream quickly covered his mouth.
" You should know other people are after this too", He looked out the window and shut it." Just tell me where it is and I'll be on my way".
"What do you want with it? It's just an old letter." John looked Mr. Bream in the eye as Mr. Bream pressed the knife harder to his head letting the tip of the knife touch the man's skull. but not penetrate it. John held together, knowing he'd die either way.
" There's gold behind that old letter and we both know it Jonathan! Now tell me where it is or I'll find it myself and if I have to, I'll make sure to let your family know I was there." He smirked an evil grin.
"You wouldn't hurt them." John said assured of himself. Bream looked up and smirked holding the knife in his hand tight slowly adding pressure making John scream in pain.
"Try me." He drove the knife through his skull to the other side of his head, hearing a satisfying crack. He then pulled out the knife and headed to the James' household.
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Mrs. James had just finished putting dishes away when she heard a thump from her husband's room. She walked toward the door and leaned on it. She heard furniture crashing to the floor and glass breaking. She slowly twisted the doorknob and peeked in to see Bream looking through everything on the floor and around the room. She was about to call for help when he the door creaked.
"Mrs. James! How nice to see you. I just had a lovely talk with your husband." He stood knife in hand. She didn't know whether to speak or run. So there she stood at the barely recognisable Mr. Bream. She finally found her voice enough only to say,
"Why are you here and why is everything thrown around the room?" Mr. Bream was only half listening as he was searching for the letter.
"Where's the letter?" Mrs. James was startled and now confused. She didn't have a clue what he was talking about. She saw Mr. Bream lift a painting in front of her husband's safe and walked in the room.
"Please don't touch that it's-";the knife was held to her throat and she shut her mouth.
"What's the combination?" She didn't answer. fear gripped her heart like a drunk man gripped a bottle of vodka."What's. The. Combination?" With every word Bream said the knife was pressed harder to her neck. She had no choice but to tell,
"3497".
He smirked and with the knife still pressed to her neck and her pressed between the wall on her back and the knife on her neck, he put in the code and opened the safe to find the letter he'd been searching for."Thank you for your assistance Mrs. James, sadly, your services are no longer needed." she felt the pain in her neck and she lost all air and collapsed when the knife left her throat. The last thing she saw was Bream's shadow leaving through the window leaving no evidence that he was here. And then.. Blackness.