The bedroom was an image mixed from the past and the present, another shelf was fixed upon the wall above the king-sized bed that lay beneath it. Upon the shelf a row of creepy old china dolls lay before her with each and every glass eye seemingly watching her from every angle of the room.
Michelle crashed her naked body upon the soft folds of the bed, she let the soft duvet caress each and every curve of her skin, as the warmth of the duvet hit her like a ten ton truck....she closed her eyes as a deep sleep overcame her, and as her closed....so did each and every china doll’s too...
I opened my eyes after a brief nap...the light from the window draped itself upon my face, as I slowly opened one eye and groaned softly at the world around me. “ I hate mornings!” I groaned to myself as I rose from my lying position to a sitting position upon my bed. The heaviness of sleep still lingered upon my head like a heavy weight resting upon the top of it, I eventually raised myself from the dingy bed and staggered myself towards the mirror fixed upon the opposite wall above a small wash basin with a single tap upon it....options were cold or on some days if I was lucky....freezing freaking cold.
I stared deep into the mirror at the reflective image standing before me...the face was familiar but the lines were a lot deeper now than they had been ten years ago...still the youthful features were still hidden amongst the aged ragged bits that stared back at me..
“Same old shit....different day...” I murmured as I return back to the bed and sat back upon the slightly stiff mattress and stared deeply at the walls of my cell, there were no markings but plain white stones, apart from a simple shelf where various items of interest sat proudly upon it.
A couple books sat neatly next to each other....one was a rough looking but still readable copy of the works of William Shakespeare...the other was a unknown book of poetry in which obscure poets lay within the stained pages. These books were obtained for me by Liam from the library, the books helped me get through the boring moments of the passing hours of a day.
It was at that moment a familiar chinking came into earshot...it was Liam on his morning walkabout, and no doubt was heading towards my cell. “You awake DP!, I gotta new one for you.” he called out through the steel door of my cell, “Yes Liam...I am awake, please slip it through the slot for me will you my friend.” I replied softly back towards him.
“I have an errand for you too! I need this book going to Kirsten, I would be very grateful if you could do this my dear friend” I kindly requested.
There was a loud clunking noise as the slot to my cell door opened and Liam’s hairy hand pushed in the package, and I placed my book into the slot... closing the slot back up again once the package was in the room with me. “Thanks Liam...thanks a lot!” I called out to him. “No problem” came the reply, as the clinking of keys fading into the distance meant Liam was moving onwards with his daily duties and my book for Kirsten...
I raised myself once more from the ragged lumpy mattress and retrieved the package from the shelf attached to the cell door, the brown paper wrapped parcel was folded perfectly and tied tightly with string. I untied the package and unfolded the sheets of paper to reveal a leather bound book, I caressed the smooth leather cover...it tingled with my touch and a joyous smile crept across my face.
The book felt fresh and untouched by mortal hands, and a brief glance upon the title I knew I was in for an excellent adventure....an excellent adventure indeed..
Michelle briefly opened her eyes....shit....how long had she been out, she stretched out her arms to try and release the final dregs of sleep from her body, her naked breasts popped from within the soft folds of the duvet. Her naked body felt warm within the soft embrace of the comforting hug of the duvet, her eyes glanced towards the desk....the desk where she did her work from.
Upon the desk lay her bag and from where she was she could see the notes from the interview poking out from it....
She got up from the bed and wrapped her dressing gown around her and sat at the desk....picked up the bag and pulled out the notes from within it. Her eyes traced across each and every stroke of pen that she scribbled upon the paper, Michelle became addicted to the detail that the monster went into and with her right hand turned on the nearby laptop..
The computer breathed into life and the screen flickered on....Michelle tapped in her password and clicked onto her documents file, a flurry of files sprawled before her eyes. A list of different cases flocked before her eyes and she clicked upon the first one, a series of paper cutting headlines and stories opened up across the screen.
Her eyes moved back and forth from that safe fixed upon the wall behind that landscape picture of a field of lavender and an old oak slap bang in the middle, the voices in her head repeated over and over again....the secrets it held must never be known....
‘TEEN’S FATHER FOUND MURDER WITH BLOODY MESSAGE’, the headline came onto the screen. And the details though sparse scrolled down and with Michelle’s notes could fill in the gaps that were hanging from each and every sentence. Michelle continued to scroll through each and every file trying to match the notes to the story...
Then that story....the story she had tried to forget came up on the screen, she scrolled quickly down as her hands began to tremble...
Then the silence was broken...
The telephone began to chime on the desk beside her, she glanced upon the name on the screen ...it read Sam Mallows. That was Detective Mallows who had investigated the original murders and eventual caught the monster DP ten years ago, she hesitated as her hand hovered over the phone. Michelle lifted up the phone and spoke silently down the phone, “Hello....Michelle here...”
“Hello Michelle....It’s Mallows here, how did it go?” came the deep growling voice from the other side of the phone. “What did you think?....Do you think he knows what you are doing there?
“At the moment....No he doesn’t know what I am doing there...at the moment.” Michelle replied.
“But I suspect he knows something is going on...” Michelle mumbled.
“It doesn’t surprise me....he knows everything and he knows a trap when he see’s one, but he also likes the thrill of the game....he enjoyed the torture it gave to his victims and his witnesses.” Sam replied.
“He especially enjoyed the thrill of the chase he led me all those years ago, I am too old for all this shit...but we need to know anything about these recent murders and especially if he knows anything about them.” Sam retorted.
“But what if he doesn’t play ball....what if he suspects?” replied Michelle.
“My dear...he already suspects and I believe....no I know that he knows I am involved, and that is why he will play this game. He will do anything in his power to beat me or humiliate me.” Sam answered.
“This my dear....is only the start of the game...” Sam replied as he hung the phone up.....
Michelle’s eyes glanced momentarily towards the safe in her apartment, knowing all to well what she had to do....
Chapter Four: House Of Straw
The white walls stared back at me... the same old bricks crumbling in places with old age and the constant rattling of mice scurrying behind the walls and across the pipes behind the walls.....the ticking of gentle feet across metal pipes especially during the night was one of the things that kept me awake, not that I slept much...I enjoyed the night more than I did of the daylight.
I lay upon my bed...my mind amongst the deep depths of thoughts and ideas, my eyes staring at the white walls before me...listening to the silence, oh the sweet silence...such were the peaceful moments of the day..but I knew it was about to be broken by the arrival of Lynch...who was the day guard and a right miserable bastard to boot. He would come to take me to my area just for me, so I could get my daily hour’s exercise, still chained and tied like a pig to be slaughtered but this bought a tear of enjoyment to the Warden’s face...but I knew he would be cry tears of a different nature if I ever hot my hands upon him... a wry smile formed on my face as a dull
clinking approached from the shadows of the corridor....Lynch was on his way.
“Come on you sick fuck....you know the routine, get your ass up...hands behind your back!” the large brute of a man bellowed through the steel door. “My oh my Lynch we are a grumpy fucker today ain’t we!” I replied sarcastically through my side of the door.
“Shut the fuck up! And turn the fucking other way you stupid fuck!” snarled Lynch whose temper was increasing with every moment, I allowed him a moments peace and gladly position myself ready to be chained up. After a short period and tightly secured by chains, I was escorted from my cell towards the open exercise area within the Misty Eyes Asylum.
Lynch connected me to the railing so I could move while still chained, my walkway outlined by a white circle, beyond the white circle was untouchable due to my chains. The rat was on the track...so I began to scamper around and around for the next hour, though there were no other inmates in the area due to my naughty behaviour with them....we were kept separate apart from the shuffling character within the shadows...I smelt a rat...a filthy rat...no in fact a sneaky pig called Festas.
Festas was one of those inmates despised by every inmate within the Asylum, he was the guard’s snitch who loved knowing everybody’s business and used this information for his own purposes. I saw him scuffling amongst the shadows, trying hard not to be spotted within them. “I see you there you little rat!, come into the light vermin rather than scuffling in the shadows.” I hissed towards his direction.
“Well...well....well, it seems the monster is out for his little walk...hows the freak today?” replied the scruffy creature from the shadows. Festas emerged from the shadows and kept within a short distance from the white circle marker upon the ground.
“Step closer...closer so I can show you how I feel my little vermin...have you no shit to rummage through than try to strike a conversation with myself?” I replied towards him.
“You are the only shit I have to put up with today!” replied a cocky Festas, who was feeling full of himself as he skulked by the white patrol line...knowing all too well that he was safe from the reach of myself.
I thought to myself....your time will come, oh yes my friend your time is fast approaching as I chuckled to myself. Festas pulled a face as he skulked back into his shadows, as I continued to pace around my marked out area.
It was good to stretch my legs for a brief moment away from that crowded cell of mine, though the glimmer of the red light from the CCTV cameras watching my every movement annoyed me....I knew that the guards were paying close attention, knowing all too well how trigger happy they would be if I acted up...though if I did act up it would be under my own rules.
The lumbering shadow of Lynch approached...it was time for me to return to my cell, the stench of Festas remained in the air. I knew he was lurking....skulking amongst the shadows, watching from the darkness as I was led back towards my cell and the four walls...
The Warden had been watching the feed from the camera...his blood boiling as he watched that monster parading around the recreational area...with that high and mighty walk of his...that fucking egotistical walk. He mind was too busy focussed upon the Dark Poet that he almost missed spotting the shadowy figure of Festas. He called down to the guards and ordered them to bring the wretch before him at once, the guards groaned as the call came through and trudged to find Festas...
They found him alone pretending to sweep the inmates rest rooms, the guards grabbed the wretch and dragged him before the Warden. He was awaiting their arrival in his office, as the guards pushed Festas before him. “Well then...you may be wondering why I have summoned you before me...and by the look of fear upon that wretched face of yours...I suspect that you are thinking what kinds of shit you are in, well that all depends on what you will do for me...as I have a little task for you and depending how well you do it will depend how much pain and suffering you will not receive.” spoke the Warden as Festas knew he had no choice in the matter.
“W-what do you want me to do?” Festas replied....
As I sat in the tight cell as the four white walls circled around me, I lay back upon my bed and closed my eyes....not to sleep but to allow the distractions that lay before my eyes fade from my mind and let just the silent darkness seep into my vacant corridors that lay between the chambers of my mind. It was bliss to free my mind away from the sheer boredom of the day to day sludge that reality brings me.
But that bliss was soon to be disturbed by the jingling of keys in the door to my cell, I sat up and watched as the handle to the door turned slowly...so slowly, until the door began to open slowly and Lynch and another guard step through. “We got a little present for you scum...well he has.” replied Lynch, as the two of them parted and in stepped Festas brandishing a handmade knife. The sliver of a blade sparkled in the light from the window above us...
There was no spoken words between the moment Festas lurched forward intent to strike me with the knife, and though I defended myself well landing a few blows...Lynch struck me with his baton across the head as Festas struck deep and true as the shadows crept once more into my mind and the darkness faded into view...
I awoke in my bed a few days later...I had been bandaged up and feeling quite sore from the deep wound in my side, I later found out that the guards had placed bets that I wouldn’t survive the night...guess they will be pissed off that I am alive and well....alive and wounded anyway. My mind was a mixture of emotions as I tried to rest upon my bed within the cell...I glanced towards where I was attack...faded but still almost visible were the splatters of blood from my head and stab wound upon the wall and floor all dark and crusted...my mind was a raging tornado as I vowed revenge upon them all. Oh yes revenge for them all especially you...my dear Warden I would save you to the end.
My eyes closed as a deep slumber overcame me....
Festas was a worried man...he knew he would be the Poet’s next target, after his failed botched up attempt of killing the Poet...he was alone, all alone after the guards had wiped their hands of the filthy rat and the Warden let the rat amongst the lions of the inmates. Each had heard of Festas’s stupid attempt and all glanced with icy stares towards him....but Festas knew it was the Poet he was more afraid of. He had heard the tales of torture and the fables of bloody concertos directed by his very hands upon a list of victims...he knew that he was no mere killer...he was a cunning psychopath that wouldn’t rest until his thirst for revenge was quenched.
Festas shuffled towards the safety of his shadows, like the rat shuffling amongst the shit and dirt he was. He knew that for a small amount of time he was safe but he also knew that he had a target upon his back...a very personal target from the Poet himself...but he knew he was wounded and he had at least a few days to try to avoid him before he was well enough to walk...he muttered to himself as the thoughts raged furiously through his mind...
My eyes opened after a few hours asleep...the pain was still numbingly sore but I was able to sit up from my flat position upon the bed, I gazed around the cell, the light was dull but I was able to see the cell clearly. I tried to stand up...the instant ripple of pain going through me like a bolt of electricity exploding deep within my wounded body..I slumped back onto the bed...taking a deep breath and a clenched fist raised myself up to my feet as I withstood the biting pain ravaging my body, I slowly took a step forward...the numbness from not walking for the last few days took their toll upon me, yet I persevered towards the far wall....trying to get the strength to flow once more within them.
Soon the numbness depleted away and the strength was returning to my body..and now my mind was free to begin to plot and take shape the idea of my revenge...my sweet revenge upon all my enemies and a plan soon began to take shape and form within my mind....
Liam’s voice broke my concentration as it wafted into the cell... “I see’s you is up and about....I found you upon the floor after them three battered you to an inch of your life...I took you to the Infirmary and they fixed you up best
they could, I am glad you are better.” Liam replied as a flicker of a smile came and went from my face.
“Thank you Liam...but I am still sore but I need you to forgive me.” I asked solemnly towards his direction...
“Forgive you?...for what?” Liam asked.
“For what I am about to do...” I replied as I approached Liam...
Chapter Five: House Of Sticks
“Shame that piece of piss Liam saved that stupid fucker...I lost some good money betting that shit would die, still at least I can torment him more.” chuckled Lynch to himself as he sat in the guard’s rest room on the verge of releasing a massive floater into the toilet.
The pressure was building as a sea of aroma lifted and festered in the air, as his guff settled to stink the whole place out...Lynch chuckled to himself “Better out than in.” his voice echoed through the room as he let loose the shit of hell from his slimy wet ass.
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