Staring at the mirror, he saw his reflection, his headaches had gotten from worse to worst. He inhaled and exhaled, he let the faucet's water flow, creating a soft rhythm. Looking back at him was his reflection, he stretched his hand and touched it and a warm smirk appeared on his face. Somewhere in the background he could hear heavy breathing and struggling. Child stared at the image that looked back at him, he couldn't help it, he smashed the mirror with his fist and it cracked, chipping away at his knuckles. The blood dripped and formed long straight creepy lines on the mirror, it was a beautiful piece of art.
"HELP! HELP!" The voice behind the door was screaming and it was getting on his nerves. He liked it when it was silent, when he could only hear music and soft lullabies. When he had the chance to hear only his heartbeat. It irritated him on how that voice screamed yet, no one was going to save him. Argg! He groaned and realized just how time flies by, he didn't want to do this but he had to, red was a beautiful color, the color of wine, the color of a rose, the color of love and most of all the color of blood. He thought on how a grey dress can be stained and sprinkled with blood for it to create a beautiful piece of art. How red can be mixed with any color but still remain red. Child's favorite color was red, even as the blood dripped from his knuckles, he was exhilarated by how pretty it was. The voice behind the door gets louder and louder, interrupting his moments. He walks outside and he sees the man struggling to get out from the binding chains.
"For a whole week, you've been screaming for help, don't you know when its time for you to give up and accept your fate." Child says sadly, taking a chair and sitting in front of him.
"What do you want from me, if my family knows am missing, you'll have to face it, you'll pay for this." Tomas Matthews Merlin answers bitterly.
"Aah! Aah! Will I really, your voice is irritating, your face is irritating, you're just so irritating to the point that I feel I should blow up your goddamed head!" Child says more annoyed than usual.
"Soon enough, they'll know I'm missing, you just wait and see-
Child interrupts him, "You went for a business trip in Australia, you won't be coming back for two weeks, don't you recall that Tomas, or did you hit your head?" He says sarcastically.
"What do you want from me? I will give you money, my family has lots of money." Tomas pleads pitifully, struggling to break from the chains, struggling to remove the blindfold from his eyes. He hears him snicker, feels the ill intent behind that snicker, Tomas was well aware that whoever this Child was, he was a monster, he was a horrible person. He could always feel his gaze; it was like staring into the devil's eye, he could feel that warm smile, yet, it carried a demon far worse than evil. Tomas had been here for a week, this kidnapper hadn't done anything, in fact, he treated him comfortably. Bringing in food and water daily, giving him a place to sleep, constantly telling him stories and always talking about love however, Tomas was aware his time limit was reaching. He couldn't tell where he was, the only thing he remembers was the fact that he boarded a plane to Australia, the next time he woke up, he was blindfolded and in chains. Just what did this Child want? Was that even his name?
"Tomas, am bored, why don't we play a game, each answer you get wrong, there is a punishment, each you get correctly, I'll give you a prize." Child says, arranging various tools on the table and Tomas trembles in fear. Was he going to torture him? Was he going to kill him? What game were they playing? What was going to happen to him?
"Dear Tomas, the rules of the game are quite simple, you just have to be honest, that's the rule, if you get five out of ten, I'll free you, nonetheless if you don't…" Child says while giggling and Tomas is afraid of this malicious man in this small room with him. He knew he was in a room; the room was always warm and through the blindfold, he could always see the embers of burning fire. He was always so hospitable to the fact that he made sure Tomas received three meals a day to keep him healthy. Perhaps he was fattening the pig before slaughter.
"First, the game is simple, I'll ask, you answer. Don't make me angry Tomas, today am very generous." Child says, pulling his chair and sitting in front of Tomas. "Let's begin, what's my favorite color?" He asks joyfully. How was Tomas supposed to know, he'd never even met him, just what was he getting at. "Tomas, five seconds remaining." Child says joyfully. There was a timer, he didn't say. Tomas thought, this man really wanted him dead, "Black, its black."
"Uhh-uhh, am sad Tomas, you got it wrong, but there won't be a next time." Tomas wants to flee for his life; where would he even go. How can he even escape this man? He hears a loud 'pop' and he screams while Child bursts out laughing hysterically.
"Tomas, Tomas, you're such a coward, you fear the popping of balloons, eww - eww, did you just pee on yourself? Tomas really, are you crying, I haven't even done anything, we are just at the beginning." Child says utterly disappointed. Tomas was ashamed of himself, what was this man? Was he just manipulating and brainwashing him? Did he just enjoy tormenting him?
"On to the next question, this time, I hope you get it right, I'll be so sad if you don't Tommy." Child tells him jokingly.
"Wait, please just wait," Tomas pleads.
"What are we waiting for Tommy, I'm an impatient man, so don't make me wait!" He says pissed and Tomas realizes that this man had a very dangerous personality, all the games, all the cute charms, all the questions and most of all, his ways of handling things. They were all to anomalous, this man before him got what he wanted, he manipulates, brainwashes and torments his captures. It dawned on Tomas that Child uses psychological manipulation as a means of torture. He was far too dangerous than any normal psychopath; the only way Tomas could survive this was to play with him.
"Next question please."
"Good Tomas, we are starting to understand each other, on the first question, my favorite color is red, do you wanna know why Tommy?" Child mocks wickedly.
"Yes, I would love to know." Tomas responds quietly.
"Tom, Tommy, you're a good playmate, you know, when I was a kid, I didn't have any friends to play with, but you, even though your old, you know how to play with me, am having so much fun!" He claps so very happily.
"I like red, because it represents blood, how red it is, how beautiful it is, when I was six years old, mommy and daddy got me this beautiful Chiwawa dog, do you wanna know what happened next Tom?" He said grimly.
"Yes, please tell me more." Tomas says feeling bile rising in his stomach.
"Mmh- I named it Sunny, it had these beautiful black eyes, they shone like diamonds, much brighter than the stars and it annoyed me, it annoyed me so much! Tommy, I buried Sunny alive, leaving its head sticking above the ground and I lawn-mowed it over and over and over till a beautiful red covered me and the whole backyard, I realized just how beautiful she was, covered in red, I love red so much, red is elegant, red is beautiful." Child says and a princely smile form on his lips. Tomas ends up vomiting over and over and over and Child's eyes turn dark, darker than usual.
"Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy!" He shouts his name over and over and Tomas knows he pissed him off; Child is so very angry. Who wouldn't vomit when they said they lawn-mowed a dog when they were six years old? Just what kind of mad man had kidnapped him? This was no psychopath, this boy had lost it, Jesus! Tomas feels him moving, what was he getting, a torture instrument, no, perhaps something far worse? He feels a warm thing touch his face, he exhales, it was a warm towel, he was wiping away his vomit? WHAT the fuck!
"Tommy, you made yourself all dirty and disgusting, you stink too, Tommy, I told you, I have never told anyone that story, so let's keep it a secret between us." He says as he cleans up the mess Tomas had made. Tomas feels there was something portentous about the air, he was more terrified by the fact that he could feel Child's gaze on him, yet he couldn't see his eyes. He was far too scared of the way he could feel this menacingly dreadful aura radiating from him. Tomas shivered and trembled in fear; sweat broke from his forehead and his palms became sweatier. The next thing he knew, he felt dizzy, his ears ringing and his head banging, he saw white blind his gaze and he felt something warm drip on his forehead, yet before he could recover, he could feel another blow, and another, and another, and another.
"Child, fuck you, you'll kill him, calm down dude, geez." Analyst says taking the rod he'd been holding. Tomas didn't realize other people were in the room, his mind was blank and he felt like he was about to pass out. Blood had covered his mouth and eyes, his vision blurred.
"I know he made you angry, I told you, the only people you should narrate that story to is me and Gurdian, the rest wouldn't get it, come on, clean him up now, make sure, he isn't dead, okay!" Analyst instructs him carefully. Tomas feels something warm touching his face, he was cleaning up the blood.
"Tommy, look at what you made me do, I'm really sorry I got carried away and almost smashed in your head before we finished our game, we were still in the second question and I have invited my two good friends Analyst and Gurdian, so it's going to be more fun. Don't die yet and don't pass out yet." He says sorrowfully and Tomas knows this is the end, they were going to kill him by the fourth question. If the first one made him this angry then what about the second or the third. Just who would apologize to their victims after smashing in their head? Child was a murderer who hid in his cuteness and innocence. At least before he died, he should know how he'd wronged them. His wife Elizabeth would be sad, perhaps too overjoyed, she was a woman who loved money and herself. Tomas always did her bidding, over and over, Crime, money, gambling, he did them all because he loved her. He even forgot about his children Mark and Miranda, oh! What a pathetic life he had lived. Elizabeth ruined his life yet he still loved her dearly, he still cared about her and would do anything for her. He wouldn't put anything or anyone above her; it was that love that made him lose his mind and perhaps now its too late. Haa! He thought pitifully, his life was pitiful, he was pitiful and so very pathetic, this was the end. These three men, in this room were going to end him.
"Master Child, what atrocities did I commit for you to want to end me this badly, what crime did I commit against you for you to harm me in this way, why do you torment and torture me in this way?" He says in a small voice, utterly exhausted and accepting his fate.
"You did no crime against me, I love you dearly but I love someone more than I love you, what crime you ask, you made the woman I love cry, you made her go into madness yet I tried all means to bring her back, you abandoned her, you neglected her, you ignored her, you tormented her, you bullied her, you looked down on her, you judged her, you all left her sad and alone! She almost died because of you! All of you are GUILTY as charged. I have JUDGED and sentenced all of you to death by my hands for hurting my woman!" Child shouts angrily and he punches Tomas over and over and over. He could feel his breath fading away slowly, so it was about love. Love makes people crazy and obsessed, Child was also in that circle. Aah! He deserved this punishment, it was heaven sent, maybe in his next life, he would forget about love and focus solely on his life. "Child, I accept your JUDGEMENT and PUNISHMENT, I am GUILTY as charged, may the heavens serve as my witness." Tomas says as he closes his eyes happily.