Page 117 of I Never Stopped Loving You

NOAH

OCTOBER FLASHBACK

Tonight’s the night.

As the door creaks open, the putrid smell of flesh and blood wafts from under the second door leading to Hell. My labyrinth of chaos that lies just beneath my house. It’s been my sanctuary for these last few years. Offering me the security to enact my own personal form of justice against the scum that manage to escape their punishments. Well, too bad for all of them, they can’t escape their fates.

“Please, help us,” the scream echoes as I unlock the second door.

From inside the tunnels of the labyrinth, you can’t even see the door. When I installed it, I took bricks from other parts of the tunnels that looked just as damp and aged as the ones around it and seamlessly matched them up. With how dark it is inside, none of them manage to see the small handle embedded in the crevices. I’m the only one who knows.

“Enough screaming, Rayes,” I growl, and he instantly shuts up.

My other captured soul sits quietly in his chair. Head down and not a single sound. He knows better.

My eyes are glowing from the mask. It’s designed to hide my identity, but it also adds to the fear it makes them feel. The anonymity of the reaper has become their nightmare. The one who stole them from their lives, and brought them here to this dark, damp hell.

They beg to know why I’m doing this, who I am, and what they did to deserve this. It’s only on the final night of their life that I give them a chance. If they can outrun me and escape, I’ll let them live. The only other option is if they can guess who the monster under the mask really is, but no one ever does. No one expects someone like me to be so bloodthirsty.

“Please. I’ll give you anything you want. Just name your price. Any price. You obviously know who I am. You know how much money I have…”

*Smack*

“I know exactly who you are, Arthur Rayes. I don’t need your money.”

“What then? Anything. I’ll give you anything,” he screams as blood begins to flow from his lip.

I’ve been frustrated this week. It’s especially unfortunate for him because it’s his own fucking daughter that’s been causing my frustrations, so needless to say, it’s going to be quite painful.

“Anything?” I question.

The voice changer in the mask lowers my voice a few octaves, giving it just the right pitch to send chills down his spine.

“Yes. I have houses all over the world. A private jet. A boat. Do you want an island? I have one of those, too.”

He’s rambling, searching for anything that might pique my interest. I continue to slowly walk around him. He’s blindfolded, but even with my nearly silent steps, he can feel my presence looming over him. My knife trails along the back of his neck barely breaking skin, and that’s when he shouts the most disgusting bribe I’ve heard from him yet.

“I have a daughter,” he screams.

My wrist flicks, letting the tip nick a bit further into his flesh. He screams in agony, and it’s music to my ears.

“A daughter? You mean Angela? Your little princess?” I practically purr my response.

His body tenses in fear. Surely he should have known I’d know all about his precious daughter. I press the tip of the knife under his chin, barely letting it draw blood. I can smell the piss running down the chair and pooling on the floor beneath him.

“Disgusting,” I snarl as I flick the knife allowing more of his blood to spill.

“Please. There has to be something you want,” he begs.

It’s only then that his fellow prisoner lets out a dry, manic cackle. One from years of being down in this disgusting place. His breath is rancid from the infection that’s been festering between his teeth. His skin is sunken in on his face making each bone sharp.

“Wha…what’s so funny?” Arthur sounds close to sobbing.

“You think he wants anything?” the other prisoner croaks.

His voice hasn’t been used much for years, other than the screams and pleas I pull from his failing body. I got all the information I needed from him years ago. He’s just a hollow husk of a man whose heart is only still beating because I force it to. He’s not allowed to die yet.

“Please,” Arthur whimpers again.