No Turning Back

Chapter Eleven: A Heady Past Pt. 3

The pendulum of the grandfather clock swung from side to side with each incessant tick. The cogs of the intricate mechanism methodically marched and clicked as they kept the pace of time. The mouth of the marble fireplace smouldered with the residual heat from the glowing coals as they lay stacked in the recess.

Richtofen sat impatiently on the green Chesterfield sofa. After getting dressed, he had tried to pass the next hour by occupying his mind with paperwork and just about anything which would distract him from these new thoughts. However, he had resigned himself to the sofa as the minute hand of the clock painfully inched it's way past 7:45pm. His mind raced as his gut cried out like a siren.

All the excitement and anticipation he had first felt two days prior had now decomposed into feelings of impending doom. With each exasperating tick and tock; Richtofen's stomach churned like a convict awaiting his execution. He looked absolutely handsome in his attire, yet; he had not dared to look at himself in the mirror since he dressed. He avoided his reflection like the gaze of a gorgon - lest it turn his heart to stone.

"Shnap out of it, Edvard!" Richtofen chastised himself in his mind.

"Zhis is zhe moment jou have vaited for! Jour brilliance has lifted jou from zhe cesspool of zhe peasantry und elevated to zhe Gods! Zhis is vhere jou belong!" He spat as he continued to rationalise the negative feelings which infested his being.

"Jou are Doctor Edward Richtofen!" Richtofen proclaimed aloud as his voice echoed through the empty apartment.

His heart began to race as the panic and frustration took hold of him. Beads of sweat began to form on his brow which forced him to get up from the sofa and retreat to the main bathroom. Richtofen rested his cane against the Greek marble floor sculpture which sat ominously in the corner; practically glaring at any of Richtofen's guests who were unfortunate enough to have a bowel movement.

He then placed his top hat on the counter next to the sink. As he reached over to run the tap, he slipped off his gloves and stood before the gushing water. Richtofen's eyes struggled to evade his reflection as the movement of splashing water on his face tempted him to look. His sanity had begun to elude him as it taunted and teased him like a figure in the night.

"Nein! Jou vill go to zhis evening und enjoy it!" Richtofen growled through gritted teeth.

He finally summoned the courage to look at his own visage as it stared back at him. Suddenly, his reflection began to smirk with a menacing grin. The man in the mirror began to taunt him as his eyes flickered with a deranged look before shifting back and forth from a morose, shadowy, unkempt Richtofen.

"N-n-NEIN! ZHIS IS NOT ME!" Richtofen cried at the mirror. He felt powerless as he watched himself contort before crumbling.

"NEIN! Please, leave me be!" Richtofen sobbed as he stepped back before slumping against the wall behind him.

The cold tiled floor seeped through his clothing as the chill froze his body. Richtofen bent his knees toward his chest before wrapping his arms around them. He buried his face as the tears fell from his cheeks. His strong sonorous voice was now reduced to a high pitched whimper as he began to fall apart.

Then, the buzzer went - snapping him from his breakdown. After a few seconds, it rang again. Richtofen looked up in bewilderment through teary eyes before realising. The sudden urgency to compose himself for the impending company caused him to automatically gather his thoughts. He quickly jumped up, adjusted himself and swept back his hair before putting on his gloves and top hat.

Richtofen grabbed his cane as he almost glided to the front door. He unhooked his black cape from the coat stand before calling out through the intercom. After locking the door, he rushed down the stairs and out into the street as a lone carriage waited on the street nearby.
Richtofen looked around the dimly lit streets before approaching the carriage. An elderly man set atop as he held the reigns of the two black horses.

The compartment door suddenly swung open causing Richtofen to instinctively flinch. He looked into the bowels of the carriage as the blackness silently awaited him to board. When he finally climbed onto the carriage step; a hand reached out and pulled him in - causing the resulting journey to be a blur.

The sound of the horses hoofs clunking against the cobbled roads echoed in his mind like the ticking of his clock; before the smell of chloroform stung his nostrils. Richtofen fought the drowsiness as he tried to open his eyes. In his peripheral vision, he could see he was flanked by two burly men before one turned around and realised he had woken up. The man whistled to the other before they produced a burlap sack and threw it over Richtofen's head.

"Vhat is zhe meaning of zhis?!" Richtofen's muffled voice slurred through the thick material.

Richtofen was too groggy to fight back as merely staying conscious was a strenuous feat. As he slipped back and forth from sleep; he struggled to lift his weighty limbs to defend himself.

The carriage rocked from side to side as it navigated its way to its unknown destination. All Richtofen could do was analyse each twist and turn made. But then, the rocky cobbled roads were replaced with gravel as the stony paths created a new sound against the hoofs.

The steady rocking of the compartment began to lull Richtofen to sleep. As he dozed off, the compartment door flung open and the two men got up. They both dragged the vulnerable doctor out of the carriage towards the nearby house.

The cold evening air flowed through the gaps in the weave of the burlap sack as each bout of air brushed against Richtofen's face. As he came around again, his ears honed into the sounds around him. The crickets chirped as the occasional hoot from an owl embellished the concert of the night.

The mens shoes crunched on the dusty stone path as Richtofen's feet struggled to keep up with their pace. Then, a warm glowing light shone through the burlap sack. A door slowly creaked open and the three of them entered the warmth of the building. More doors creaked open and Richtofen was dragged into a large echoy room and sat on a chair.

As the sack was removed from his head; Richtofen's eyes were flooded with light. Before him, a group of cloaked figured stood around him with their faces obscured by monstrous masks. Richtofen felt startled as he tried to scramble to his feet.

"Ahh, Herr Doktor! Velcome to my house. Please, do not be startled", A man's voice calmly called out.

The crowd parted as Mr Gernsberg emerged - he had on the same cloak but minus a mask.

"Please accept my apologies for zhe manhandling. As a new invitee, ve must take every precaution", Mr Gernsberg said matter-of-fact.

Richtofen remained silent as he eyed the figures with suspicion. Mr Gernsberg continued to display a smile yet the gesture failed to put Richtofen at ease.

"Herr Doktor, my parties are unlike zhe vones jou have been attending. Our gazherings are not for everyone; und, should jou choose to not come back. Ve must ensure zhat our meetings remain a secret", Mr Gernsberg explained- which piqued Richtofen's interest.

"Meetings?" Richtofen said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh ja, Herr Doktor. Und ve vould love for jou to join us", Mr Gernsberg replied with a grin

Richtofen felt the same anxious gnawing from earlier. The same wave of impending doom washed over him but before it could take hold this time; a darker side of him erupted as if free from it's bonds. A wave of calmness instead replaced the troublesome feelings as if beating back any remnant of conscience that Richtofen had left.

"I vould gladly join", Richtofen snarled with delight.

Then, before Mr Gernsberg could respond, a man emerged from the cloaked figures and stood before Richtofen. He slipped back the hood of his cloak and preceeded to remove his mask.

Richtofen frowned as he looked strikingly familiar...

End of part eleven...