Panic Room

Part five; the fourth

This chapter still gives me the chills. And, unrelated, thank you soooo much for 230 followers. That's insane!

Wednesday; 1998; The panic room; Luna; 21:29

Luna opened her eyes to find herself back in the blank, white room. She did not fight. She did not try to escape. She did not even try to stand. She just lay in a heap upon the floor, replaying the scene in her head. That creature. That dead, unforboading, disgusting creature. With sown on limbs and buttons for eyes. Luna remembered how the teeth had shone in the figures mouth, reflecting a light she could not see. They had been about to strike, when she had been let go. Luna knew that she should have been grateful for the escape, but still. Her mind was telling her that death would seem like a treat compared to whatever was to come next. 

Luna did not start as part of the wall was pulled away, did not move as she was told to come. Three men stepped cautiously into the room, looking around feverishly. Suddenly, one man fell to his knees, screaming in fear and agony. A tear ripped itself through his throat by unseen hands and he fell flat, dead. The other two men ran to the opening, but one was pulled back inches before safety. He was tossed high into the air and caught moments before hitting the ground. He was flung higher and higher, the toy to an unseen spectre, and was dropped. He fell meters and hit the ground with a smash, his skull cracking and him unmoving. The last man was out of the door before anything could touch him and Luna let her face fall back to the ground. She only looked up when she heard the door reopen and the same man who had run out return. He sprinted over to Luna and grabbed her, flinging her from the room before he was spun and his eyes flew wide. 

The last thing Luna saw of the man before the door slammed shut, was a gash opening across his side, spreading a dark substance over his body, and the door was closed. Standing in front of her was Morfran, his cloak rustling though there was no wind. Luna spotted a trail of blood leading to a partially open doorway on his right and followed it with her eyes. 

There, hanging by the chains supporting him by the wrists, was Michael's torso. 

Black blood flowed from the jagged severing between his upper, and lower half and his eyes were blank and staring, reflecting a light they could not see. Luna screamed. A scream of pain and torment. Of sorrow and loss. Her scream symbolised all the pain she had felt in the past week, all the horrors she had witnessed. She screamed for her mother and father. For Michael and her brother. But most of all she screamed for the life that had been ripped away from her when she had been hit by that car. She screamed and cried until she felt a finger on the back of her neck and her mouth snapped shut. She spun around and there was Morfran. She had not even heard him move. "Luna." He said "I see that you have met my friend." He clicked his fingers and the door which hid the top half of Michael's corpse flew open. 

Luna was exposed to the horrible sight of a black stone basin full of a dark red liquid that Luna assumed was Michael's blood. Luna was surprised that Michael had not bled out yet but the thick blood still streamed from the severing. Morfran walked close and stuck his finger into the thick liquid and shook it out. He then took a cup from inside his cloak and scooped a little up, looking at it inquisitively. He then walked past the stationary Luna and to a small stone basin. He poured the blood into the basin and it was quickly engulfed in a thick, white mist. It began to spin, slowly at first, but sped up as Luna watched it. It was spinning so fast that the blood was a red blur and suddenly it shot to the floor and began to grow. It took on form and standing in front of Luna was Michael. He was quiet and still and Luna was beginning to wonder if she was imagining things, when he gave a shake and looked at Luna. "Michael?" She croaked, shocked. "Is that you?" Michael looked at her as though he had no idea who was talking to him or what was being said. "Hello?" Do I know you?" Luna gasped and recoiled angrily. "What have you done to him?" She shot at Morfran. "Where's Michael?"

"Oh but Luna, This is Michael."

"No it isn't! Michael's over th..." But she faltered as she saw what was in the chains.

Nothing.

The chains were hanging limply, the red liquid perfectly still. "But...But...he...he was there! That's not Michael! That's not Michael! THAT'S NOT MICHAEL! Where's Michael! WHERE'S MICHAEL!"

"This is Michael." Morfran repeated, a smile on his face. Luna was breathing heavily, shaking like a leaf. She collapsed to the floor, still shaking. "Where's Michael?" She asked in a small voice. She was still trembling when Morfran threw Michael into an open door and slammed it behind him and when she was lifted off her feet and tied to a chair. 

"Well, Luna, you're probably wondering what just happened. You probably want to know where Michael is. If I were to tell you that he was behind that door, would you believe me? Of course not. There's no way that it could be possible. Is there? Well perhaps I should explain. Years ago, after Oliver told me about the prophecy, I was sitting in my office. Well, my cave. My home. I was thinking when I saw something in the rock. I carved it out and examined it. It was an element called vertibranium. Well, that's what I named it anyway. I tested it out and realised that it had reincarnating properties. I started small. Rabbits and whatnot. I slaughtered one and took it's fur. I had made a potion with the rock and put the fir into it and what you just witnessed was the result. It came back to life. That person behind the door is Michael Phillips, your childhood best friend. I started using it on my agents. Call me evil, call me cruel, maybe you're correct. Maybe I am. But I had to. The agents in S.P.I.D.E.R were starting to turn against me when I realised that if I killed and reincarnated them, they lost their memories of why they would want to. That is why Oliver was acting so strangely a few hours ago. I had recently reincarnated him. I think that he came to see you hours after I actually performed the procedure. Did you notice that he was acting weird? Acting odd?" Luna nodded bleakly.

"The victim loses their memories for around a month before they get them back and want me gone again. I have to perform the...for want of a better word...ceremony about every month for each agent. Get that?" Luna didn't move and Morfran bit his bottom lip and sighed. "Never mind. I don't even know why I'm explaining. It serves no purpose except for my own entertainment. But hearing you scream will do the job. Time for another trip." Suddenly Luna became much more animated and shook her head feverishly. "No. NO! Not again! P...please don't send me back. DON'T SEND ME BACK! Why are you doing this to me? I'll do anything. Please. Don't send me back. DON'T SEND ME BACK!" At this Morfran paused. "Why am I doing this too you? Luna, let me ask you a question. If I asked you, right now, to cooperate with me and join this agency, would you accept?" Luna shook her head, confused, "Well, no, but-."

"Exactly." Morfran interrupted. "You would never join me! You would have to be insane..." Luna understood what he was saying and shook her head again. "No. No no no! You're sending me out of my mind? You're trying to...to...to push me off the brink?"

"Yes. We need you. I need you. I need you to destroy S.P.I.D.E.R from the inside, while all the while decoding messages for me. There are a set of scrolls-"

"No." Luna spat. "I will never, never, help you. You're evil, and I'm going to fight, I'm going to struggle until you kill me. Kill you. No. But I think you will help me. Whether you know it or not. Makes no difference to me."

She was screaming and shaking as Morfran walked toward her and lifted her up, untying her and lifting her above his head. Luna kicked and screamed but she was no match for Morfran's strength and was thrown, head first, into the Panic Room.