Heart part 1

Chapter 8 - The Blood Guzzler part 1: Three Caged Cats

Heart heard the metal door get forced open and a moment later fall shut with a clang. From around the corner, they watched a small pushcart, like the one you'd see in a hospital, emerge into view. On the cart's top, they could see many medical instruments neatly arranged on it. As more of it was revealed, so was a pair of gloved hands. And connected to the hands was a fancily dressed man. Adorning the top of his ginger hair was a large top hat. A short triangular beard went down the start of his chin and ended just as it hit his throat. As he walked, the man hummed a tune through his stark yellow teeth. Heart couldn't believe their eyes at who they saw. It was him.

Upon noticing Heart staring at them, the man stopped all of a sudden and creaked his head in their direction. He stared at them with unhinged, wide-open eyes. A lunatic grin embraced his face.

" Oh? You're awake much earlier than I anticipated. The sleeping drug I put you to sleep with should've knocked you out for at least a few hours." He uttered. Despite the look on his face and the aura he gave off, Heart stared at him without any fear in their eyes. This seemed to confuse the man.

" Are you by chance...not afraid?" Heart didn't say anything back. Leaning his face closer to the bars, he intently stared at them with eyes now filled with curiosity.

Quickly becoming annoyed with his staring, Heart asked, " Were you the one who cut off my hand?" Like a child, he nodded his head. " Then...that means I'm going to have to end you. Nobody messes with me and gets away with it."

Leaning back up from the bars, for a moment, the man fluttered his eyelids before belching out a horrendous laugh. He fell to the ground and began to kick his legs in unison with his laughter.

Standing back up, he muttered between his cackles, " Hehehe!...oh, that was a good one! You really had me going there for a second!" The man proceeded to wipe a tear off the edge of his eye, but his jovial face soon went blank once he saw the seriousness in Heart's eyes.

" Oh...you weren't joking..." In a flash, he bolted over to the cell and gripped the bars tightly. " Interesting...Interesting!" Pausing for a moment, he took several deep whiffs of the air. "...You smell bitter...and rotten. I'm going to enjoy eating you."

" Ha!" In response, Heart grew a toothy, sinister smirk and uttered, " Whatever you say Tim Rose, or do you still go by The Blood Guzzler?"

Suddenly, The Blood Guzzler jerked back. " H...H...How do you know that name?" He stuttered. Heart's smirk grew wider.

" Because I am god." Heart answered. For a moment, The Blood Guzzler lifted a hand to his chin and thought for a moment. When he came back out, his depraved grin stretched back onto his face. Once again, he bolted and gripped his hands around the bars.

"...I don't know how you know my real name, but since you've caught my interest, I'm willing to indulge in your little "threats". Do what you must, try to escape here with all your might. If you make it to the first floor of this house, then I'll let you go free." He said through his yellow teeth. "...Or maybe not! Maybe I'll just skin and feast upon you anyway. Regardless!...Let's see if you're telling the truth or if you're just a great pretender."

As Heart was about to retort back, all of a sudden, a blood-curdling scream filled their ears. Turning their head, they saw one of the other captives within the cell, now wide awake, staring in their direction with a fear-stricken, petrified face. It was a girl who looked to be about the same age as Esther. She had short amber hair that ended at her ears with two "flaps" of hair that resembled two large "dog ears". Like how Heart was missing their right hand, the girl seemed to be missing her right ear. Heavy breaths hurriedly left out of her mouth and tears began to stream down her cheeks.