Paper Hearts

Chapter 6: Reunion

All I could hear was water silently dripping down from the leaking ceiling floor if that was indeed water. The surroundings around me were totally pitch black, I tried to move my hands and feet, but to no avail. All I knew was that I was bound to a chair.

Just then, I could hear footsteps approaching the door. I raised my guard and stared intently at the door as the footsteps got louder and louder. Then, the door handle rattled, and the door swung open to reveal a shadow. A male one, I suppose. The shadow stepped towards me, and spoke in a deep and commanding voice, "Hello Simon, we meet again. How do you enjoy our hospitalities? Does it suit your tastes?"

I spat at the direction of the shadow, "Screw you! Who are you, and why did you bring me here?"

The shadow laughed, "Well, you see Mr. Simon, I have a little...fantasy to play out, and I would love to see your reaction. Would you cooperate with me?" I stared at him as though he was the weirdest person I've seen until he flicked on the light switch.

The dimly lit bulb wasn't the brightest, but it lit up the vicinity of the room. The bulb swung in the room, tied with a string. My eyes followed the light, then to the string, then to the ceiling.

It was a horrifying sight.

The ceiling was filled with mutilated human bodies, each body stacked up onto another with stakes driving through their bodies, and for some reason, their bodies stayed there. Then it dawned on me, the water that dripped on me was not water.

It was blood.

The shadow, now revealed, was Dr. Newton. "HAHAHA, you seem terrified, are you not?" He leaned closer to me, and said, "Hey, do you want to see your long-lost beloved girlfriend?"

I stared at him with absolute terror, but I steeled myself and said, "Why? Have you done anything to her?"

He stared at me with this psychomaniac look, and he said, "No, no, of course not. We can bring you two to a reunion, can't we?"

Just then, a thump directed my eyes to lay sight on...her.

She was an absolute mess, with hair dried up, face with dried up mud and dirt. She then looked at me, and croaked out, "Si...mon? Is that you?" I looked at her, and said, "Yes, it is me. What are you doing here?"

She crawled to me, with barely enough strength to stand up, and caressed my face. "I really, really, missed you. I have not seen you for so long, I should not have sent you to this mental institution, I don't deserve to treat you like this, I-" A whip cracked down, and she howled in pain.

My eyes swiveled from her to Dr. Newton, where he was holding a black whip enlaced with spikes in his hand. "Alright people! Reunion's over! Here comes the real test."

He then proceeded to untie me and snapped the whip onto the floor. "Now, let me do the briefing. You two are going to go through a trial of love, regardless of whether you are willing or not. There will be a multitude of trials, and if you fail even one of them, you will die. Is everything clear?"

We didn't answer him, and suddenly, I felt a searing pain on my ankle and dropped to the floor, clutching my ankle for what it is worth and shouting in pain. She said to Dr. Newton, "No! Don't do this to him! He's innocent and dragged into all of this!"

He looked at her and said, "No one is innocent in this world, my lady. We are all tainted and that makes me revolt in disgust. Now, let us begin the trial."

He snapped his whip at us, and told us,

"Go!"