Untitled

It's a mental game, what I do. It's just for pleasure; the pleasure of seeing someone writhe in pain that they can't control, the pleasure of causing someone so much pain that they lash out, even though they know they can't win. I will always win, I can'

    His hands were behind his back, his legs tied together, a dirty rag was shoved in his mouth as a gag, and the wooden chair he was tied to was uncomfortable. Shawn looked around the room, searching for a door, a light switch, something to indicate how he could escape.
    The lights turned out and a low chuckling filled the room.
    "You aren't scared, are you Shawny?" The chuckling ceased as the lights came back on and a man with red face paint caked on around his eyes, dripping down his nose, and what looked like fresh blood dripping from the corners of his mouth stood in front of him.
    "There's no need for you to be scared. I promise I won't kill you." A smile crept across his face as he knelt in front of Shawn. Now looking him in the eyes, his voice grew serious, "look, I don't want to have to kill you. In fact, I think I'd prefer to play a few games with you, then let you go free and run to the police. Tell them what you saw. But, I need information. Information that I know you have." There was a long pause while the man with the mask stood and sauntered around the chair.
    He stopped right behind Shawn and placed a hand, balled into a fist, on the top of his head.
    "When you were younger, did you ever play that game where someone would place their hand on the top of your head, like this, and they'd hit it three times with their other hand and then slowly slide their hands down your head, like they had just cracked an egg on your head?" Shawn's head nodded slowly up and down, his breathing was growing ragged with stress and terror.
    "Yes, well, so did I. But you see, one time, this kid came up behind me, and I thought he was playing that game, but really there was a real egg. And that egg slid down my hair and into my eyes. Oh, it was horrific. Messy, as I recall, and it angered me so much." He walked back in front of Shawn and looked into his green eyes.
    "It angered me so much, that I've never felt sorry for what I did to that kid. His blood wasn't everywhere, but it was bad. He certainly did seem to have a lot of blood in that pathetically small body..." His voice trailed off.     "oh, but I won't be making you bleed tonight. No, I need that information. Are you willing to give it to me?" He knelt down again, staring at Shawn who whimpered ever so slightly and nodded his head slowly.
    "Are you sure? You're going to tell me exactly what I ask, and nothing less?" His eyebrows raised, causing the red face paint around his eyes to crack slightly.
    Shawn nodded his head again, this time shutting his eyes tight and biting back tears.
    "What's wrong with you, boy? I haven't even threatened you, in fact I've even told you that I don't want to kill you, and yet you still have to hold back tears? You're such a p***y." Slowly, he reached his hand up to Shawn's face and pulled the dirty rag out of his mouth.
    "Do you know what information you're giving me?" The man with the painted face asked, waiting for the reply.
    "Yes," Shawn's shaky voice was barely audible in the room.
    "And what information is it that I want?"
    "The code to the vault." Shawn hung his head, knowing he would have to give away the information.
    A loud laugh burst from the masked man's throat and echoed through the chamber, "the code to the vault? And what vault might you be talking about, boy? I don't know of any vault. Though, now I do want that code, and location. But that wasn't originally the information that I wanted. Would you like to guess again?" He teased Shawn even more, humiliating him with his error.
    Shawn shook his head and closed his eyes.
    "Awe, come on, now. It's only a game. You can have two more chances to get it right, then I'll have to declare myself the winner and take something of yours." The masked man looked at Shawn, "you know, I am the one that made the rules. I like my rules. I wonder what I'll be taking..." He allowed his voice to trail ominously as Shawn's eyes flicked around the room, searching the concrete walls for something that might give him a hint.
    "The walls don't hold the answer, Shawn. Just guess."
    Shawn paused momentarily, shaking his head, sighing, and then calmly questioning, "is it the address?"
    The man with the mask perked up slightly, "the address to what?"
    "Something simple." Shawn's confidence seemed to have returned.
    "Don't get cheeky with me, boy." The masked man drew a knife and pointed it at Shawn. "What does the address lead to?"
    "A house. A house that holds diamonds and rubies." Shawn's desperation was once again obvious and the masked man set down his knife on the floor, sitting criss-cross in front of the chair.
    "You think I want money?" The masked man smiled, "money is not worth all of this trouble. Trust me, if I wanted money, I'd be able to get it. No, it's not money I'm after, my dear Shawny. It's not money at all. But, it is a jem."
    "You have to give me a hint." Shawn demanded, his voice ragged, his heartbeat almost audible throughout the room.
    "Don't you start telling me my rules. I make the rules here. You just play by them, understood?"
    "Yes." Shawn's voice had been reduced to a whisper.
    "Now, you're on your final guess, and I've given you one hint, which I'm not allowed to repeat." The masked man picked up his knife and ran the edge gently across the pant leg of Shawn who started crying.
    "Oh, calm yourself. I'm not going to ruin your pants." Said the masked man, exasperatedly.
    "It's a building. You want the address to the building where we keep the..." Shawn trailed off, trying to think of what the hint had been; "you want the address to the building where we keep the- the-"
    "You don't know, do you? You are a clueless b*****d, you son of a b***h. I can't believe you didn't know. I've been following her. I've been keeping tabs on her, but I always lose her. I always lose her as she approaches that building. I want the address to the building where she," the masked man held out a picture of a woman in a grey sweatshirt with straight brown hair and large brown eyes, "always goes to."
    He stood up again and began pacing back and forth in front of Shawn.
    "I don't know who she is." Shawn said after a couple moments.
    "Bullshit, Shawny. I know you know. Do you know how I know?" The masked man shoved his face in Shawn's, who tried to move his face away from the red face paint.
    "I know that you know because I've seen you with her. I've seen you in the car as she approaches her destination. I know you've been there, and I know that you want to be more than friends with her. Now, tell me the address." The masked man backed away from Shawn again.
    "It's not a building that we're headed to..." Shawn hung his head as he began to give away the information that the masked man wanted.
    "Not a building? Then what is it?" The masked man's eyebrows furrowed as his pacing began again.
    "It's a tunnel." Shawn's voice was almost inaudible.
    "Which tunnel?" His pacing became relentless as his impatience grew.
    "The one outside Baker Street, the one with the barred gate inside. We go through the gate. You can find your way once you're in there. It's just a tunnel that'll lead you straight to her." The masked man stopped walking and looked into Shawn's green eyes.
    "Lead me straight to her, eh? Well, sounds like I've got some investigating to do. Goodbye for now, Shawny." The masked man began leaving, but Shawn yelled after him.
    "What about letting me go?" The masked man stopped and turned to face him, slowly, a smile spread wide across his face.
    "That's later." He said, tauntingly.
    The lights went out and laughter filled the room, when the lights turned back on, the masked man was no longer there.