"Rise and shine handsome!" Katherine said.
Banging on the iron bars, she hands me a small tray of food, I take it unsure of where to place it so instead I keep it in my hands.
"Katherine, what is the plan today?" I ask.
"This afternoon, make sure you are ready Christian," Katherine warned me.
"Gotcha, thank you for bringing me food. Do you need umm any?" I offered.
"I will later, eat up for strength right now," Katherine replies.
"How is Chara holding up?" I inquire.
Turning around she says nothing, smacking her hand lightly against the bars lightly tapping her fingers before turning back around.
"Chara is being tortured as we speak…"
"Katherine, you need to let me out!"
"Tell me Christian…can you beat a vampire in your current state?"
"You are right I can't…"
"Eat up and I will be back later okay?" Katherine states.
I watch her exit back up the creaking steps of the unkempt cellar, I stand up to eat as quickly as possible. I bow down to stretch, touching my toes and jogging in place.
Swinging my arms side to side I stand ready to handle the day at hand. I sit back down at the part of the cell where the water isn't touching, laying my head against the concrete wall.
Gawking around all I can see is the staircase from my current position, I knew there wasn't much else I could do. I could hear screams from above.
Rising I recognized the yells as Chara's, I am pinned to the spot by the chain's limited reach. I can't grasp the bars from my distance.
"Chara!" I yell.
Yanking my leg I accidentally got tangled falling to the ground, getting my clothes wet in the process, I found red leather boots planted in front of me from my cell door.
"You heard it didn't you?" Katherine asks.
"What are they doing to Chara?" I shout.
"Don't worry about that right now Christian…" She said,
Unlocking the cage door she comes inside dragging me to my feet, I dust myself off, unable to dry the wet spots on my outfit.
"Today you are going to learn about your talent Christian, we have no time for you to go off like a madman or become too weak to your 'other self'." Katherine explains.
"Other self?"
"From what I can feel, it's your left eye. I've seen assistants with different powers so this is interesting at best." Katherine tells me.
"So what do I do now Katherine?"
Katherine grabs my hand closing her eyes, I follow closing mine listening to the slow water drip in my holding area. We stood there for several minutes just basking in the silence. I am suddenly reminded of how Everett had me look into his eyes.
The darkness stretched out before me, I saw a soft glow of gold glimmering not far from me.
The shadowy figure lurched with a forwardness towards me, I was frozen in fear from its long moaning hung in the air. I gradually take steps backward keeping my eye on it.
Touching my own eye I acknowledge that I am not able to activate it, the person facing me is me…his movements stiff all the while ambling bow-legged.
Such pity sat in my heart, it swung at me clumsily enough so I could dodge. Hobbling side-to-side the creature that depicts me struggling to even land a blow. Its hollow dead eyes followed me making an effort with each stride to take a whack at me.
It bellows out inhuman cries and shrieks, each failure he rises to gather more strength shuffling around as though its feet had been bound by some invisible strings restraining its movements.
Laughing to myself I wondered if this is all I would be seeing here, a hand pats the back of my head.
"Having fun?" The person said confidently.
Twisting I see a more confident version of myself, he resonated cockiness. He dressed in all black only the golden eye twinkled. Taking my face he pulls back head slamming my body into the ground several times.
"Wh-..." I gasp out.
"Beg for your life!" The figure shouts.
Pushing down hard on the top of my skull I could feel the pressure squeeze me tightly to the ground, flashes of light appear before my eyes in the total darkness of my forced shut eyelids squished into the hardness of the cement-like ground.
Propelling myself up he stuffs me down again even harder, I could feel the weight of his legs thrust me down in place standing on my back.
"Are you going to give up Christian?" He yells, "Will you be a coward?"
I am awakened by Katherine's gentle fingers stroking my face, she looks down at me from above.
"You failed Christian…"
Sitting up I gaze at the floor almost in a daze, I was unsure what just transpired in the void my mind created. I feel haunted by the entities gracing my life.
"I…failed…"
"It's not easy Christian, that's all I can do for you today okay?" She states.
"I am sorry I failed you."
"No it's okay, you need to watch your back from now on."
We could see invisible bodies etching themselves on the walls covered in darkness reflecting off the surface transforming against the grain of the roughly lined concrete.
"What's going on Katherine!" I shout.
"They now exist in the real world, it's time to fight or flee Christian…"
Katherine exits once again bolting me alone in my leaky room in a cellar, wine basement, or dungeon all alone. She waves on the stairwell disappearing up and vanishing through the door.
Watching the silhouettes dance and curl making their way up and down in my confined enclosure I cower in the corner observing whatever I have unleashed into the room upon myself.
My eyes dart around the room hearing their bodies skittering around like bugs, hitting the bars of my incarceration. The pipe is driven loose plunging to the hard cement from a drip to a waterfall spilling into my quarters.
Drawing my pants leg up I gaze around the room looking for something to cover the hole up, but nothing in sight I could really find. I take my vest off balling it up trying to fill the spaces.
The fabric comes undone plopping into the large puddle.
"Hey! My cell is flooding!" I cry out, "Hey I need help!"
There is no response, I stand in there listening to the walls padded on quietly. Snickering in the form of whispers and chattering could be heard now more distinctly.
"Damn, this water is freezing!" I shout.
I sit on the ground next to a broken pipe spraying me with water chained to a wall. I haven't slept the whole night or is it still night?
The days are all the same when you are stuck down in someone's basement waiting for your necessities such as food or even daily needs.
"Chara…" I whisper, "I am so pathetic…"
Soft voices could be heard plaguing me from the shadows as I continued to get drenched from the incoming water running through the broken pipe.
Any whimpers and cries I heard before are now drowned out by the cascade of water washing it out. I smash my head against the concrete wall to keep awake.
"Gah! I can't stay here, I will log up and rot in all this water!" I yell.
My clothing is completely saturated, I was freezing, my teeth were clanking. They clung to my chest and legs making a sloshing noise when I walked.
"Brr…I hope Katherine will show up soon."
My chains jangle on their own making me skid on the slippery floor dragging my legs apart into a split. A burst of laughter is made clear behind me.
Gradually I pat the ground with my fingers sliding myself back up, misstepping. I take a nosedive hitting wet cement banging my head off the hard surface.
Through my blurred vision from the ground, I watch my sanguine fluid leave my body, my hands trembling to struggle to boost up. I merely roll to my back looking up at the ceiling.
Spotting my soggy vest turning slightly I stretch my hand out as far as it will go within my scope of vision to grab it. I place it on my open wound to stop the bleeding.
"I think…I remember somewhere if you have a concussion you need to stay awake…"