"Tell me... what's your name?"
"I-I... why do you need to know that?" Asher's voice trembled, his eyes darting nervously.
Simon leaned in slightly, his voice lowering but firm. "What's. Your. Name?"
Asher swallowed hard, hesitating. "..."
"I really insist on you telling me." Simon's tone was impossibly calm, almost polite, but there was an undertone that chilled the air around them.
"Asher," he finally muttered, his voice barely audible.
"Asher, huh? What an interesting name..." Simon smiled faintly, his eyes studying him like a predator observing its prey.
"I... I guess," Asher stammered, unsure of where this was leading.
Simon raised his hand, holding up the note with "2209" scrawled on it. "So, tell me, Asher... What exactly is the reason you handed me this note?" His voice remained unsettlingly calm, as if the answer didn't matter, but his gaze said otherwise.
Asher's mouth opened, but no words came out. He was paralyzed by fear.
Simon sighed softly and approached, kneeling beside him. Asher's body, shackled to the wall in an unnatural position, barely shifted.
"Asher..." Simon's voice was almost soothing now, "I want you to take a real good look at me."
"Y-Yeah...?" Asher replied, his body trembling.
"Would it surprise you to know that the concept of patience... does not exist within the borders of my soul?" Simon's eyes locked onto Asher's, his expression unnervingly serene.
"Uh..." Asher's mind raced, trying to comprehend what Simon was saying.
"Yeah, confusing, isn't it? Or maybe it isn't." Simon's head tilted slightly, his expression impenetrable.
"What are you trying to say?" Asher managed to whisper.
Simon's smile widened slightly. "I'm trying to say that I'm one of those monsters... The kind you don't believe in."
"M-Monsters...?" Asher's voice faltered.
"Do you believe in monsters, Asher?" Simon leaned closer, his breath cold against Asher's skin. "Do you believe in pure evil?"
Asher's eyes widened. "That's... that's a really philosophical question."
Simon chuckled, a sound that chilled Asher to the bone. "Your confusion only proves that you don't truly believe in monsters. You've never met pure evil, have you? You think... deep down, everyone has a little bit of good inside, don't you?"
"I-I don't know..." Asher's voice cracked, his fear suffocating him.
"Oh, Asher..." Simon's voice softened, almost pitying. He gently stroked Asher's cheek, his touch unnervingly intimate. "I almost feel bad for you."
Asher's face twisted in discomfort, but the chains kept him from pulling away. He was utterly powerless, completely at Simon's mercy.
"Look at you... so weak. Just a spectator, a doll—no, something even worse." Simon stood up, his calm demeanor never faltering. "Now, remember what I said about patience?" His eyes darkened. "You better start talking."
Asher's body shook as he stammered, "B-But... what do you want to know?"
Simon's face grew cold, his tone turning sharp. "Don't act dumb, Asher. Who. Sent. You. Here? With this note?"
"I-I swear, I don't know! It was just some guy! He had his face covered, I didn't see him!"
"I hope you're lying..." Simon's voice dropped into a dangerous whisper. "Because if you've got nothing interesting to say, you're worthless to me. And I don't keep worthless people alive."
Asher's eyes filled with tears. "No! Please! I swear, I'm telling the truth! We met in some alley, but I don't remember where! Please... I don't wanna die..."
Simon exhaled through his nose, clearly unimpressed. "Pathetic. How can someone who has no problem speaking still be so... useless? Also... it was never about whether you're being let go, but whether your death is gruesome and messy, or peaceful and clean."
"W-What do you mean?!" Asher cried, tears streaming down his face. "Please, don't kill me! I'm only 19... I'm too young to die! I'm still so young..."
Simon's face remained blank, as if Asher's pleading had no effect on him. He tilted his head slightly, considering. "Too young? 'I'm still so young,' huh? Is that what you're going with? It's almost as if you think there's some end goal to life. Like there's some grand purpose waiting for you."
Asher's tears fell faster as he nodded frantically. "I-I don't want to die yet...!"
Simon's expression darkened, his voice growing colder with each word. "Life is meaningless, Asher. There's no final destination, no 'end goal.' We just experience things—emotions, memories—but there's no point in it all. And yet, as humans, we cling to the idea of a goal, a purpose... an ending that gives it all meaning."
Before Asher could comprehend Simon's words, a flash of silver cut through the dim light, and Simon swiftly slashed Asher's throat. A wet gurgle filled the room as Asher's hands instinctively went to his neck, blood pouring from the wound. His wide, terrified eyes locked onto Simon's, but within moments, the light in them faded. His body slumped forward, lifeless, leaving only a pool of blood behind.
Simon stared at the body, a strange calmness settling over him. "Truly peaceful..." he muttered, wiping the blood from his knife.
With a detached sense of duty, Simon bent down, grabbed Asher's lifeless body by the arms, and began dragging it toward the lower part of the basement. He reached a hidden keypad on the wall and punched in the code, opening a secret door that led into his underground laboratory. Inside, the dimly lit room was lined with separate compartments—each one containing the remains of his previous victims, laid to rest in grim, sterile peace.
"Welcome to your final home, Asher," Simon whispered, a grim smile forming on his lips as he placed the body in its new resting place. "You'll fit in just fine. So this happened to be your destination in this life..."