Captured by a Demon

II Chapter - Hopeless

"Take her," she heard that chilling voice speak in the darkness. 

"NO!" I screamed after hearing his voice and tried to escape from the guard's hold. When he pulled to the narrow corridor, I didn't dare to look behind me because I knew what I would see. I knew who was trailing behind us. There was cold silence all around us like this were the last place any form of life existed - a doomsday bunker with the whole world in ashes. It made me feel abandoned and without hope. 

I was completely alone with nobody in this world who noticed my absence and very few who cared for me. My parents were dead, my poor brother in prison and Ella had just gone to vacation with her new boyfriend Simon. My uncle lived abroad and neither me nor my brother had heard from him in years. I was yet to start my college classes as it was almost June and my new job at the deli with Ella wouldn't start until the fall. There's nobody, I thought, and felt the hope of ever breaking free, slipping away. Without something to hold onto, people become empty shells, no joy or life in them left. I felt I was starting to let go of my strength that held my mind clear and determined. He was good at slowly peeling it away.

No! My mind screamed at me. You can never let go, you have to fight, stay alert and ready!

The corners of my lips twitched as I realised that even that voice was fading into the darkness, getting weaker and weaker every day. I was mocking the echoes of my past naivety. 

These were my thoughts as I was dragged by the guard to the dimly lit room with just one chair in the middle of it. The guard did not bother to tie me to the chair. Maybe he also saw that there was no point in tying up someone so weak. Someone so defeated.

I despised my feeble mind.

The middle of the room was the most lit up, so anyone could watch me by the walls since they were covered by darkness. But there wasn't anyone. 

I knew. There was only him.

I kept my eyes on my knees and felt him slowly entering the room.

I felt him behind me. 

I usually got goosebumps when he almost touched my neck with his gloved finger. But this time I was too indifferent, to hopeless to care and it seems my body was following suit with his movements no longer having an effect on my skin. There was no point to be scared or react in any way. I was dead anyway. I was never getting out of here. The silence was dragging on and I stared at the floor below my knees like a lying corpse stares up at the sky.

After a couple of minutes, I stirred, because even in my numb state, I was able to register that there was something different about this interrogation this time. The silence, it was different. 

I definitely knew he was in the room, but why hadn't he said anything? He usually asked me questions with his hiss-like voice scratching every nerve ending in my body, he punished me when I didn't answer, played mind games with me and continued this ruthless routine until I was on the verge of breaking down.

This time - nothing. No inquiries into my life, my parents, my brother or my friends. Nothing.

Just silence.

I didn't dare to look up, but knew that he was watching me. I could feel his eyes trained on me. I always did. Why was he watching me without doing anything? Why didn't he speak? If he planned on doing nothing, why bring me to this room? Or was this a test?

The silence stretched and at this point I almost wished for the usual interrogation, so I could get confirmation that he was in fact in the room. That I wasn't alone and delusional. That someone still saw me. Saw a purpose for me.

Oh yes, I felt his eyes on me. I was never wrong about that, I could hear his slow breathing. I never figured out what he wanted or where the questions were going, but it no longer mattered. He had all the power. The spawn of evil. A demon.

Demon. I always called him that in my head as I imagined he had horrible red eyes,  black skin and a monstrous look on his face. 

Yes, a demon. My personal demon. 

SMASH!

I almost jumped out of the chair startled, when there was a sound in the darkness like a glass had violently shattered into pieces on the floor. A small piece of glass slid near my legs, and I knew he had broken something. I didn't move my body or eyes even an inch, but for a moment my thoughts took a turn. For the first time in a while, I felt a new emotion raising its head in me and in a way it was a breath of fresh air. Curiosity.

Before I could analyse the situation, there was a violent bang in the silence as the man threw the door closed leaving me in the interrogation room alone. I was panting as the sudden sound had almost given me a heart attack and I dared to raise my head. I was indeed alone in the room now. 

Was this a new strategy of his? I was already stripped of my freedom, my dignity, my voice, strength and hope. What else did he want? The curiosity subsided as quickly as it emerged and another layer of numbness took over. Yes, another strategy of his, I thought passively and switched myself off again. 

I didn't even notice the guard coming and taking me back to my little cell. I just let him guide me like a sleepwalker. He pushed me in my little cell with my little dusty window from where I could sometimes almost hear the wind blowing. Automatically I walked to my bed and sat down with my eyes closed.

I tried to think of something to think about. But my mind was just empty. He had taken everything from me short of my actual life and body. I stood up and went to the sink to drink a little bit of water - I guess my survival instinct was still somewhat functional - when I felt that my room was different. For a few moments, I was not able to put my finger on the reason. Then it sank in and I forced my senses to switch on and give me information. 

I was not the only one there.