Penalty

1. Letter

The impenetrable darkness slowly receded; lifting my eyelids caused me so much pain, the light that slowly entered my eyes was like a spike driven into my naked brain, slowly but surely. I rose to my knees, spasms of pain racked my body, and I fell. Pain, unbearable pain, was all I was absolutely certain existed at that moment. All that was in this room was a small window and a door that seemed to mock me. "You won't get out of here, you'll stay here forever," was the only thought that crossed my mind at that moment. I was overcome with a feeling of immense rage and helplessness. Where was I? Why was I here? Was this some kind of punishment? The silence that reigned here could not portend anything good. No sound, absolutely nothing. I couldn't focus; my mind was completely blank; I didn't even know my own name. My consciousness refused to obey. Darkness fell again. I lost consciousness…

When I woke up again, something didn't feel right, something had changed. But what? A door, yes, definitely a door. The light emerging from beneath it was faint, but strong enough for me to see the object it illuminated. I stood up. The pain I'd felt before had subsided. Could someone, or something, have wanted me to be able to move only now? Despite my slight hesitation, I approached. It was a note. The burned note at first glance looked like a farewell letter:

My dear Marie,

The visions are getting stronger and stronger.

I can't bear it any longer.

I don't know if this is all real or a dream.

I have terrible thoughts. I keep seeing people being flayed.

Horrible creatures, demons, devils.

I'm losing my mind, and it's driving me to cruel acts.

The figure in my hallucinations ordered me to do terrible things.

I'm ashamed of this, I fear for your safety.

I can't endanger you.

I feel terrible, I can't stand it.

The figure in my vision is making me do things to free myself.

It's like a drug.

They wanted me to kill our son.

I almost gave up.

I was standing over his crib with a knife, but at the last moment I regained consciousness.

I have to leave to keep you safe.

I can't control myself.

It seeped into my mind.

By the time you read these words, I will no longer be among the living.

We will meet on the other side.

Goodbye.

Jack.

I was right, a suicide note, but what is it supposed to mean to me? Maybe a warning, maybe some kind of message. I don't even know these people. Another unknown in my situation. I have to get out of here, I have to do something about it. The door opened without resistance.

2. Why...?

I now know why the door to the room felt scorched. Heat, embers, roaring flames. That was all that lay beyond. In the distance, I could see nothing but fog. A narrow wooden bridge suspended a dozen meters above the lava looked as if it were about to burn down. I had nothing to lose. I don't know who I am, and all I have is a letter from some sick man tormented by terrible visions. I moved forward. I felt no fear, which was strange, but this place had a strange calming effect on me. I walked with my head down, so as not to accidentally fall into a hole left by some burned-out rung. Suddenly, I felt pain, ripping through my head. I looked ahead, and all I saw was a wall, and in the wall, a familiar window. Through the window, I saw a very familiar room. This was the room where my torment began. And what? Is it over? Who the hell is toying with me? Why are you doing this to me!

My scream seemed to vanish, vanish. There was something strange about this place, not just that I was already here, but on the other side, but something else. There was something terrifying here. I could have sworn I felt a presence everywhere. I lost all hope of getting out of this place. When I heard a voice circling in my head, "You must choose...", "You must choose a path." What did it mean? Was I losing my mind? The realization that I was hearing voices nearly deprived me of my senses. A demonic, piercing whisper that gave me a headache and the urge to vomit. What did this message mean? Which path must I choose? I only have two options: jump into the fire or stay on this precarious bridge. But my thoughts were focused on something else now. A photograph floated on the surface of the lava, but how to get to it. There was no object I could reach. The photograph could be some kind of clue, something that would help me understand this cursed place. But how to get them? Suddenly, something started happening. The bridge beneath my feet began to shake, and the wall in front of me seemed to be retreating. I started to run, but it was too late. I fell. The heat of the fire was only a momentary nuisance, then a chill set in. It turned out the lava was just something unreal, something meant to deter.

I was standing in a hallway that looked like a hospital room, and in front of me lay the photo I'd longed for. There were three people in it, clearly a happy family. The woman held a small child in her arms, and the man embraced the woman with love, as if it were all about to end for these people. There was something strange about the photo; the woman wasn't looking at the camera, she was looking away. For a moment, I thought there was an apparition where the woman was looking, but then it vanished. On the back of the photo was written: "Marie, Jack, and little Thomas." Marie and Jack again, who are these people to me, that someone is trying so hard to show them to me. First the letter, now the photo. I put the photo in my pocket, saw my reflection in the floor. I recognized my name. A shiver ran through me. The face reflected in the floor was the face in the photo.

If I am Jack, where are Marie and my son, what am I doing here, and why had I written a suicide note? Another mystery, while the old one hadn't been solved, was too much for me. What was the purpose of my stay here? Why?

3. Condemnation.

The corridor was straight, without any twists. On the sides were only doors that resembled the cells of a psychiatric facility. What my eyes saw was horrific. Inside each cell were twisted human bodies, scarred faces. Full of scars, blood, filth, and rot. One cell was empty. The stench emanating from the cells was so overwhelming that my legs gave way. These "people" seemed not to see me, to pay no attention to me, simply to go about their business. Who had to be cruel enough to put these people here? They were serving some kind of punishment, but for what? There is no crime in the world for which one can be ordered to suffer like this.

The door at the end of the corridor opened before me. The room was dim and bitterly cold. A hooded figure sat directly in front of me. I couldn't see her face, only her paralyzing gesture as she gestured me to the chair in front of her.

Uncertainty and overwhelming fear gripped me, I sat down. The shivers followed one after another. When the figure began to speak, everything stopped. All sensations vanished. Fear, coldness, uncertainty—all of it vanished at the sound of a sultry voice.

"Do you know why you're here?" the figure spoke, piercing me to my very core.

"No, I have no idea what any of this means." My voice, soft, barely audible, as if it had escaped my throat without my consent, "

We asked you for something, but you, stubborn, stupid creature, insisted. I must admit, you were stronger than the others, but they live happily ever after, and you must be punished."

"Wait! At least explain to me what this is about. What punishment again? For what? What did I do to be here?"

"Exactly, it's not about what you did or didn't do. The bastard you were supposed to kill for us is still alive, and we'll have to send someone else to do it for us. Your son is His envoy and can't survive." "

I understand now; everything is falling into place. You won't get him. If you couldn't get him with me, you won't get him with the others either." "

You admit your guilt. Your suicide only made your situation worse. The verdict has already been passed. Punishment awaits you."

"What will be my punishment?" "

You've probably already seen your predecessors, who also opposed us. Your cell awaits..."

The pain bursting through my skull was all I felt at that moment. My bound hands felt as if they belonged to another body. They weren't listening. I've become one of the abominations I once abhorred. I'm losing my mind, and all that's left is death." The crack of my skull shattering against the wall was the last sound I heard before my lifeless body hit the floor. Darkness enveloped me again, hopefully this time forever…

The pain ripping through my skull was all I felt in that moment…

THE END