Free Nillium Neems by Francisco J Ruiz Page B

wanted my fear and would
continue this game as long as he could before finally killing
me.
    With that in mind, I pretended to be trying
to get back to my feet, smiling inside at the fact that he was
letting me. Then I lashed out with a shout of anger, letting my
fist fly towards whatever excuse for a face lay hidden beneath his
hood.
    My fist met with nothing but sharpness and
pain, though he did take a step back from the impact. I stared in
horror at the mangled flesh of my hand, while the Hooded Man
laughed and swept my feet from under me yet again.
    Tears and blood ran into my eyes, clouding
my vision, and I know I was crying for it all to end. The jig was
up now that I was fighting back, and I felt those hooks grab me and
drag me towards the cloak, towards whatever fate Derrick suffered.
I grabbed the edge of the rough fabric and tugged, an unexpected
move that made him stumble and nearly fall.
    Taking advantage of the moment, I yanked
sharply to the left and the Hooded Man toppled sideways, falling to
the ground beside me. I scrambled to my feet and headed for the
door, stopping in my tracks as I heard the soft slither of falling
fabric behind me. I turned as the cloak and hood fell to the
ground, revealing the previously hidden form beneath.
    It was... like clockwork. The twisted
innards of some insane timepiece, all cogs and chains, blades and
hooks, and strange things not of this world. Everything was pointed
and sharp. It was no wonder I had cut my hand, for his face was
like gears made of saw blades, turning and whirring as they sliced
through the air. Remnants of Derrick dripped from his torso as it
opened and closed like some obscene clawed cage. The two lights on
his face, tiny supernovas of hatred, narrowed dangerously as he
looked at me.
    I was standing now a little outside the door
and could have fled so easily from this horror. But I didn’t. For
things had changed now and I was no longer merely content to flee.
I wanted to ensure first that there was as little as possible to
flee from.
    So I stood my ground as the monstrosity got
to its feet and came at me, it's one dead arm outreached in a claw,
hooks writhing across the ground behind it like so many worms. Feet
away, the hooks raised into the air, aiming towards my throat as
the Hooded Man continued to charge. He was done playing cat and
mouse with me and wanted my blood. But I didn’t intend to let him
have it...
    I waited till the last moment and then
slammed the door in his face. The satisfying crunch of metal
rewarded me as he collided. Opening it, I grabbed his prone body by
its bladed foot, regardless of the pain, and dragged him forwards
until his head was in range of my new weapon. With a grim look on
my face, I slammed the door once more, crushing the Picasso of
metalwork that formed his head. He twitched and started to sit up,
but I just slammed the door once again, over and over, until his
form was just twisted parts, whirring uselessly like broken
gears.
    There was a last feeble movement from the
Hooded Man, a tiny remnant of whatever mockery of life had animated
him. Then he was still. Still and dead, able to torture me no more.
It was followed by a sudden flash of light that engulfed his corpse
and filled the whole room, forcing me to shield my eyes. It only
lasted for a moment, but I stared in awe at the sight that was left
behind.
    The Hooded Man was gone, a small yellow
flower growing out of the floor where he had fallen. It was
beautiful, like nothing I’d seen, large yellow petals damp as if
with dew, glistening in the sunlight. There was no sunlight and
there was no way there should have been dew, yet both adorned the
flower all the same. It spoke of hope and of light. I looked up
from it, a smile on my face, and realized with alarm that my whole
room had changed.
    It looked as if brand new, bright and shiny,
almost cheerful in appearance. The bed looked comfy and soft, my
shelf larger and painted a nice blue, and the hole in the wall