The Unkillable Monster Mask

It's morning as Leroy rolls off the couch, sun light filtering in through his broken blinds, letting him see the mess from the night before. Some broken bottles, his coffee table is flipped, spilled drinks and a hole in the wall.

"What the hell?" He groans as he wobbles to his feet, "Larry, what the hell..." He asks before realizing he is alone.

After a moment of thought and a freshly washed face, his hungover brain begins to piece together the previous night. Him and his brother were drinking. After a while, they played cards and Leroy flipped the table, which led to them grappling and smashing into the counter which is where the broken bottles were.

"How did the hole get there?" He mumbled as he looked. "Oh," his eye was black and some gauze had been wrapped around his forehead. He got dressed in his usual name brand clothes and slipped on his Oakley glasses to keep the sunlight from his eyes.

Sunday morning was beginning to give way to lunch time, and the air was warm. The dew on the grass had long since evaporated and the church people were driving with their families. In Leroy's pocket sat twenty dollars, on his back was his brother's bookbag, he had brought it on friday night after his college classes. All around the main road, people in town were smiling, happy people who were too dumb to notice the self proclaimed 'Perfect Man' in his eye catching clothing.

"You don't need to be important to be seen as important," Leroy would spit at anyone who criticized his fashion choices. "Don't need to be rich to get a good-digger. Just fake it till you make it."

As he walked along the sidewalk, judging everyone as inferior, he glanced into a window of a nearby car and wondered how God could give the world such blessings. How he could be God's gift to the world. He started to smirk until he noticed the children laughing as the family in the car listened music. His face went stoic as he silently mocked them. Away he walked once more.

After twenty minutes, he looked upon his favorite place. 'Hando's Coffee' sat there with ten dollar coffees and other people who only thought they were better than him. Someone held open the door, but he never saw the inside. The last thing he remembered was stepping through the door, then falling to a cold damp ground in pitch black.

"What the..." he said, "whose idea of a joke is this?" He growled as he rose to his feet. "Fuck you," he reached up and touched his face, realizing nothing was blocking his eyes. "Hello? Where am I?" He shivered, "could I have gone blind? Maybe a tumor? What the hell?"

He crouched down and felt cold, damp bricks where linoleum should have been. He moved and felt the room, finding three walls of ill-fitting blocks, a pile of what felt like bones and finally a wooden door that turned his stomach from the texture. Against it he slammed him fist.

"Hey! Help!" He screamed, "Anyone there?" He yelled and slammed his fist for what felt like hours. "Please help me!" He finally spat as he sank to a sitting position.

Then, as if in answer to his surrender, the door creaked open, orange and yellow light pouring in from the outside. A smile appeared on his face until his eyes adjusted. Two oddly thin, bipedal creatures stood there. The bodies looked as if they were made of green and purple plates, where they would be layered to allow for bending. The legs were like an insect's, leading down to feet in which two claws protruded outfront, one on the outside toward the back and another straight back. The arms were segmented into three even sections, in a way that reminded Leroy of a praying mantis, except with an extra length ending in a scissor shaped claw. The heads had no hair and a single eye that was only an inch or two tall, but was streatched in a 'v' shape from side to side on the head. No nose could be seen, but there was a mouthful of short spikes, the mouth being in the shape of a face-wide smile with no lips.

Leroy scrambled to the back of the cell in terror as they approached. Each one being over six feet tall, towered over the victem

"Monsters! Help! Anyone!" He screamed as he raised his arms in defense. The two hissed and clicked at each other before somehow grabbing the man's arms and holding him up in the bend on the segments they had as arms. Leroy tried to struggle once, but discovered the razor sharpness of the insides of those horrible appendages. They drug him out the door and down a cobbstone hallway and up several flights of stairs. Finally, they arrived at a door. The air smelled of the mold, rot and a sickly, sweet metallic scent. One of the monsters knocked with the side of its free arm.

"What do you want?" A gravelly, low voice roared. One of them clicked and hissed, "You damn maggots. If somebody suddenly showed up, then bring them to me! Stop wasting my time!" He yelled. The creatures looked to each other for a moments before they opened the door.

Inside was a brightly lit room, the white walls all lined with different objects, all of which gave Leroy a queezy, fearful feeling. The ceiling, which was also white, had several ropes and chains surrounding a  broad chandelier made of some black wood. The floor of white tile with brownish-red thin spacing sat a table, a metal chair, a large tub and a tall man in plate armor of black and eerie green. The man sat on a stool, slowly pulling something metal from his sleeve.

"Explain," he commanded. The monsters clicked and hissed quickly, "So he appeared in the cell? Are you sure?" Again they both clicked and hissed. At this point, the man sat the metal object down and walked over. "Release him." The man was a full foot taller than Leroy, "Why is he cut?" The monster rapidly clicked and hissed, "Do I fucking care if he struggle? You don't cut them unless I tell you too." He said calmly as he reached and grabbed it by the head, "You do as you're told." He dug his fingers on both hands into the sides of the thing's head. The cracking sound churned Leroy's stomach. Then the man slowly tore the head in two. As the exoskeleton gave way to brute strength, the monster squirmed and tried to fight him off, its hissing becoming a haunting whistle. Then all at once it was over, "There's your supper," he said to the other creature as he shoved a piece of the head into its fangs, "Take it and eat as you think about the lessons you were shown today." Once the creature was gone he turned to Leroy, "So, I have questions." He said as he picked up the disturbed young man, "you will answer them." He dropped Leroy onto the chair, restraints snapping shut over his arms and around his leg just above his knee.

When a man has nothing to expect but death, something happens in them. For Leroy, his attitude returned with a sense of masochistic humor. "Why?"

The man ignored him, "whats your name?"

"Santa Clause, you ho ho ho!" He grinned and spat in the eye of his captor, "What's your name? Frankie Flamer?!" He laughed.

The man reached to the table next to him and picked up the metal object. It was only an inch wide, about a foot long with a little nub toward the end the man was holding. With one hand, he held Leroys wrist as he casually lined the object up with the victim's forearm. "I am known as the Butcher." with a quick, effortless movement, he slid the object into Leroy's arm, under the skin. "This is a fun toy."

"Oh God!" Leroy screamed as he went blind from pain, "Leroy!" He yelled through his gasps, "Leroy Holfritz! Please stop!"

"Leroy, huh? Can you guess what this button does?" He grinned. Leroy suddenly focused with fearful eyes, "it makes this fun." The Butcher chuckled as he pressed it.

For Leroy, the next moment lasted an eternity as time stopped, and yet it was over in a flash. "The shortest eternity imaginable." He would call it when asked. In that moment, from under the skin, two thin flaps burst out on hinges, sending his skin into the air in chunks, a mist of blood and hair raining upon his face and everything around. A sickly, hungry look in the black irises of the Butcher shone through the moment to Leroy. Then it was over.

"Ahh!" He screamed as he squirmed, "what did... Why? I answered you fucktard!"

"So?" The Butcher purred, "I'm going to rip you apart as you tell me everything you know, over and over. Lets see how long before your soul flees." He said as he lined the evil object with the other arm.

-_-_-

The last thing Leroy remembered before passing out was that evil look of unfulfilling pleasure which the Butcher had... that and seeing the muscles in his arms be sliced, one thin, fiber slicing cut after another.

"I must be dead. Thank you God." He thought to himself in earnest.

Now, as he opened his eyes, a large metal circle hung above his eyes as an old man in white seemed to be stitching his arm back together. "Am I dead?" Leroy whispered hopefully.

"No," the man said without looking, "Just on reprieve."

"Why not?" Leroy asked as he laid there, "Why am I still alive?"

"He wants to take his time and he enjoys giving me more work." The man said as he finished the stitches, "Goulge! Take him to his cell!"

As leroy looked at him confused, two of the monsters walked in to drag the weary man back to the cell he was found in. He was too tired and sore to fight. He tried his best to watch where they were going, but his eyes would droop.

The cell now had a single dim candle floating just outside of reach, revealing skeletal remains in one corner and a plate of moldy bread and rotten meat with a cup in the center of the room. At the site of it, Leroy was thirstier than he had ever been. He greedily reached for the cup as he was dropped inside and the door closed. The taste was like acid and gravel as it scrathed and burned its way into his stomach. He picked the edible parts from the scraps on the plate and ate them, trying his best to not vomit. Then all was dark.

Before he had realized he had slept at all, the door opened and in walked two goulge. He screamed and fought them, but was quickly subdued and taken to the Butcher. Again he was questioned, this time about his friends and family. Again he was torn to shreds and woke up on the table while being put back together.

"Why am I still alive?" He asked.

"Because I put you back together," the old man said plainly as he stitched back together Leroy's leg.

"Who are you?" Leroy asked, "Where are you from?"

"Doctor Wesline." He replied, "most people just call me the Surgeon." He paused for a moment, "A land known as Iowa."

Leroy laid there silently, "Iowa? As in The United States of America? How did you end up here working for..." Leroy could not even finish the sentence.

"I was dining with a friend from Europe. A german who worked for Hitler as a spy. We would swap information." He said with a sigh, "then as we walked inside, we both ended up here."

After several minutes of silence the man on the bed spoke up. "So, what's up Doc? Why do you keep me alive?" Leroy asked.

"It is simply my job. He breaks you," the Surgeon looked Leroy in the eye, "I put you back together." His eyes were a piercing light green and brown. "Goulge! I'm finished!" He yelled.

Terror gripped Leroy's heart as he was thrown back to his cell. Gregory, the skeleton, still laid in a heap in a corner and another plate of scrap and cup sat in the center. Again, thirst over took Leroy, but the drink was worse than before. He picked apart the scraps and forced the food down his throat. Then all was dark.

That night as Leroy talked to his inanimate cellmate, he drifted into a restless dream of Larry looking for him and ending up here. A giant tree slowly pushed a root into the back of Larry's head, then all was dark.

Leroy lost count after four hundred repeats of the cycle, knowing everyday would consist of the goulge, the Butcher and his only friend, the Surgeon. The "sessions" were always changing. A small picture of this once self infatuated man are as follows: taking Leroy's eye out, one slice at a time; shattering every bone in a limb one at a time; skinning his body, tanning it into leather and use it as a mask to cover Leroy's face; removing the bones from Leroy's legs, and that was a week of fun. What Leroy truly dreaded was the Butcher bringing in guests, families and making Leroy decide what order to torture and kill them. Forcing Leroy to witness others being dismembered and ripped apart at the Butcher's leisure. Watching and being forced to give mercy killings as either the other unfortunate victim or Leroy was being tortured.

Leroy Holfritz was broken. His skin was a collage of different skins and textures. His left eye was replaced, though it functioned. It was a golden cat eye and the other was his natural green-grey color. His organs had been replaced and now functioned in wierd ways.

He opened his eyes to the familiar operating room and sighed, "I'll die tomorrow." No emotion sat in the voice, only the cold hit of facts. "I will not let myself survive another day."

"What?" The Surgeon asked as he looked up. "Why not? I can..."

"Because, my friend, I truly hate you too. More than I hate him." He sighed, "I will not let myself live..." He stopped as he heard the door open. A goulge walked in and clicked and hissed at the doctor. "Lucky try number... Too many tries." He thought.

"Fine," he said, "now get out." Once the damn thing was gone he turned and leaned in close to Leroy's ear. "This is your chance to escape."

"Escape?"

"Tomorrow, the Butcher will be gone after his session with you. At that time you may get out." He said quickly, "you just have to get here."

Leroy thought for several minutes in silence, the only sound was the needle and thread stitching back together. "If I don't die, then I'll get out." He declared. "Lets just get this over."

When the next cycle arrived, he greeted the goulge in a new manner. "Hello pissants." He said with a grin, "let's go." As they reached for him, he bolted out the door. "What are you waiting for?" He said as he turned around to look at them, "oh, yeah," he said as he held his arms out wide. "You're as dumb as you are ugly." The goulge grabbed his arms and almost held him back as he hurried forward.

"Is that some fire in you?" The Butcher asked, "too bad." He smirked as Leroy was left standing in the room. "You told me about Egypt and the mummy sarcophaguses. I had one made for today. Today is the last time we will speak." He said as a goulge pushed in a large black, stone box. The sides were smoothed and carved into the shape of a person on their back. The top, which swung open, was modeled after somebody screaming in torment. The mouth of which was a hole. "Throw him in."

"Today wont be the last." Leroy said in defiance, the smile he had melted into a subtle fear of the box. "You can't kill somebody like me." "I really hope this is the last time I see anything in life. Please, Jesus, just take me home." He screamed in his head.

Two goulge grabbed him and forcefully pushed him in. Inside the box was several copper wires and water up to the brim, his body displaced a large amount as he fell.

"Why does this burn?" He wondered as the lid slammed shut, "this..." The water seeped into his mouth and nose, "gah!" He spat as he realized this was the same liquid he had been forced to endure everyday.

"I have had my legions learn about and experiment with the different forms of electricity production. Everything from ancient to your modern. Enjoy what they have created." Leroy had no idea when the Butcher left, but it would not matter.

Burning and and tension filled his muscles and body. Everything was frozen and on fire. He would not be able to say if he screamed as his body suddenly relaxed enough to twitch. His goal was now to drown instead. As he inhaled the cursed liquid, he was shocked again. Time lost all meaning as his mind slipped away. His body smoked and the liquid sizzled, leaving a revolting cloud his body inhaled.

His eyes were glazed and half aware as the lid opened. Two goulge lifted him out and tossed him on the floor. They schuckled there clicks into a twisted chuckle as Leroy landed with a thud. As they turned away from him, his body slowly and silently rose to its feet. He shoved the closest one into the leader, then dropped back to the floor. The leader whipped around with its arm leading, slicing through the right arm of the distraction. It stumbled back and fell over the prone form on the ground and it whistled a horrible cry, its coppery fluids flowing out.

Leroy snatched up the arm and rose into a jump, bringing it down with a scream. This was HIS revenge. The sharp edge smoothly sliced into the head of the leader. It did not even make a sound as it collapsed. He hacked three times with a tearful, animalistic scream before the one armed monster dropped its only bladed appendage into Leroy, slicing him from the collar bone to his mid chest. He smiled as he fell, "about time." He vaguely thinks as all goes dark.

"Why does death feel like a metal table? And it smell like..." His eye flicker open and sees the Surgeon with his hands in Leroy's chest. "Damn."

"You'll be able to breath and talk normally soon." The old man reassured. "But at least you had the pleasure of slaying one of those miserable things."

The Surgeon muttered as he fix Leroy's body, "a fine burnt mess... What did he expect? What was... I'll just give him a new lung." Several hours passed as Leroy laid there.

When he could feel his normal breathing return he had to ask, "How do you fix me?"

"You have become rather simple. Some simple needle and thread." He replied as he kept working, "nowdays everything seems to go together fine."

As the Surgeon cut the final stitch, Leroy's arm shot up and grabbed him by the shirt. "How do I get out? How do I go home?" He growled as he sat up, pulling the Surgeon close.

"The door leads to a room with a portal I use to gather... supplies." The door he motioned to was next to a counter covered in jars of unidentifiable things.

"How do I use it?" Leroy asked as he shoved the old man, "tell me how to get out." He demanded as he stood up.

The Surgeon opened the door and showed him the symbols on the wall to press. "Now make it look like you escaped on your own." He turned toward the counter.

"Thank you," Leroy whispered as he grabbed a metal basin.

The Surgeon began to speak when suddenly he was unconscious. The sound of goulge shuffling in the hallway made Leroy turn and rush to the door, where he grabbed a cupboard and pulled it down to block them. Quicky, he ran to the portal and pressed the symbols. An orange and grey light swirled on the wall and he walked through.

The room was empty except for a little knee high creature next to something being covered by a clothe. "The Doctor Wesline wished for you to have these and this note."

Leroy,

Here are your belongings with a few items I pray will assist you. Take the left path.  P.S. wear the mask and vest.

Sincerely,

Your allie.

Leroy looked up and the creature was gone. It was only him, Larry's backpack and a clothe bag. He grabbed the bag as he slung the pack over his shoulders. He ran through the doorway and into a hall. To the left he bolted, running as fast as possible until he came to a dead end with a large grate in the floor. A mixture of liquids poured from the ceiling and down the hole. Without a thought he lifted the iron bars and dropped in.

Blindly he fell into a pool with a splash, blindly he was sucked down and forced through pipes. The seconds turned to minutes as his lungs began to beg for air. The minutes seemed to stretch as his body began to try to not drown. Then he fell, through the air and onto soft mud. He spat and flipped onto his hands as he pushed himself up. He heaved and inhaled, finding something strange in the air... something fresh.

He looked up at the dark-red walls behind him and the dead trees ahead of him. His body seemingly came alive as he sprinted into the dead forest. He did not look back, he did not think and he did not notice the green of leaves and grass as he ran desperately. On he went until he was spent. The smells of evil and death having disappeared as he entered a clearing and stopped. Flowers, trees, birds singing, grass was what he saw as tears flowed down his face. With caution and fear he looked up. Soft white clouds danced across the clear blue sky. He fell backwards and wept bitterly as he slipped into a deep, peaceful slumber.

The last thought he had was simply, "Freedom."