If you’ve never been inside an Iron Maiden before, then I cannot recommend highly enough how thoroughly enjoyable the experience is! Come and relish the excruciating sensation of spikes the sizes of your arm jamming into your body. Excruciatingly fun, I mean! Lose yourself in the beautiful views of the black, empty nothingness of the void inside. But don’t lose yourself too much or you’ll lose your mind! Book now, there’s no time like the present. There’s no time at all! Time has no meaning inside the Maiden! There is just unending pain and torture….forever.

I can’t tell you how many years seemed to pass as I floated in nothingness, only aware of the sensation of cold iron spines ripping into my muscles. The end only arrived when a blinding light erupted after aeons, as if I was witnessing Creation itself. I threw my broken soul towards the light and before I knew it, I was standing on my two feet again, in a white room. After spending so long within the Maiden, the brightness burned my eyes. There were people at the end of the room, and my rage ignited, burning everything else away. I launched myself at them, and smashed face first into the pane of glass between us. The room shook with the intensity. A figure from the other side hit the glass with their palm, and I instinctively leapt back. A shiver ran down my spine, as if something was running its icy fingers down the length of them. Oh crap! The Iron Maiden! I’d nearly jumped straight back into its maw! I turned and slammed the doors of the wretched vessel shut. The skull embossed on the front stared dead into my eyes. My senses flooded back to me, and my legs finally gave way. Pain wracked through my entire self, but there was no blood. Not even any wounds. The Iron Maiden’s spikes enter through the mind and take a while to leave.

I sunk to the floor, nothing but the indescribable agony knocking around in my body. Every movement, every thought of movement, reset the torture. The people watched on in silence, until one of them finally spoke.

‘Now that you’ve calmed down…’ Oh shut the hell up, I thought. I seized the Iron Maiden and swung it around, hurling it towards the glass at full force. It felt like my body was tearing in two, but honestly? Worth it. The thunderous sound of the collision echoed around the chamber for a couple of seconds, but the glass remained unharmed. The person that spoke before was quiet for a moment, but then resumed talking.

‘Okay, now that you’ve calmed down, we can talk.’ It was my old ‘buddy’, 58. In case it wasn’t clear, I have an anger issue. I’ll admit that, but I hope you can appreciate that it’s hard to keep your bottle when you’re surrounded by bastards who tell you to calm down after throwing you in literal hell. Though shaky, I took a deep breath to cool off.

‘I’m gonna get you one of these days 58. I will, and I’ll make it look like a bloody accident,’ I spat. He laughed.

‘Glad to see you’re feeling yourself again. Well, let’s not stand on business. 5, take it away.’

A woman stepped forward. In fact, there were three people who’d come to visit little old me in my cell. 58 of course. 5 was the woman who’d stepped forward, who, as keen readers will remember, was the one who leathered me in the stomach previously. The last one was called 10, an man who was currently staring daggers through me. His eyes were bloodshot, his jaw clenched beneath his thick beard.

‘Number 72,’ 5 spoke. ‘Your excursion has come to an end. The trail of destruction you have left in your wake has upset the natural order of things, and the Organisation of Shades must bear the brunt. You bring shame upon us.’ I grinned.

‘I do so love it when you put it like that. Say it again please. What was the part about the natural order of things?’ The woman shot me a look of derision and continued.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

‘If it were up to me, I would have you summarily executed. But that judgement is not mine to pass. Number 0 will preside over that.’ I walked up to the glass, ignoring the intensifying death stare of Number 10.

‘Execution? You’ve no idea how much I would like you to try.’

-

Number 10’s beefy hands shoved me down the corridor, even though I wasn’t resisting. We were in formation, 58 leading the way, 10 twisting my shackles so they cut in my skin, and 5 taking the rear. Together they marched me through the hallways of the Shade Organisation Headquarters. Occasionally, I would see another Shade, who would either drop their gaze or mutter something under their breath whilst shooting me a look of disgust. I whistled.

‘Icy cold reception! Thought you guys would’ve moved on from before.’

‘Hah! Hardly!’ returned 58. ‘There’s a lot of people who want your head for what you’ve done, and the rest are just glad to finally see you in chains.’

‘They should be thanking me. This is the most entertainment that’s happened here in a while.’

‘Maybe… Was it 12 or 13 who swore the snows of Alaska would run red with your blood? Oop, left here.’

We stepped into a large room, with twenty or so Shades in it. The effect was marked. The chatter was strangled, and silence fell like a corpse. They all watched us enter, some holding others back. Had it not been for 10 restraining me, they most certainly would have approached.

’58, this is not the quickest way to Number 0,’ said 5, her voice like icicles.

‘Oh, I know. I thought 72 would like the extended tour. He was the one that redecorated.’

I looked around the room. It was a wreck. My eyes traced the deep gashes in the walls, as if this room had been a cage for a wild animal. The white walls mirrored the pale faces of the Shades staring at me, wide eyed and fearful. They were holding candles and flowers. Some were holding pictures of people, who were smiling or laughing or trying to block their face from the camera. A whispering started.

‘What’s wrong, 72. Don’t recognise your masterpiece?’ said 58. My breath caught. Damn you 58. A Shade in the room spoke up. He was young and holding back tears.

‘Why did you bring him here, 58? Has his psychopathy possessed you too? Maybe the donut falling has driven you insane?’

10 twisted the shackles behind me, and pain shot up my arms.

‘Apologies, we took a wrong turn. We will take our leave now. 58…’ interjected 5.

58 began to move towards the exit. I glowered at him. You…! I stopped dead just before I left and resisted 10’s pushes. I surveyed the faces, with their held breath.

‘Guys….This room…’ A flashed a grotesque grin at them. ‘It could use some red paint.’ 10 shoved me through the doorway before the mourners could jump me

-

The previous room had reminded me of something.

‘Where—’ I began. 5 pounced, grabbing my neck from behind. Her eyes blazed.

‘Silence, monster, before I rip your tongue from it’s cradle! You have proven you are nothing more than a beast!’ The group halted. I kept my eyes on 5, despite the overwhelming urge to drop them and comply. I couldn’t lose my nerve now. They couldn’t learn they could control me! Her hands started to grip harder, my blood beading out where her nails were digging into the flesh. My breath began to close off. It takes a lot of strength to strangle someone from the back of their neck, you know. Despite my efforts, my eyes flickered to 58, and he understood. She meant to kill me, and I really wanted that audience with 0. He stepped forward and stooped down into a bow.

‘O exalted Fifth Shadow of the Endless Night, I dishonour you with my voice. I request of you, turn his wellbeing over to me, and spare your soul’s lustre becoming sullied with the filth of his.’ 5’s grip loosened slowly, and air flooded back into me. Without looking at any of us, she turned and strode back along the corridor, her black hanfu robes billowing behind her. 58 slowly looked up with a sigh.

‘Well, let’s continue then…’

‘You really know how to beg don’t you 58,’ I managed to choke out once I got my breath back.

‘You could stand to learn a thing or two about humility. Anyway, what was it that was so important?’

‘My sword,’ I said. ‘Where is it?’

‘I dunno. Destroyed probably,’ he replied bluntly. Liar, I thought. I could feel it’s presence now, the gnashing of teeth and inhuman growling that existed in my head. ‘It’s here. Beneath us.’

58 smirked and turned to me. ‘We confiscated it. You want to see it?’ His smile then was the only thing that day that put me on edge.