The Black Rope Fiend

It was an especially dark evening in that ever so gruesome year of 1693. The wind howled through the darkness traveling to my location; briefly kissing my neck before again traveling onward. I walked at a brisk pace up the marble stair case of Morrison Mansion. The light of the open room stretched down the old moldy hallway. It walls almost devoid of colors from the years abuse. Taking one last breath of sinless air I wandered into the dim light. This must be heaven I thought to myself with a smug smile. The wind crawled through holes in the windows and walls, racing one another down the empty hall. When I reached the origin of the light I pushed open the aged door. It creaked in pain revealing a woman whose body was that of a peach. Bright and full of life. She stood nude, tied to the wall. I looked at her with pity. Did she deserve to die? No. She deserved to be cherished, and I would make sure of that. Her face was beautiful and fair, yet her eyes had a hungry look. I closed mine, feeling as though my mind was invaded by some sinister force. Visions of color and sounds blurred my thoughts. I scratched my head violently. The noise stopped and I was thrown into reality again. I walked closer, but was interrupted by the sound of another approaching from behind. Could this be him? A master of his trade. Death himself? I ducked to the right, hiding behind a large dresser. A man strolled in. His pace was quick and his body swayed as if listening to a daunting tune. He seemed rather cheerful. He was dressed in a large over oat and tight trousers. Both looked to be old and ragged. When he approached the woman. Her eyes opened wide. I could feel her pulse from my hiding place.

When he turned into the light his face was revealed. A mask. His mask portrayed such happiness.A white face with swirls on both cheeks and a smile that could scare even the bravest of men. The eyes were squinted and it had three spike towards the mid line of the mask on either side, each soaked in blood. He slowly touched her. His hands were a dull Grey, similar to that of the dead, and covered in sutures. His head swayed from side to side like a dog trying to understand his commands. Tears streamed down the woman’s face, as she begged for her life to be sparred. He held up a finger to his mouth, and her voice no longer hoped for life. He walked to the left and removed a sheet which covered a large mechanism. It had many cogs and pulleys. As I watched, my stomach turned into knots. I should challenge him, I thought to myself. But at a towering six foot, five inches, and possibly a weapon I stood no chance. I was useless, but I was no use to her dead. As he pulled the lever, the room shook. And the robes began to tighten. I noticed immediately that the rope to her left leg began to raise. Oh, what horrors were about to unfold. Her leg lifted and her voice cried of agony. Soon the room was filled with the snapping of bones. I closed my eyes, but opened them again with hesitation. Her leg nearly destroyed, lay bent completely backward. Blood dripped down her body. The masked man laughed in joy. Her body was something of fiction as the lever kept going. The other leg was next in line, and soon it joined the other in that most disturbing position. The sound of breaking bones and screams of pain echoed through the room. Then curiously the man stopped the machine. He pulled her down and tied her to the floor. Sitting down beside her he began to whistle, as out of his pocket he withdrew a needle and thick black twine. Slowly he sewed her legs to her back and seal the wounds. The pieces of skin that remained, he ripped with such a violent nature, almost like pulling taffy.

Blood pooled on the floor, and ran down through the floor boards. This man was the terror of London, and feared, by men and their kin. He was known for the mysterious black rope that he used to tie up his victims. It was a dark black and reeked of the dead. Some said it was made of the flesh of his victims. After the needle work was finished he untied her almost unconscious body and tied her arms together. Standing up he put the rope on his shoulder and began to drag her bloody body down the hall. The hard wood digging into her back as her skin was gradually ripped away. Her voice was now nothing but a quiet whimper as she scraped along the floor. I stood up quietly and followed slowly. Her blood trail began to get thicker and the distance increased. I followed the man down the stairs and towards the basement which collided with a long hallway. The stench coming from this place was, by far the worst thing that I had ever encountered. It smelt like five week old chamber pots, that had never been used and something that you would smell if you left a venison out to long. I walked fifty meters down the hall which entered into a large room. It had many sections each closed off by a wall, with a large window. The ceiling and walls were marble and carved with exquisite markings. His tune filled my ears once again. The room also had a large dining table that spanned the massive thirty feet across.I walked into the room and found safety behind a cooking vat. The large table sat in the center of the room and had plenty of large pots each covered with a lid. After some time of hiding I moved to another, and somehow safer part of the room. It was tucked away above a small cabinet in the darkness. From there I could see the man at work in what seemed to be a kitchen. As I looked closer I could see a cooking spit, and the featured course was the woman from upstairs. The stake was driven through buttock and led out of her throat. Poor girl. She must have bled out on the way here.

Hidden. I wanted to run, but a sickened curiosity kept me. My chances of escape were growing smaller and smaller by the minute. After a few minutes I heard a loud bang, and the masked man appeared again, this time carrying plates. He set them curiously around the table. Eight people. Eight plates. Who would be coming to this most horrid dinner, and how were they invited so such an event, I imagine a simple invitation would not suffice. I watched, intrigued as the man carried out dishes each covered, and set them on the plates. The aroma filled the room. As mortified as I am to say it, it didn’t smell as horrible as I had expected. After all of the meals were put out the man walked out pushing a ward that I can only assume carried the woman. He pushed it onto the table and He then lifted the lid to reveal her body, which now looked like cooked poultry. Her head was gone, as was her hands and feet, each revealed a small area of white, the bone. I felt a knot form in my stomach and I watched him prepare her, casual cutting slices out of her. Then he stood back and walked to the east wall. He opened a small door which revealed a bell. Once it was rang noise began to emanate from the south part of the room which was pitch black. Several figures began to appear from out of the darkness. As they reached the table they all sat, each probably had a certain seat to sit in. The masked man then approached the table with several candles and set them around the table, brightening the room. I looked closer and realized what they were. People. Each seemed an odd yellow and purple color. Their bodies shook. Each person was completely nude and their skin seemed to hang off of their bodies. Taking a deep breath I sat in shock at the realization I had just made. They were wearing the skin of their meals. Each person was covered in patches of another persons skin. A blonde woman, was more particularly in my interest. She seemed to be wearing a mask made out of a man’s face. Now it looked more like an old shirt.

The masked man rang the bell once again and they all lifted the covers off of the plates. Each dish had some horrible surprise ingredient, human flesh. Some plates had what looked to be kidneys, or eyes. Some had fingers and toes. I felt the need to vomit, but held it back in fear of being found. The masked man then rang the bell a third time and proceeded to his space at the table. From the darkness a horrible creature appeared. It looked to be a person whose arms and legs were disfigured to make them walk as if they were an animal. Its eye sockets were empty and its body was naked and slim.His skin was a dark yellowish color, and his bones poked from every angle possible. At his stature of crawling he only stood about two feet tall, if he could stand at all. His limbs were bent in strange places and even had patches of skin that revealed bone and muscle. It wore an old collar, and walked to his side and sat next to him. His disfigured hands patted the dog’s head. If you could even refer to him as such. They all mindlessly ate, except for the masked man. The sound of crunching and slurping of this cannibalistic soup nearly made me sick. I held back the nausea in my throat and watched horrified. He rested his head on his hand and played with a knife that laid on the table. He finger tapped with an impatient nature. Then he slammed the knife onto the table. The dog sat up and the masked man leaned over, as if he was whispering to the dog. The dog then looked with hollowed eyes in my direction, and spoke. His voice was dry and old. “You there. Why don’t you join us? It is insatiably rude for someone to go unfed. The master would ask that you join us.” My heart raced. What should I do? They already know that I am here.

I realized now that It didn’t matter about escape. There was no escape. My body shook as I climbed down the ladder and took the last chair as my own at the opposite side of the table. The masked man stood up again and removed his coat. His body appeared to have no skin, and the only thing that remained was his muscles and tendons. His coat was old and tethered and torn, and so were the trousers he had. The dog sat up and spoke again. “You may think it unfortunate timing. Your discovery was actually quiet needed. You see, the Master has an extraordinary gift for making art out of the things no one could ever imagine. These people you see here. Puppets for entertainment, me, his loyal pet, and them, a delicious meal.” The masked man walked into the kitchen and grabbed another covered plate and carried it to me. His skinless corpse still swaying to either side. I wondered hat could he truly be hiding behind his mask if he chooses to show his body. It was placed before me. His movements and pace stayed the same as he strolled back to the table. His skin tight trousers bending and stretching as he did so. He sat back down and looked my direction, waiting for me to unmask his creation. “Please open it.” My hand shook as I lifted the cover. To what horror had I discovered, a head. The woman’s. I could feel my stomach turn. “He made this especially for you. Open her up. There is a gift.” I hesitated and opened her mouth. I grabbed a hold and pulled. Long black rope appeared from her mouth. “Oh, a most precious gift. Master only gives that to ‘the one.’”

I looked up in a panic “’The one‘ what?”

The dog barked a most insidious laugh. “The one who will be made into art.” The masked man laughed. A large shadow appeared from behind me. I turned to see a massive creature appear before me. Its body was large and its mouth was huge. It looked like it was once human, but its stature was too great to be so. It had the body and length of a great work, but looked to be size of an elephant. Its skin was covered in a mucus film and looked like it was all muscle and ribbed in certain areas. It must have been at least ten feet long and eight or nine feet wide. It skin folded and retracted, then re-extending to move around. I watched it move around me. Slowly its large, human like jaw, which had to be at least seven feet in diameter open and bite one of the puppets in half. Its scream echoed as it fell down its throat. Blood splattered onto the table. My heart raced as it went around the room. Bite. Another gone. But the others didn’t seem worried. After all eight were swallowed it was only us three, and the creature. “The black robe is his signature mark. It means whoever gets it will be fed to our creation.” Shrieked the dog in laughter. The monster towered over me. I watched the masked man put on his coat and stroll out of the room. The monsters mouth opened and it lowered over me.

The End