Articles in Horror Volume 1 Read online

  One of the guards had asked Simon repeatedly, "genie?en Sie Ihr Fr?hst?ck?" Simon just shrugged not knowing what the man was asking. Klaus barked, "He is asking, genie?en Sie Ihr Fr?hst?ck?, did you enjoy your breakfast?" Klaus laughed whole heartedly with his men joining in on the humor as they heard another man vomit near the door as the liquid ran out hitting Simon's bare feet. The small wave had washed several bugs with it, sticky to his feet. His shoes had been removed letting his bare feet hit the cold cobbled stone hall and now soaked in someone's stomach bile. Corpses of rodents lined the edges of the hall. Simon was trying to take care in each of his steps, as well as dragging them to scrap the liquid & bugs off his feet. Klaus became impatient at his pace and shoved him every so politely! After they walked a bit, they came to a freight lift which had an electric light in it, but the fixture was as old as he was. The lift moved quickly upwards which caught the guards and Simon a bit surprised, but Klaus seemed at home with it. As it rose he could see the different floors as they passed through a wire port hole cut into the lift's door. Simon could see floor after floor of cells, men washing floors, guards on patrol, it seemed almost endless the hallways and floors that whizzed by. The lift came to an abrupt stop and as the scissor like doors opened from middle in opposite directions, he saw something that startled him, a creature, but a lovely creature, it was a young woman, very beautiful, thin but toned as he could tell from the skirt she was wearing, she was professionally dressed but had that late night call girl look about her, just a bit rough and used around the edges. She quickly put her hand out, the blue veins showed up against her pale skin as well as the supple lines of her bones through her fingers. Her nails where painted a high gloss red, blood red that shimmered in the light. Simon made no attempt at a hand shake.

  She with drew her hand slowly rubbing a few of her fingers together to

  cover up the gesture. She began to speak "Hello, I am Doctor Heulen, the Kommandant's daughter, I mean Warden as you Brit's maybe be more a custom." Simon looked at her, he felt he had seen her somewhere before, she felt it too, but where? In her eyes he seemed to lose himself, they where pale blue, more of an iced blue,

  with slits for pupils, almost cat like. "Doctor?" is all Simon could mutter. Taken back by his stares at her eyes and the uncomfortable feeling of some how

  knowing him, she pulled her hand back quickly, "It is a birth defect" as she tried to conceal her eyes.

  Simon still staring deeply into her wondering eyes, "Birth defect?" he slowly exhaled and then caught himself, "Oh, yes, birth def?umm so sorry, your just stunning, too stunning to be in a place like this" Simon letting go of his situation and letting some British charm shine out.

  She got a girlish grin on her face and quickly changed the subject back "Yes, I am a Doctor of Physiology, I study and help some of the inmates here, I try to help them." Her eyes seemed to wonder off yet again "Well let's go this way to meet my father."

  She signals to the guards to stay with a hand motion like you would tell a dog to stay. Just Klaus accompanies them down the hall to a well lit reception area, where it looked like there where muffins, croissants and what looked like to be brewing tea!

  "Is that Tea?" Simon asked sniffing in the air.

  "Yes, in deed, we will pour you a cup before we enter his office" motioning with her hand the location of the Kommandant's office, her long lines and pale skin caught the light and almost glowed off her pale skin.

  Simon grasps on one of the tea cups as though he had never had tea yet this year, he cupped it, smelled it and almost looked as if he where going to make love to the cup itself, he grabbed a croissant and followed the seductive Doctor in to see her father.

  Simon was shown a chair pulled out just a bit by Klaus as he sat to his delight at hands reach where some more sugar cubes that he fumbled to grab to sweeten the tea just a bit more.

  The Kommandant was finishing up on a phone call, he was smoking a large cigar that seemed to fog up his glasses, behind him was an antique wired fan, moving ever so slowly, it made that annoying rubbing metallic sound as one of the fins rode against its wired cage wanting to get out. The fan was moving air just enough to whisk the smoke from the cigar in the direction of Simon and company.

  As the Kommandant hung the phone he stood up right which startled the skittish Simon and he spilled a bit of tea on his lap. He began to wipe it off as he starred to his left where the Doctor was sitting and grinning at his slight miss-hap. He noticed a beauty mark on her thigh that had become visible with her sitting as her skirt naturally rose up a bit. The mark seemed oddly familiar. The Kommandant looked as if he was going to put his hand out in gentlemanly greeting, Simon placed his tea on the table next to him as the Kommandant made his introduction. Simon was still caught in a stare of Maxine's beauty mark.

  Clearing his throat "Ummma, I am Kommandant Adolf Heulen, you have met my daughter Maxine? and Klaus Captain of the guard." Adolf motioned with his hands in presentation, Simon began to stand as he took the queue as his time to shake hands. Klaus dove his large hand into Simon's shoulder to re-mount him on his chair.

  Simon glancing over at Klaus who is still standing, "Yes we have met" Simon began to rub his shoulder where Klaus's massive hand had landed. Simon also began to rub his jaw where Klaus had landed a love tap on one of the initial welcome beatings.

  Adolf, chuckled quickly, "Yes Klaus does get quite a reaction" he cleared his throat quickly and then started again "Well quick history and then onto your situation? Stalag Rhinehoth as named by Hitler in World War II, it was a war prison for all the high officials that Hitler wanted to go away, spies that where caught and just not suitable for general population at the other Stalags through out German, Poland and the such." He pauses a moment to take a quick hit of his cigar. "We always like the feel of the name Stalag so we kept it named as such, this is a castle on the edge of the Black Forrest, it is full of legend, full of all sorts of ghost stories, but no question, you will serve your time here with no hope of escape."

  Simon interrupted quickly, "Father-time did"

  Klaus moved in to slap Simon as Simon flinched at his bravery for muttering what he did.

  Adolf just replied, "Yes, dearest Siegfried, you see, he was Captain of the guard years ago, but went mad one night, a lot of prisoners and guards for that matter went dead. Shame he was like a brother to me." Adolf was looking off at a photo on a near by shelf.

  "Make no mistake, you will not do the same. Siegfried is what we like to, call? unique?" clearing his throat once more "We make many upgrades here, especially

  security. That is are main concern, more for your safety." Ending with a grin.

  Simon, politely interrupting, "our safety?"

  "Yes your safety, you see the mountains are a desperate place, many dangerous lay

  beyond these walls, believe me your safer in these walls." Adolf begins to sit down

  "Well this leads me to another question I have not been able to ask? why am I here?"

  Adolf with a bit of a grin developing on his face "This is a maximum security prison;

  you have been convicted of your crimes"

  "Yes, but you see, I did no harm anyone, I just drove a get away car" Adolf smirking, taking a long inhale of his cigar that's smoke was making Simon ill from the smell and constant smoke trail going his way. "Well you see, in Germany, some one has to pay for the crime, you where the only accomplice left. A good hard working citizen died, Germans want justice, someone always pays. Besides you did cause harm,

  you where the one to bring the men that caused the harm, this makes you just as guilty." "But I am not a murderer." Adolf looks at his daughter, "well we will see exactly what your capable of, for now

  Simon Roberts we bid you good day and we will show you your new quarters" Adolf motions to Klaus to take him away.

  Klaus leads Simon who is still in shock of where he is and the blanket of vague information of why he was in with maximum security prisoners
in the middle of the Black Forrest, miles away from any civilization.

  Klaus always walks behind the prisoners and has some of his other guards lead the way down the maze of halls and corridors. It seems easy to get lost in the maze, all the stone walls are weathered from time with no defining marks, there is a peculiar large amount of lit torches down some halls and other halls are lit with crude electric lighting, Simon recalled as they walked that they continually upgraded the prison, but with kerosene lit torches what where they exactly constantly upgrading?

  After they had been walking for several minutes they began to walk past the main part of the prison where it was visible that this was more modern than the cell he spent a few days in. It was modern as probably Alcatraz was in those old movies, though the bars that held the prisoners where freshly painted a dark grey, the walls where still old as the mountains that surrounded them. The cells looked tight and cramped; each looked to have an old rust stained sink and a toilet that had no seat but at least it was not in the floor. The ceiling looked to have stalactites growing with a damp musty smell you could fell the cold coming out of each cell.

  Klaus spoke a number in German to the guards in front, they shouted back and stopped at a cell that was lit with a light in the center of the room, it had a window as the others also with a back view of the prison. His sink as the others he had seen was dripping with a rust mark from where the water dripped, he noticed a bit of steam coming from the back wall by the toilet, Klaus pointed and laughed "You have a heater!" he pushed Simon into the cell and slammed the door shut, Klaus went to walk away but stopped and turned, "please forgive my manors" he said in his thick German accent, "Welcome to Stalag Rhinehoth!"

  Simon crouched down to sit on his bed, it was a bunk bed, but the top looked as though it doubled as a dresser for blankets and his prison uniforms. Oddly enough there was a slightly worn hat that was from his favorite team, Manchester United a football team from his home town. He quickly put it on for a comfort of home and wondered who had put it there? he laid down pulling a blanket over his body as he just wanted to go to sleep again and maybe wake from this nightmare.

  Simon was awaken by a bell he heard ringing, an alarm clock he thought. He thought he smelled a faint smell of cinnamon bread and saw an outline of his mother using her apron as a pot holder as she removed the freshly baking bread from the oven. His eyes regained focus onto a cold, aged stone wall. The reality quickly hit him. He looked out of his cell, upside down, while lying in bed and saw it was 6pm, dinner time. As he stared at a clock an upside down figure appeared, Simon right sided the image by standing up out of bed to be greeted by a fellow cell block mate, he was a small man that sharply introduced himself, "Guten Abend,"

  Simon quickly interrupted, "I do not speak German, do you speak English?" The man quickly changed tone as he was shoved by a passing prisoner and he stumbled into Simon's cell, "uua hummm," the man cleared his throat "Englishman? In here?" puzzled, he scratched his head and began again, "I am Maus, or Mouse in your English tongue. Quite puzzled, an English man in our German hell, quite puzzling." Simon suspected a hint of English accent, "Are you from here?" he asked Mouse,

  who chuckled, "No, I am German, quit certain of that, but studied at Oxford." Simon now really puzzled, "How did you end up here?" Catching himself, "Where

  are my manners, I am Simon Roberts of Manchester." Simon Extending his hand. Mouse took it in a firm hand shake for the small stature of his man, "Delighted to meet you, as for the 1st question, I love women, probably a bit too much as they can't stand my passion, one of them had a husband that followed me home, I, fearless in fight,

  prevailed" Simon looked at him from head to toe. Mouse shrugged "He tripped, fell down the stairs and broke his neck? I let him stay

  there the night before I reported?how was I suppose to know he was a member of parliament?" with a sheepish grin. "I am innocent!"

  Simon looked at him still kind of puzzled at the whole moment of the meeting, "I am innocent as well." Simon muttered looking back into his cell at maybe another glimpse of the mirage of his mother.

  Mouse took him by the arm, "Come, we can not be late for we shall not eat!"

  They both wondered into the hall of cells almost the last ones in line, which is a good

  thing at times as not to be shoved back to the end of the line by the harder inmates.

  "Hey Mouse, do you know where they had me the past few days?"

  Mouse with a bit of a grin, "Oh, that was our welcome center." Simon was not

  grinning.

  Upon arriving to the dinning hall, it opened up into a vast hall, long tables split into sections, divided the room into 4 equal parts but was large enough to hold all the inmates at one time. It looked to be a converted grand ball room with opera like balconies from which the guards had look out stations with their rifles aimed, laser sights off to give the inmates some calming moments in which to dine. As they where in line, he could see some of the guards in a separate line getting what looked to be black pudding a favorite of Simon's. He tapped Mouse on the shoulder and asked him "Hey, how do we get some of that black pudding?"

  Mouse looking very annoyed, "you don't want any of that?shhh not a word more!" Mouse was making calm down gestures with his hands trying to distract Simon from starring. It was too late, they had been spotted.

  Klaus was in the guard's line on his side of the dining hall, he had a plate full of the black pudding in links. The links where fat and dark, Klaus took the string of sausages gripped around his hand, dropped his plate in line and made his way toward Mouse and Simon.

  Mouse interjecting "Klaus, er ist neu!" Mouse was trying to shield Simon but mouse was to small to even slow Klaus down, "Klaus he is new!, please spare him! Freizeit ihn!"

  But it was too late, Klaus dragged Simon by the neck to the floor on his side, pulling him over the food service coolers and heaters knocking down flatware and dishes in the process, Klaus' massive biceps ripping through his shirt, he held Simon down on the floor and dangled the links of sausages over his mouth yelling "Essen! Essen! Eat your British dog, EAT!!" the smell was unlike Simon had smelt before, it was sweeter than he had eaten, the dark drips wrung out from Klaus' grip, dripped down onto Simon's lips, making him gag for it was not the familiar taste he had hoped.

  Simon's hands had been gripping Klaus' around his neck, but he let go hoping Klaus would let his grip go, he did not. As soon as Simon felt his vision begin to fade he heard a woman's voice yelling from a nearby balcony,

  "Stop jetzt Klaus!" "Haltestelle auf eimal!" a female voice beckoned.

  Klaus stopped and let Simon go as he gasps for breath as Mouse ran back to his aid.

  Dr. Heulen jumped over a railing to a near by stairwell, a good jump for a Dr. in heels. She ran down the stairs to the aid of Simon as well, Klaus' finger marks could still be seen in his neck, she looked up at Klaus that looked as if he was putting his tail between his legs she shouted at him after a quick exam, "Dumm Hund!" she barked out at Klaus, meaning Stupid Dog.

  Klaus in his shame looked around the dine hall at everyone starring and shouted "zur?ck zu essen!" "back to eating!"

  Mouse and the Doctor tried to get Simon to his feet, he was staggering and she told

  Mouse to bring him to the infirmary. Several days had gone by and Simon was still in the infirmary with a bandaged neck, with an almost crushed larynx, his throat was sore and had trouble speaking. Mouse came to visit him briefly with a plate of snacks of sweet dried dates. Obviously

  they where smuggled in some how. "I borrowed these from the kitchen; I don't think they will miss a few?" Simon motioned that he was trying to speak. "Thank y o u." he struggled. Mouse told him; "no worries get better soon" he patted him on the chest and left the

  dates in Simon's open hand. Simon just looked at them, wondering if he would be able to chew them and then swallow. He was drinking some thick meaty cocktail that the orderlies had been mixing and blending. The
y tasted awful, but he did feel like he was getting better.

  Simon's bed was soft, clean and blue, very blue, some white linens, but freshly painted white walls, very, VERY bright. Simon squinted as he looked up towards the lights and rolled over to his right where he saw an occupant he did not recall seeing earlier.

  The stranger began to speak, "Hi, I am Michael," his hand out reached to shake Simon's. "I'm Simon, Simon Roberts" with his had also extended to meet Michaels in a friendly hand shake. "I see you have met Klaus," with a smirk on his face. Swallowing hard, "Yeah, he is something else" "He is an ogre" Michael said less than softly "What is this place?" Simon inquired "H?lle, Hell my friend, Hell" Simon starred deep into his eyes, "I have never heard of such a place, I studied about World War II quite a bit and never remember reading this place."

  Michael looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching, Dr. Heulen was in eyes sight, but not close enough to hear, there was an orderly, but he looked too busy doing some sort of inventory and the other patients seemed far enough away not to hear.

  "Simon, let me tell you a story?Rhinehoth was once ruled by a Bavarian Prince who desperately wanted to be King of Austria & Bavaria." He paused a moment to glance around the room once more, "He kept a secret coven of witches from the Black Forest, he practiced in sorcery, the occult, looking for immortality. Some said he even made a pact with Lucifer himself. He built an Army of werewolves as his soldiers to over take the country side and then the cities. But when the witches betrayed him, the

  werewolves rose up against him, imprisoning him in his castle for eternity?he is still alive in the dungeons of this very castle!" Simon looked at him with a feeble smile, "So this is Rhinehoth?" Michael with a quick glance over his shoulder "Yes," Michael looked so serious Simon just began to laugh. Simon still laughing, "Michael I think your morphine drip is going a bit too fast"