The Merciless Death of Jordan Virginia Masters

~Chapter 2

Knock, knock, knock. The rapping on my sturdy door echoes through the room. It has been about four hours since Ray left. I got up from my cot. I advanced reluctantly towards to the door. In the window was a dark silhouette. As I advanced towards the door slowly, details came into view. I had never seen this man before. He had relatively long hair, for a guy. His hair was completely black. On his face was a large pair of glasses with circular lenses. To be honest, the huge lenses looked almost comical. He wore a white dress shirt in a half-tuck. A red tie was slung loosely around his collar. I couldn't see any more of him through the little window.
The man looked me in the eyes and smiled. A jumped back a foot or two and froze. I was startled! Today I had been looked in the eyes twice! The last time I made eye contact with anyone before today was a year ago. The man noticed my startled state, but kept his calm face on.
"Are you going to open the door, Masters?" he asked. I continued to stare. "Are you going to?" he asked again. "Oh, you know what? Perhaps you don't have a skeleton key, or a lock pick or anything." The man reached into his pocket and pulled out the oddest looking key I had ever seen. Tied to the back of the key with a thin thread was a few colored beads and a small rabbit's foot. A sign of good luck. The man inserted the key into what I assumed was probably a key hole. I had never seen the outside of my door. I didn't know what mechanisms were attached to the front. The man began to rotate the skeleton key. It turned and made soft clicks every second or so. Satisfied, the man pulled his key free, and pushed my door open.
The door's hinges are delicate and rusted. He seemed to know this, as the man opened the door gingerly. He made sure to close it behind himself.
I still stood in the middle of the room, frozen in shock. I stared at him, the odd man in my cell. He smiled and gave a friendly wink. I took another astonished step backwards.
"Not a talkative type, now are you?" he said. "A year in captivity can really change a person. You aren't the rebellious old you you used to be."
"Who... Are you?" I asked shyly.
"Of course, of course. A proper introduction is very necessary. My name," He gestured to his chest with his thumb. "is Red."
"Red?" I said. "That's an odd name."
"Well, it's a nickname of course." Red replied.
"That's an odd nickname."
"Whatever. Just call me Red. It's a nickname I earned." He said. "But enough about me. We need to talk about you. That's why I'm here. I need to tell you a few things... about yourself."
Who is this man? I wondered. His name is a color. He says he earned it. He acts like he knows more about me than I do myself.
"Well, I do. You probably can't remember anything before your coma." Red suddenly said.
"Ahh! What?" Did he just read my mind? I thought.
"Sorry, I can't read minds." Red said. "However, it appears that everything you're thinking is also being said aloud."
Whoops.
"Also, you should keep in mind that I am no man. I'm only about fourteen... I think. Being cooped up in an insane asylum all alone for so long can really damage you mentally. Not only do you mix up verbal and mental thoughts, but you also interpret ages oddly. I'm glad I came when I did. Now listen," Red began, "Let your buddy Red teach you some history."
He sat down on the floor and gestured for me to sit down on my cot. Red proceeded to explain to me how I had been accused of having a bloody dream by my own community for unknown reasons. After my coma, people who thought I was innocent also began to consider the possibility that I had one during the coma. Soon enough, I landed here. He then told me how my parents had moved far away to another country, probably to create more distance between us. Red told me about how I probably don't have any siblings. After my birth, they had terminated everything that could potentially track them. They even went to the extent of terminating their time as American citizens. Because of all of this, anything about our family after my birth was unknown, or at least, to us.
"You're an innocent, Masters." Red said. "I'm here to help you escape."
"Tell me about yourself, first. And how you found all of this out." I said.
"Oh, I'll tell you in due time. But, this isn't the best place to be chatting for so long. I'll take you somewhere else. Just be sure to follow close behind me as not to get lost. This place is a labyrinth! Once we get to a safer place, I'll tell you everything else you need to know." Red gave me a serious look. "By chance, the last time a guard past through here wasn't very recent, was it?"
"A group of guards passed by about four and a half hours ago." I said.
"Oh splendid! Splendid! We ought to get going, then." Red stood up.
I don't know why, but Red intrigued me. He seemed different. I wondered what his sources of information were, and why he was called Red. Most importantly, I wanted to know why he was helping me. He probably wasn't insane, nor was he a guard. Who is Red exactly? Where is he leading me? What more does he know about me that I don't?
Who am I?