Author's Note: I've always been a huge fan of Halloween Horror Nights. Paolo Ravinski, better known as The Director has been an amazing character and I decided to pay a little respect to him with this short story. I won third prize in a contest for this peice.

That same tune always played though his head. That repetitive melody that was always there and was sometimes deafening to the world around. But this was besides the point he had a film to make. He hummed softly and pulled the keys from his pocket looking through the gold and silver metallic devices that kept the darkest of secrets in shadow. Slitting the correct one into the lock on his basement he pulled back the door and descended down into the blackness below. If you knew this man you would know nothing good was to come of this... no way no how. Five steps. That's how many it took to reach the bottom.

The boy down there though didn't know that. He didn't even recall getting here. Hell last he remembered was that he was on an interview for a movie. His eyes fluttered open and darted about the dimply lit room. It was cold... damp... He tried to sit up but soon found that was not a possibility. He was bound at his wrists and ankles to some old wooden chair with planks of wood on it. One on each side of him and one in back. It looked similar to an electric chair, perhaps at one point it was. The planks of wood around him had holes in it... rather large ones... what was that for. All the young lad could hope was this was a prop in the movie or something like that...

One. A step... a squeak on a stair... someone was coming? Perhaps it was that man he was being interviewed by... a nervous looking man with the most piercing blue eyes he had ever seen. Perhaps it was him coming to say this was the set of the movie and he had just put him down here to give him a clue as to what he was doing. But wouldn't he have remembered coming down here? He was just drinking some tea offered by the man but next thing he knew he was out.

Two. What is it wasn't him? What if it was some psycho murderer who was coming to eat his flesh or something like that? The kid would have screamed or said something if it wasn't for the fact he had been gagged. He started to struggle as any human would when they fabricate such silly things in their mind as that. Though... he was right... it was his dearest friend he had met above ground and it was a murderer...how fortunate.

Three. There was something about this place that just sent a shiver up your spine. Perhaps it was the smell in the air. Blood...mainly a musty smell was mixed in as well. Perhaps it was the dimly lit area that showed some rather...interesting... home made tools... I'll leave you to guess what they are and what they are used for. Perhaps by the end of this you might figure it out. Though for the boy he was lucky... he didn't see half of the contraptions about the place since the planks... even with the holes you couldn't see much. Lucky for him he couldn't see the dead body in the bath tub behind him.

Four. Sound. Something outside of the settling of the room he was in and his own breathing. True he had heard someone coming before but now he could hear a distant sound... something like music... humming! Yes humming... someone had to be coming it wasn't his imagination after all...but this brought back something. Who was it? For all he knew these would be the last few moments of his life and he didn't know how right he was.

Five. Our dearest director set foot onto the cement flooring of his basement. He was still humming that same tune over and over again. A small smile broke his lips as his eyes flowed over to the chair with his victim... ohh excuse me... actor in it. Oh what fun a new film to add to his collection. He headed over and peeked around the edge of the plank on the boy's left side startling him a bit but he only smiled. "Ahh Kevin... don't worry we are just going to do your filming now." he pulled the gag away from the boy's mouth who seemed relived that it was him... how stupid of him not to realize what was going on.

"Mr. Ravinski...wha...what am I doing down here and... why am I tied up" Kevin asked a bit frantically. He watched as the man whom was at his side moved in front of him and patted his head "Don't worry... it's just part of what you need to do relax and I'll get my camera set up" with that Paolo Ravinski headed off humming to gather the camera and stand needed. He glanced back every few times to Kevin to see if he had the right angel and correct lighting.

"What about the script? What am I supposed to do for lines?" Kevin was still nervous... almost shaking... he didn't like the looks of what was going on. Paolo looked over his shoulder wile fiddling with some film reels looking for a blank one "Hum... ohh no worries... just improvise... it's not important anyways I think you'll know what to do on your own" he grinned in his evil sadistic way and finished setting up the camera. Once finished with that he moved the planks on wither side of the boy.

Large metal spikes attached to a thick wooden base where on either side of him a few yards away from the chair. His eyes widened as he saw them "What is this! What the hell are you doing?" He began to struggle again trying to free himself but he was no match against the leather straps that bound him to this chair. Mr. Ravinski turned and faced Kevin "Now, now I haven't said action yet don't start with that until we are ready..." he headed back to the camera still humming that little tune we know so well.

Kevin had no clue what to say he just looked scared...and very much so. He was a bit pale as he looked back and fourth at the countless spikes on either side of him. "Mr. Ravinski... you...can't... you can't be doing what I think you're going to do..." Paolo raised a brow and looked thorough the e lens of the camera "Well if your thinking I'm going to kill you... your absolutely correct" He spoke as if it was an everyday thing... well for Paolo it was... "Well I hope your ready Kevin... this is your film anyways... I trust you won't disappoint me..." With this Paolo was ready and Kevin... well as ready as you could expect from someone in his position. "Lights" he had to reach to flip a switch to get a little bit more light to see the boy's eyes right... what good is the movie if you can't see the horror in one's eyes? "Rolling" he turned the camera on so it would record "We have speed..." He checked the sound just to be sure and it was working. There was no need for quiet on the set... it was only two people... living people anyways... soon to be one. "And Action!" As Paolo spoke those words a rather loud clunk sounded and the spikes began to move at a slow pace to the chair. Kevin's eyes widened... even if they where moving slowly they would wither crush him or puncture his skin enough that he'd bleed to death. Well of course more surprises where in store but that will come in time now wouldn't it? "You can't do this!" The usual protest of his actors... he played no mind and continued to watch "You'll be caught! Someone will look for me and find you've done this...!" Paolo shook his head and grinned... they where all the same anger... and then they plead... as death inches closer and closer... they get more frantic and plead for their lives.

The base of the spikes kept moving ergo pushing the deadly points closer and closer to the human flesh in the chair. "Why would you even want to do this? You can't show this film anywhere!" he struggled more and more only causing pain from stress against the tight bounding and probably bruising himself. "If people saw this they would have to arrest you!" The boy gulped they where still moving... alright... he was starting to get frantic and you know what that should mean "Please! For God's sake let me go! I won't tell anyone I swear! I'll just go home and be quiet just don't kill me!"

Ahh this was Mr. Ravinski's favorite part of the game. How pitiful most people where if in this situation. But he would only let it go on for so long. It did get tiresome after some point... "Please!" Kevin cried tears welling up in his eyes "I still have a lot I have to do in life! I'm only 18! I have a life! I want to get married and have kids" Funny you ask any 18 year old they would normally disagree with that idea... they just want to have their girlfriend and their friends or whatever and marriage is not on their mind.. Amusing how this situation changes people. But enough was enough.

Paolo hit a switch next to him and a slight click was heard. Kevin was still pleading but you know... that's easy to stop. Once the switch was hit the speed was picked up on the spikes and there was still enough room for them to slam into the chair with a good force. The metal easily tore through the boy's flesh and his howling soon stopped. Paolo grinned "Cut..." he smiled and shut the camera off.
"Blood splattered nicely on that one" he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the lens of his camera. He looked back on the whole scene before going to those five steps that lead up to the world above. A song finding his lips as he sang lightly under his breath "You ought to be in pictures... You're wonderful to see..."