Chapter 6: Pain
Two Styx sat Eddie down in a hard chair. They bent his arms and his legs, and forced his head back. Then they took the dark light out, and Eddie shivered at the sight. Eddie had used the dark light a thousand times himself, and he'd heard the screams people made. Screams of horrible pain. The machine began to purr, and the room filled with the purple light that he knew so well. But he only knew how it was from the perspective behind the machine. He would watch the poor people sitting in the chair, but he never imagined it was this horrible. It felt like something was eating him up, from the inside. Every little part of his body screamed in pain, and his head felt like it was going to explode. He was so angry, so sad, so hopeless and in so much pain that he couldn't think clearly.
"Have you ever been with a human?" one of the Styx interrogated.
"No!" Eddie screamed as the pain got even worse.
"Do you have a daughter?"
"No, no, no! I don't know what you're talking about!" Once again, the pain escalated.
"Are you telling us the truth?"
"Yes!"
And it continued like that. Eddie had no idea how long the torture lasted. It could have been anything from a half hour to a week. In the end the world turned black, and for a moment, Eddie thought he was dead. And he felt happy. But obviously he wasn't dead because now he lay on a cold, stone floor in a cold, dark room. Probably in the prison of the Styx headquarters. But he didn't know for sure.
He couldn't remember what he had said in the later parts, but he really hoped that he had been quiet, although he knew it was practically impossible. Every time Eddie had used the dark light, the people wouldn't confess anything at first. But in the end, the Styx always got the information they wanted. Suddenly, someone opened the door to his cell and burning light streamed inside, blinding his eyes.
"You can come out now," the man said gruffly and offered his hand to help Eddie stand up. Eddie stubbornly refused to take it. He followed the Styx out of his room and up a long staircase.
"They have decided to release you. And your little family."
Eddie's heart began to beat faster. "Why?" he said. When he understood his mistake, he hurried up to add, "Not that I've got a family."
The man laughed coldly. "Sure," he chuckled in a voice that revealed his disbelief. Anyway, your uncle saved you. You should really thank him for that. He said that you told us the truth. Not that anyone actually believed in him, but he's got a high position and we couldn't afford to lose him. But honestly - this is a tip from me personally and not from the others - don't go back. We've got our eyes on you, and if we see that you sneak away to the western parts again we won't hesitate to kill you," he said, and added, "and your loved ones. But don't tell them I told you this."
Eddie nodded quietly. He had a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach because he didn't know who this man was, but he knew that he was very, very right. Eddie couldn't go back.