Forgetful in a leather mask

The stench of sweat and dirt nuzzled at my nostrils and my throat was choked by the taste of metallic blood. I didn’t remember who I was, where I grew up or where I was. Something was covering my face. It was smooth and leathery. I started to slowly open my eyes when I snapped them shut again. It was in the corner. A body of a man was lying disfigured and his limbs stuck out at odd angles. My heart was hammering but I made myself open my eyes again to check if he was alive. The body was stained head to toe with blood. His clothing was nothing but thin cloth covering his most private areas. I shook violently as I staggered towards the body. When I was beside the man with the odd angled limbs, I reached out to touch his arm. The lighting was dark. The air seemed to be filled with a red tint that soaked into the blood stained walls. I could barely make out the man’s form but I did notice the mask on his face. It was a dirty brown with blood splashed amongst the dirt. A single line zigzagged across where I guessed his mouth was and there was two slits that I presumed where the eye holes. The man’s arm was cold to touch and I knew he was dead. I backed away from him and pushed my back against the wall. Where the hell was I? There was a gentle rocking in the room, it moved from side to side slowly and it made my stomach ache with sickness. My bare feet were resting on a wooden floor that creaked and groaned as the room swayed. The floor sounded as though it was mourning the dead man in the corner. The song played on in a horrific yet peaceful sound that soothed my rapid heart. I closed my eyes again. I wish I could remove this mask. My breath was barely sustaining my consciousness and through the slits I couldn’t see much beside the man in the corner whose chest was vacant of a beat or a breath. The buckles that held the mask in place dug into the back of my skull. How it made my head ache. As much as I tried to remain calm and work out what to do next, my mind would blast ahead of me and think thoughts of death and mutilation.

“This is not the time to panic!” I yelled at myself. I stood up and started to pace the room. Although I had no idea who I was, I made myself push that aside. With the constant rocking I guessed I was on a boat and by the looks of it, it was old. The walls and floor were both made of old, decaying white oak. There must have been many people die here for there was old and new blood stained into the floor and walls. The room wasn’t very large. The man in the corner took up half of it. I realised that there was a door directly in front of me and I rushed over to it. I tugged on the handle and attempted to open it many times but it wouldn’t budge. The door seemed deadlocked. A groan escaped my throat. Now what? Although I knew it was pointless, I slammed my fists against the door and screamed to be let out.

My mask seemed to be growing tighter around my face and it became harder and harder to breathe. I stood still. Moving around would just cause my body to use more oxygen and energy that I didn’t have. With this in mind, I sank to the floor and made my breathing even. Drawing shallow breaths, I pondered what I could do next. The door wouldn’t open and that was the only thing linking me, from whoever or whatever was out there. The man in the corner was still motionless and I decided if he was dead, why not use whatever he has on him. I shuffled over and searched his body. All he had was the cloths he was wearing and his mask. I ripped off his clothes because I could use those to warm my shivering body. Feeling disgusted with myself, I rolled the body over and tried to undo the buckles of his mask. They didn’t even move a millimetre. Straining and using every muscle in my body, I pulled on the buckle. There was a click and a snap and the mask came free. I removed the mask from the man’s face and noticed that he was filled with youth. I traced my finger across his cheek. This man was too young to die.

“Rest in peace, dear soul.” I whispered and closed his blank, brown eyes. 

I sat on the opposite side of the room and examined the mask. It was plain on the inside, just leather and blood. Then a thought occurred to me, if I could remove his mask, why couldn’t I remove mine? I threw the dead man’s mask aside and attempted to discard my own. It was useless. I knew it would never come loose, but I still tried. It felt like hours that I sat there trying to undo the too tight buckles. The other man’s mask was held in place by leather straps and a rusty old shoe buckle. Mine felt different. The felt like plastic and the buckles felt like it was made of the strongest steel. The air inside the room was becoming frozen and I wrapped the dead man’s blood stained cloth around me. I noticed that all I was wearing was very thin cloth over my chest and pubic area. No wonder I was so cold. There were noises coming from behind the door. I froze. The words sounded English, but they were tangled and distorted, like they were speaking behind thick glass. I pulled the wimpy cloth tighter, holding it made me feel safer. Even though I knew the man was dead, thinking he was actually alive and could protect me calmed my fear. The door creaked open. It opened so slowly I thought it was never coming to reveal who was behind it. A scream escaped my throat when I saw the figured in front of me. They were tall, so tall that their heads almost touched the ceiling. On top of their heads was a mop of tangled, greasy black hair that fell to their feet. Their eyes were hidden behind a large mask that went from their forehead to where their noses should have been. The mask was riddled with dirt and blood but was coloured a deep purple which matched their robes. The most horrifying thing was their mouths. Unlike the dead man and I who had lips, these creatures had what looked tentacles. The stretched down from their top lip all the way to their chin. They wriggled and swayed like they were alive. The pair looked identical in every way. When I slowly stood, I estimated I was only as tall as their legs.