The Monster Behind the Mask

Chapter One - Capture

Nova

The stormtroopers hands are tight around my forearms. They drag me along the dark hallways, leading me to somewhere unknown. I refuse to accept that I am here. It is too surreal. The fate of the death star was a story told to me when I was young, and now, I walk through a machine even more powerful. Nobody could have imagined this.

The walls of the hall are bare, and black columns run every five feet along the sides. It is an infinite hall. I believe that this will never end. That is until we approach a break in the columns. There, stands a tall black door. It breaks down the middle and releases the sound of air as it slides open at our entrance. I brace myself against the stormtroopers bodies, afraid of what might meet me behind the doors.

The room past the doors is pitch black, save the large window on the opposite side that takes up the whole wall. It looks out over the floor of the docking bay. Outlined by the light coming in the window, stands a huge dark form. I am pushed inside against my will, closer to the ominous figure. The body looms over me, with their legs wide, and their arms crossed behind their back. The person wears a black hooded cape that falls to the floor around their feet. They face the loading bay. My stomach turns at the sight of them.

The stormtroopers at my side release my arms and back up toward the edges of the door. I glare at them as they retreat... cowards. I rub my shoulders and wince. There are going to be bruises there later. I hear the shifting of fabric and turn back toward the hooded figure. They have moved their head to the side, allowing me a glimpse at the black and silver mask that adorns their head.

My breath retreats from my lungs. I have heard of this man. He is the second in line for Supreme Leader, after Snoke passes. He is known for killing mercilessly, with no restraint. He is called Kylo Ren. Goosebumps snake down my skin from my spine. I am at the mercy of a Knight of Ren. He is considered one of the cruelest killing machines.

Slowly, Kylo Ren turns from where he stands. He faces me, the dark slits in his mask pierce my soul. I can feel my body react to him. Sweat pools at my hairline, and my knees tremble. He takes a step toward me, and I take a step back. The stormtroopers behind me shift, readying themselves for an escape. I am not that dumb. I will not run. I cannot run.

"So, this is the girl causing all the trouble." Kylo's voice comes out deep and thick. It is masked by a metallic vibration, causing him to sound even more sinister.

He takes another step toward me, but this time I resist the urge to back away. Instead of staring at his mask, I run my eyes over his body. His broad chest is covered by a thick black fabric, and tucks into a wide black belt. His pants are black as well, and they are tight around his muscled legs. I see a flash of silver peak out from his cloak near his waist. His lightsaber.

Kylo begins to walk around me, keeping his distance, but circling like a predator. If this were the jungle, Id be the rabbit, and he'd be the lion. But unlike the prey, I have nowhere to run.

His body moves smoothly, like he is stalking me, looking for the perfect opportunity to pounce. It kills me that I cant see his face; I cannot tell what he is thinking. If I am about to die, I have no idea. If he is going to hurt me, I do not know ahead of time. His mask steals his predictability.

"You are so small," His metallic voice comes off condescending. It's what he wants. He needs me to feel less than him.

"You are too large." I fire back. Kylo tilts his head to the side and stops walking. He looms over me. His cloak shifts near his arms and I see the silver of his belt move. Kylo pushes his cloak to the side and reveals his weapon. It glints in the faint light. He knows that I know what it is. He removes the saber from his belt.

"Don't speak unless I ask you a question." He warns, turning the lightsaber over in his gloved hands. I understand his threat.

I glare at him, hoping that he sees the fire burning in my eyes. He is such a condescending jerk. Kylo resumes his walk around me, never tucking his saber back into his belt.

"What were you doing on Balyn?" He asks. I refuse to answer. I will not give the First Order anything. They are heathens acting out of malice and the lust for power.

Kylo moves toward me swiftly, stopping only a few inches from my face. His mask is so close I can smell the scent of metal and blood. There are dents in the smooth surface. He has been hit before. Kylo Ren is not untouchable.

His body radiates anger and hatred, two things the Force teaches to overcome. Kylo is so close that I could reach for his weapon if I wanted. But it would be futile. The stormtroopers have their own guns, and Kylo knows how to use the force. He could strangle me in an instant. I dont see a way of escape any time soon. I am just going to have to endure the interrogation until I am sent to a containment cell. Then I can formulate a way out.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Kylo raise his arm toward me. I brace myself for the contact of his fist with my face. Wincing, I squeeze my eyes shut and wait. But the pain never comes. I slowly open my eyes. Kylo Ren still stands too close for comfort, but he doesn't hold his lightsaber to my face. He merely twirls a strand of my hair between his fingers.

Somehow, this act scares me more. If he hit me, at least I would know his intentions. I would be able to gage how evil he really is. But him tenderly twisting my hair between his fingers - that is an unmeasurable act. Is he demented? Does he enjoy reeling people in and then ruining them? Is he a psychopath?

"You know that I can take whatever I want," Kylo Ren whispers in my ear. He releases my hair and steps back, pushing his hood off his head. Kylo extends his hand toward me, but I have a feeling that it is not for me to take.

I watch him stand there, reaching out to me like he wants me to give him something. And then I feel it. It starts as a tingling in my spinal cord, and then it travels up into the base of my brain. I can feel fingers weave themselves into my cerebellum. They begin to burn, and sizzle, and I feel like my head is on fire. I wince, forcing myself not to scream. Then the talons stab into my occipital lobe, and my vision goes blurry. The pain travels to my temples and my head begins to spin. I grab at my scalp, digging my nails into the skin.

Make it stop! I scream in my head. My knees buckle, and I fall to the ground. Under my bare hands, the floor is cool and smooth. I press my head to the ground, willing the cold to seep into my brain and stop the burning.

The fire has enveloped my entire brain. I lie on the floor, staring at Kylo Rens unmoving boots. He is evil. He is a monster. I feel the fingers scratching at the inside of my scalp, and they threaten to break through. I cant think straight. My mind is a jumble of thoughts. I will not give him what he wants.

My skin begins to sizzle, and I let out a gurgled scream. It feels like ants are attacking me all over. I'm going to have an aneurism. A sharp pain hits me in the spine and I release a blood-curdling shriek. I'm going to die.

My vision goes black, and then the pain subsides. This must be what it feels like to die. I wait for the light to appear – to swoop me up and take me away - but it never comes. Freezing shivers run up my arms; are you supposed to feel cold as you die? Suddenly, I feel a large hand on my shoulder. The hand grabs me and yanks me up. Am I not dead? I blink a couple times, but my vision remains foggy and dark.

"Take her to the prison blocks. We are done here for today." I hear the words, but they don't register in my mind. I know the voice, yet I can't place it.

I feel sick, like all my insides were taken out and then shoved back in the wrong places. An urge rises from my stomach, and as I open my mouth to say how nauseous I am, the contents of my stomach escape from my throat onto the floor.

The pressure from my stomach muscles subside. I feel my mind drift out of consciousness. I close my eyes, and the last thing I remember is the stormtroopers deathly tight grip on my arms.