Pendulum Page #2

IT WAS MY FATHER'S.

SEBASTIAN MEDINA.

ONE OF THE INQUISITION'S

MOST INFAMOUS DEGRADED--

PLEASE, SIR.

THAT IS ENOUGH.

MR. BARNARD,

CAN YOU NOT SEE--

WHAT WAS MY SISTER

DOING HERE?

SHE COULD NOT:

KEEP HERSELF AWAY.

THAT NOISE I HEARD.

IS THAT WHAT WAS--

NO, SIR. THAT

PARTICULAR DEVICE

WAS NOT IN OPERATION

AT THE TIME.

WHICH DEVICE?

IT'S IN AN ADJOINING

CHAMBER DOWN THERE.

PLEASE, MR. BARNARD,

DO NOT GO THERE. I...

I DO NOT WISH:

TO DISCUSS IT.

THE STORY, SIR.

IN DETAIL.

THIS WAS MY FATHER'S WORLD,

MR. BARNARD.

SPARE YOURSELF:

AT LEAST THIS, NICHOLAS.

HOW CAN I SPARE MYSELF?

WAS HE NOT:

MY FATHER?

AM I NOT THE SPAWN

OF HIS...

HIS DEPRAVED BLOOD.

HIS DEPRAVITY:

IS NOT YOURS, NICHOLAS.

WHY SCOURGE YOURSELF

BECAUSE OF IT?

YOU HAVE NOT ANSWERED ME,

DON MEDINA.

I SHALL NOT DWELL UPON

THE HISTORY OF THIS...

THIS BLASPHEMOUS

CHAMBER.

SUFFICE IT THAT THE BLOOD

OF A THOUSAND MEN AND WOMEN

WAS SPILLED:

WITHIN THESE WALLS.

LIMBS TWISTED:

AND BROKEN!

EYES GOUGED:

FROM BLOODY SOCKETS,

FLESH BURNED BLACK.

WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME

THESE THINGS?

WHAT HAVE THEY TO DO

WITH MY SISTER?

I SHOULD NEVER:

HAVE BROUGHT HER HERE.

SHE WAS TOO SENSITIVE,

TOO AWARE.

AWARE OF WHAT?

THE MALIGNANT ATMOSPHERE

OF THIS CASTLE.

IT DESTROYED HER.

MY SISTER WAS A STRONG

AND WILLFUL WOMAN,

NOT SUBJECT:

TO THE INFLUENCE

OF ATMOSPHERES.

YOU HAVE BEEN HERE ONLY

A MATTER OF HOURS, MR. BARNARD.

YOU CANNOT KNOW WHAT IT IS

TO LIVE HERE...

MONTH UPON MONTH,

YEAR AFTER YEAR...

BREATHING THIS INFERNAL AIR,

ABSORBING THE MIASMA

OF BARBARITY:

WHICH PERMEATES THESE WALLS,

PARTICULARLY THIS CHAMBER,

BUT IT DID NOT BOTHER HER

AT FIRST, EITHER.

OUR LIFE WAS GOOD...

RICH WITH THE SHARED

PLEASURES OF OUR LOVE.

Nicholas:
EACH MORNING

I WOULD BRING HER BREAKFAST.

IN THE AFTERNOONS,

SHE USUALLY SAT FOR ME

WHILE I ATTEMPTED ALL IN VAIN

TO CAPTURE HER BEAUTY

ON CANVAS.

I DID THAT PORTRAIT WHICH

YOU SAW IN HER ROOM BEFORE,

BUT IT IS ALL INADEQUATE

TO RECALL THE LOVELINESS OF HER.

WE DINED, SOMETIMES ALONE,

ENJOYING INTIMATE CONVERSATION,

SOMETIMES WITH THE DOCTOR.

[PLAYING HARPSICHORD]

AND EVERY NIGHT,

ELIZABETH WOULD PLAY FOR ME.

LIFE WAS SIMPLE, QUIET,

RICHLY PLEASURABLE,

AND THEN THE DARKNESS

BEGAN TO FALL.

MORE AND MORE, ENTERING

HER ROOM IN THE MORNINGS,

I WOULD FIND HER AWAKE

AND DISCOVER THAT SHE HAD

NOT SLEPT ALL THE NIGHT.

I TRIED TO FIND OUT WHY,

BUT SHE HAD NO EXPLANATION.

HER APPETITE BEGAN TO FADE.

SHE BEGAN TO LOSE

WEIGHT AND COLOR.

I TRIED TO MAKE HER EAT,

BUT SOMETHING:

KEPT HER FROM IT.

I WOULD COME UPON HER

WANDERING IN THE CORRIDORS

AT NIGHT.

I TRIED TO FIND OUT

WHAT WAS WRONG,

BUT SHE NEVER HAD AN ANSWER,

EXCEPT TO SAY THAT SOMETHING

WAS OPPRESSING HER.

OH, GOD, HELP ME

FOR MY BLINDNESS.

I SHOULD'VE KNOWN.

THEN ONE DAY:

SHE DISAPPEARED.

FRANTIC, I SEARCHED

THE CASTLE FOR HER.

AND THEN I KNEW.

THE CASTLE AND ITS AWFUL HISTORY

HAD OBSESSED HER.

THESE VERY:

INSTRUMENTS OF TORTURE,

WHICH WERE MY BIRTHRIGHT

AND MY CURSE,

NOW TORMENTED HER AS WELL,

INFECTING HER WITH A KIND

OF HAUNTED FASCINATION.

I WATCHED HER DRAWN TO ONE

AND THEN ANOTHER

AS IF THE AURA OF PAIN AND

SUFFERING WHICH SURROUNDED THEM

WAS LURING HER TO SICKNESS

AND TO DEATH.

IMMEDIATELY, I MADE MY PLANS

TO LEAVE THE CASTLE WITH HER.

WE WOULD TRAVEL FOR A WHILE,

RESTORE HER SPIRITS,

AND THEN MAKE OUR HOME

ELSEWHERE.

THEN ON THE VERY EVE

OF OUR DEPARTURE...

[SCREAMING]

WE HEARD A SCREAM

FROM BELOW,

THE MOST HIDEOUS

BLOOD-CHILLING SCREAM

I HAVE EVER HEARD

IN MY LIFE.

JUST BEFORE SHE DIED,

SHE WHISPERED A NAME.

SEBASTIAN.

SEBASTIAN.

SEBASTIAN.

MR. BARNARD.

DOA.

MAY I SPEAK WITH YOU?

YES, OF COURSE.

HOW IS:

YOUR BROTHER?

BETTER, THANK YOU.

DR. LEON

IS STAYING WITH HIM.

I HAVE COME TO ASK YOU

TO PLEASE BELIEVE HIM,

MR. BARNARD.

HE HAS TOLD YOU:

THE TRUTH.

HAS HE?

YES.

IN NOT TELLING YOU

BEFORE,

HE ONLY MEANT:

TO SPARE YOU PAIN.

HE IS A GOOD MAN,

MR. BARNARD,

A KIND AND GENTLE MAN,

AND I KNOW THAT:

HE ADORED YOUR SISTER.

I WOULD LIKE TO BELIEVE HIM,

DOA MEDINA,

BUT I FIND IT:

VERY DIFFICULT TO DO SO.

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT HIM

I CANNOT HELP BUT SENSE,

A KIND OF FEARFUL

TENSION THAT--

I'M SORRY...

BUT AN AIR:

OF DEFINITE GUILT.

OF COURSE HE SUFFERS

FROM GUILT, MR. BARNARD,

BECAUSE OF:

WHAT OUR FATHER DID,

BECAUSE OF WHAT:

HAPPENED TO ELIZABETH.

PERHAPS IT WILL HELP

YOU TO UNDERSTAND

IF I TELL YOU:

SOMETHING:

THAT HAPPENED:

TO NICHOLAS:

WHEN HE WAS:

JUST A BOY.

ONE DAY, WHILE

NICHOLAS WAS PLAYING

IN THE LOWER:

CORRIDOR...

Catherine:
HE HAD BEEN

FORBIDDEN BY OUR FATHER

TO ENTER THIS CHAMBER

AT ANY TIME.

THE CURIOSITY OF YOUTH,

HOWEVER,

OVERCAME HIS FEAR OF CHALLENGING

OUR FATHER'S DISCIPLINE.

HE HAD TO SEE THE CHAMBER.

SUDDENLY,

THERE WERE FOOTSTEPS.

IT WAS OUR FATHER.

WITH HIM WERE OUR MOTHER

AND OUR UNCLE BARTOLOME,

WHO WAS:

OUR FATHER'S BROTHER.

AT FIRST, IT APPEARED THAT

FOR SOME INEXPLICABLE REASON

OUR FATHER WAS ACTUALLY

CONDUCTING THEM:

ON A TOUR:

OF HIS GHASTLY CHAMBER.

NICHOLAS COULD SEE THAT

BOTH OUR MOTHER AND OUR UNCLE

WERE UNEASY, FRIGHTENED.

OUR FATHER'S

SMILING AFFABILITY

AS HE DESCRIBED THE WORKINGS

OF THESE HELLISH INSTRUMENTS

TURNED NICHOLAS' BLOOD COLD.

HE WATCHED THEM WITH

A MOUNTING SENSE OF PREMONITION.

SOMETHING WAS WRONG,

MOST TERRIBLY WRONG.

EVEN HE, NO MORE

THAN 10 YEARS OF AGE,

COULD SENSE IT LIKE

A DARKENING VAPOR IN THE AIR.

THERE WAS NO REASON

FOR OUR MOTHER AND OUR UNCLE

TO HAVE BEEN THERE.

AAH!

Catherine:
AS HE STRUCK,

HE KEPT ON SCREAMING

AT HIS BROTHER ONE WORD

OVER AND OVER--

"ADULTERER! ADULTERER!"

AND THEN HE TURNED ON HER.

AAH!

Catherine:
ACCUSING HER

OF VILE DEBAUCHERIES

WITH HIS BROTHER,

CURSING HER AS FAITHLESS,

PROMISING HER:

THE AGONIES OF HELL

AND PAYMENT:

FOR HER INFIDELITY,

AND THERE BEFORE

MY BROTHER'S VERY EYES,

OUR MOTHER:

WAS TORTURED TO DEATH.

EVER SINCE THEN,

NICHOLAS HAS BEEN UNABLE

TO LIVE AS OTHER MEN.

ALWAYS, HE IS HAUNTED

BY THE MEMORY:

OF THAT TERRIBLE DAY.

YOUR SISTER'S DEATH

CAME VERY CLOSE:

TO DRIVING HIM INSANE,

MR. BARNARD.

I BEG OF YOU,

HAVE PITY ON HIM.

HELP HIM:

BY BELIEVING HIM.

I WILL TRY,

DOA MEDINA.

WELL, I KNOW YOU

MUST BE VERY TIRED

FROM YOUR JOURNEY.

GOOD NIGHT.

DOA.

[HARPSICHORD PLAYING]

[PLAYING STOPS]

[HARPSICHORD PLAYING]

[PLAYING STOPS]

WHO IS THAT?

I'LL SEE.

[DOOR OPENS]

WHERE IS NICHOLAS?

HE IS GONE?

I MUST'VE DOZED OFF

IN THAT CHAIR,

AND THEN I HEARD--

[HARPSICHORD PLAYING]

I DON'T UNDERSTAND.

SURELY IT'S YOUR BROTHER.

NO, NICHOLAS

HAS NEVER PLAYED

THE HARPSICHORD:

IN HIS LIFE.

[PLAYING STOPS]

[HARPSICHORD PLAYING]

[PLAYING STOPS]

[GASPS]

MARIA.

I--I HEARD

THE PLAYING, SIR.

GO BACK TO BED, CHILD.

COME ON.

[GASPS] NICHOLAS!

IT WAS ELIZABETH.

YOU SAW HER?

I DID NOT:

HAVE TO SEE HER.

I KNOW HER PLAYING.

[BANGING ON WINDOW]

LOCKED?

YES.

IS THERE ANOTHER DOOR?

THERE IS NOT, SIR.

MY SISTER'S?

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