Insanity: A Glimpse Into a Dark Mind (Fiction)

I can see why the man before me was labeled criminally insane. I've read all of the stories about him in newspapers but what I'm seeing right now...the newspapers don't do him justice at all. I'm the sort of person who relies on the vibrations and auras of others. I guess you can call me spiritual or metaphysical, if you like. You can't imagine what I felt when I first entered Lee Bryant's prison cell. The energy around me is suffocating, like it could crush me at any time, but that doesn't compare to the soulless gray eyes staring at me. Those eyes are just so cold and empty. They lack empathy and compassion. The evil inside them is clear as day. Just being near him makes me physically ill...so ill that I want to vomit.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a reporter for the L.A Times, Mr. Bryant," I say.

I stare him straight in the eye, refusing to let him know that I'm intimidated by him, before sitting down on a chair. I'm comforted by the fact that three guards are standing by, although those three guards tell me just how dangerous the prisoner is. Before I came here, I made sure that I was spiritually protected. I created shields around me and carried a rosary and a chunk of labradorite in my pocket.

"A sweet, little lamb has entered the lion's den."

Lee licks his lips. The very action simply sends shivers down my spine. Despite his time in solitary confinement, he still has that dangerous, predatory charm to him. He's the type of man who'd clearly use his looks to his advantage.

"I want to know your story." I say, ignoring his comment. "How did you get to where you are now? What prompted you to do what you did?"

"How? Heh. It all began when someone close to me decided to leave me..."

I'm nearly held spellbound by the lilt of his voice as he began with his marriage to a simple, young woman he met in a small town in California. He figured he could mold her into someone who would answer to his every whim, whether to give her 'instructions' on how to dress and behave in public or simply to satisfy him in a way a man wishes to be satisfied. If it wasn't for the straitjacket, I'm pretty sure he would have loved to re-enact everything, with me as his victim.

"What happened next?"

"As stupid as she was, she somehow managed to stage her own death and escape from me. Of course, I had to pretend that I was grieving for her."

He had to put on a mask and disguise his rage and anger from the public. His ex-wife is a very smart lady. She did everything that she needed to in order to escape and survive Lee's wrath. If it meant killing off her old identity and creating a new one, then so be it. I can't blame her for what she had done. Of course, Lee has a vastly different point of view of how things should have gone. I can see the rage as he speaks of how humiliated he was when he learned that she wasn't truly dead. It's an unholy rage that storms inside within. Then a smile appears on his face as he speaks of his wedding vows.

"'Til' death do us part.' I take that part very seriously."

"I can believe it."

Lee simply smirks. His dark hair, once sleek and shiny, falls into his face and gives him a scarier appearance. I cannot pretend that I don't fear him but with the guards and the protective measures that I have taken, I am assured of my safety. The man is suave and cunning. He is like a ghost panther prowling for his prey at night. He waits patiently, according to his story, to strike.

"I found her hiding in a pathetic cottage. She was foolish to leave it unlocked. It made it easy for me to gain access to her. The look on her face..."

The aura around Lee Bryant couldn't be any more darker than it is now. It's so black that if I could take a light to it, the darkness would probably devour it. I have met with people whose auras were dark but never this dark. The man before me is pure evil and he's not afraid to let everyone know it now that his true nature has been exposed to the world. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't have my shields up, I would probably be taken in, if not overtaken, by that darkness. The darkness, often enough, can be very ugly but there are times that it can take on a form of extraordinary beauty...like Lee.

His face then becomes distorted and crazed as he describes the thrill of holding a knife to his ex-wife's neck and slicing it, watching the blood ooze down her neck. He also describes how he felt stabbing her lover to death...all the while she remained alive. The thought of her watching her deranged ex-husband stab her lover to death makes me sick. No wonder he ended up in solitary confinement. I'm surprised that he never got the death sentence, despite the testimony the victim gave. It's unfortunate that the jury in Lee's trial wound up in a deadlock; otherwise, I'm sure he would have gotten that sentence rather being declared criminally insane. Several psychologists had examined him and declared him insane.

"Hearing her cry and moan sent pleasant chills up my spine."

The man is beyond any kind of saving...at least, in my capacity. If I was spiritually stronger, I could probably make a go of it, but I would have to have the help of an advanced healer and/or exorcist. Unfortunately, I don't have the resources. Anyway...He has no soul. In it's place, an entity of evil occupies that space inside Lee Bryant and it will stay with him for the rest of his life.

"So, little lamb," Lee says. "That is my story."

I stand up to leave. I have Lee's side of the story but the victim's story has yet to come to life. The newspapers did an okay job but I want every last detail and what better way to get those details than to get it from the source itself? She survived a nightmare. I'm not sure if she'll tell her story again but it's worth a shot.

"Your story was...interesting...Mr. Bryant."

"Please, call me Lee. Everyone does."

There's that charm again. He's trying to seduce me. I have no doubt that he seduced his ex-wife before he revealed his cruel nature to her and subjected her to abject terror. I refuse to fall for it...not even the sensual brushing of his lips on my neck could tempt me. I pull away from him and take my leave, consciously gripping the labradorite in my pocket for protection.