The Eye of Madness by John D; Mimms Read Free Book Online

toward the door. He was trained to be fearless, like all Marines, but the word has always been a misnomer. Any Marine worth his salt knew there was no such thing as fearless, fear was natural and unavoidable. The key was to control it and make it useful. Captain Paladino did a good job masking his fear, but he was at a loss on how to control it and use it in this situation. He walked a few steps forward, standing less than a foot away from the general. Captain Paladino then turned and looked him in the eyes.
    Garrison smirked, his face brimming with arrogance and confidence. The general walked to the Oval Office door, the whole time keeping his eyes on the unfortunate Marine. He turned the handle then pushed the door open, revealing the pitch-dark interior. The hissing and whispering radiated from the dark opening in a demonic chorus. The general gave the others in the room a wink before giving Captain Paladino a wry smile. Garrison then confidently stepped inside, disappearing into the darkness. A few moments, later the general called out from somewhere deep inside the room.
    â€œCaptain Paladino, will you join me in the Oval Office, please?” he called in a sing-song voice.
    â€œWhy sir?” Paladino asked, his mouth as dry as sandpaper.
    â€œI need you to join me for a meeting, Captain … so we can discuss the dangers that a leadership transferal would pose to our country.”
    There was a long pause before Captain Paladino responded. “Sir … I don’t think it would be a good idea,” he said.
    The tension in the room was palpable. Everyone’s hearts almost stopped when General Garrison spoke again. “I GAVE YOU AN ORDER, CAPTAIN! I EXPECT YOU TO OBEY IT!” he boomed, not with the forceful tone of a drill instructor, but of a man about to go out of his head with rage.
    â€œSir?” Captain Paladino called. Calm still registered on his face even though his heart was about to hammer out of his chest.
    â€œGET YOUR ASS IN HERE NOW, CAPTAIN!” Garrison screamed.
    The captain glanced at the others. They were frozen in terror.
    Captain Paladino was a good soldier and Marine. He would not allow himself to disobey the orders of a superior officer, even if they were from an Army officer. But even more important, he would not let his fear control him, his fear of what waited for him in the darkness. He tightened his jaw, stood up straight, and then stuck his chest out before starting a slow march towards the door.
    One of the Secret Service Agents handed Captain Paladino a flashlight as the two men exchanged somber smiles. They both knew the flashlight would be inadequate to fend off the complete darkness of the sealed room. Captain Paladino clicked it on and shone the beam through the open door. The darkness seemed to swirl around the narrow ray of light like rushing water over a clear tube. The hissing and clicking changed cadence and pitch. It was as if something or some ‘things’ were agitated by the presence of the light.
    He paused for a second and then started once again.
    â€œI DON’T HAVE ALL DAY, CAPTAIN!” the general shrieked.
    A second later, the darkness enveloped the Marine. A single scream came from the open door, but that was all. They heard a series of loud bangs as if someone were taking a sledge hammer to the walls. The Secret Service agents scrambled to move some of the supplemental lighting to the door of the Oval Office, but it was no use. The banging stopped almost as fast as it began.
    Everyone in the room held their breath as their hearts throbbed between air-deprived lungs. Heavy footsteps began to pound towards the door. A moment later, the smug face of General Garrison emerged from the darkness. He gave everybody an insincere look of sympathy then reached inside the door and flicked on the light switch. The interior of the Oval Office materialized, appearing as benign as ever. The hissing and scratching stopped.
    â€œI’m