Madness

He was nicknamed "Madness"... No one knew whether this was a name, or a curse that had clung to his soul since his birth. A man with features as cold as an endless winter, and dark eyes that resemble death when he smiles. When he passes by, silence fills the place, as if the souls hide in fear that he might see them. He doesn't raise his voice much, but he was capable of crushing you with just one word. They say his heart died years ago… And the devil chose his body as his home. He did not believe in love, nor in mercy, nor in happy endings. He believed in only one thing: The world is a dirty place, and only the craziest survive. As for me… So I was the foolish one who stood before the devil. Without realizing that dancing to the tune of death... does not end in life, he entered with slow steps, the sound of rain outside drowning out the breath of those present. The heavy doors of the hall opened, and suddenly the music stopped… as if the place itself was afraid of him. I looked up at him for the first time. black. Everything in it was black… His long coat, his leather gloves, and even his gaze that seemed like an endless night. He stopped in the middle of the hall, calmly lit his cigarette, then coldly exhaled the smoke as if human lives meant nothing to him. One of the bystanders whispered fearfully: “M… Madness.” And in an instant, the heads dropped automatically. Except for me. I was the only one who kept looking at him, despite the trembling that crept into my limbs. I don't know why I felt his eyes landed specifically on me… as if he had found something he had been searching for for a long time. I smile. Oh, my God… That was the ugliest smile I have ever seen in my life. He approached me slowly, until I could hear his cold breath, then he bent down slightly and whispered near my ear: “Either you are very brave… Or stupid enough to stare at the devil like that.” I froze in place, while my heartbeats became louder than the sound of the rain outside. I wanted to retreat… escape… do anything, but my feet betrayed me. He slowly raised his hand, and his fingers lightly touched my chin, sending shivers through my entire body. "What is your name?" His voice was low, terrifyingly quiet… like the quiet before a gunshot. I swallowed hard and whispered: “E-…Eileen.” He repeated my name as if he were savoring it: “Eileen…” Then he smiled again, that smile that made my stomach clench with fear. “A name that doesn’t suit this place.” Before I could understand his intention, a gunshot rang out inside the hall. The women screamed, and chaos ensued in every direction, while everyone froze in terror. I turned quickly towards the source of the sound, to see a man lying on the ground with blood slowly spreading beneath him. I gasped