Kill Me, Kiss Me

THIRTY SIX

    SOMEONE like him.

    Theo's eyes wavered slowly to the sculpted feet standing before him, each raised impression of the bones and veins beneath the flesh, an artist's dream. But could someone like Keir truly exist in the outside world? Even if that wasn't a consideration, this whole situation was strange and without explanation. How come Keir didn't have memories from each time he died? Sure, this whole time they could be playing as a role in this whole game, but no matter how good their acting was, they wouldn't be able to hide their knowledge. He'd died more than five times already, and not once did Keir show that he remembered anything that had happened.

    Yet, this was the only explanation that Theo could think of - Alexandr, Elyas, all the characters but Keir in particular, Keir if not the others, was an independent entity in himself and could not be controlled by the company. The more the thought spiralled in his head, the more certain he was of it and the more sweat that dripped from his brow. Now, he could not think of it in any other way - a Keir outside this game, in the real world, lying in a pod in the same building. Nausea burst through his gut, even if he was to escape this game, Keir... would that man hunt him down in the real world? It didn't matter for him, but what about Lily? Would that man hurt Lily?

    Raising his head, Theo stared up at Keir through the rush of red coating his vision. Lash framed dark eyes crashed into his through the veil of blood.

    "Get up." Keir's voice echoed hollowly through the hall.

   Theo was sure, Keir would overturn every stone and obstacle in his path. Theo could only find solace in hoping that Keir neither had power nor money in the real world or at least, not as much as him, which in truth, wasn't a lot.

    "Fuck." Keir muttered under his breath, drawing a hand through his black hair, sending tendrils curling lazily back of his forehead.

    Those pale feet came forwards, so stark in contrast with the marble of the floor, it was startling. Step, blood incased their flesh, devouring the fragility like that drop of blood that had framed the chrysanthemum. Keir bent down, hair an inch away from lapping the floor.

    "Stop." Theo's words finally found themselves as he dug his fingers into Keir's arms.

    "And I thought you weren't afraid of me?" Keir said bitterly, yanking Theo's arms to envelop his back.

    Before Theo could pierce the heaviness of his blurry vision and aching head, he was lifted into the air in a single, smooth motion. He could feel the shift of Keir's muscles even through the thin layer of his clothes under his knees and arms.

"Seriously?" He muttered, looking down at the ground which was shockingly far, "Set me down."

"Set you down?" Keir laughed sharply, "And watch you crawl back all bloody to my room? Not a bad idea pup."

"Shit." Theo swore wearily, surrendering to Keir's bridal style carry. The lights headed nausea was worsening and all his joints ached as if they'd been taken apart and assembled again. Through the crummy warmth, a faint electrical signal tumbled through his ear. With his head resting against the hard heat of Keir's arm, he could see the little white heart bubble upwards into a definite 80%. Perhaps, this strangeness could now be explained, particularly if Murray was just a made-up character.

But again, the logic fell apart.

Theo could still remember those hurt eyes fixed upon him, the desperation, the trembling hands. How come Keir was so obsessed with the idea of Murray if Murray was only a plot construct? What happened yesterday was not acting. Theo narrowed his eyes. He couldn't quite discern just what was real and artificial. God, he wasn't even sure that Keir was real, it was just a guess.