A/N: this is from my 13 days of Halloween on tumblr. this fic is super dark, as you can see from the trigger warnings. feel free to skip this one if it seems too intense <3
title and (slight) concept inspired by toy soldiers by marianas trench (the song above).
prompt: colby being your boyfriend was the best thing to happen to you. but also... the worse.
POV: Flips back and forth from second person to third, Y/N, she/her pronouns
trigger warning: ANGST, murder, dark humor/camp about death, vengeful!colby, colby is not famous in this story, brief mention of sex/sexual language, cursing, blood mentions, dark ending but slightly positive
word count: 7835
~~~~~~~~~~~
Colby was the best boyfriend you ever had. While of course you guys had your moments where you could have been better communicators or could expressed your emotions healthier, you couldn't imagine living your life without him. He was so caring, thoughtful, and loving. Not many of your exes could say that.
And your friends were so jealous of your relationship, how obsessed Colby was with you.
"What? He's not obsessed with me." You laughed when your friends made that comment.
Your friends were telling the truth, though. That man saw no one else when he was with you. You kind of loved the way he hyper-focused on you and what you needed. It was nice to have someone tend to your every need like that.
But you did the same in return. You did everything you could to make him happy. You knew someone like him doesn't come around that often, and you had had your heart broken many times before.
Before Colby, you dated a lot. You were a hopeless romantic and for a long time you were trying to find the one. So, you had a laundry list of guys that broke your heart. You knew that sometimes you were in the wrong too, but that didn't take away from the ones that did hurt you.
Because of how often your heart was broken, it took you a long time to open up to Colby. He had told you about his exes, the ones that broke his heart and the ones whose hearts he broke, and he knew that taking this next step into the relationship meant being open and honest with each other about your past.
And so, one night after a few drinks, you shared the worst boyfriend you ever had: Henry. You had dated him two years before knowing Colby.
"That's a dumb name." Colby joked.
You snickered back. "Right?"
You shared with Colby the worst parts of dating Henry: he always had a tendency to make you feel bad about whatever you did. No matter what, you were never good enough for him. In the beginning of the relationship, everything seemed fine. He loved you, treated you nicely, and did the very bare minimum of listening to you when you talked. But then suddenly... he wanted more. He tried to control the way you dressed, who you hung out with, what you ate; everything. And when you wouldn't follow what he wanted, he would make you feel bad for not doing it. The amount of times you questioned his love for you was astronomical. He made you feel small and worthless so many times over. But then would do a 180 and love-bomb you.
It took you so long to get out of the relationship, to feel like yourself again. You tried everything in your power to keep your distance from him and his old friends. Henry would still hit you up occasionally, as if nothing had changed.
Colby scoffed. "What an asshole. Fuck that guy."
"He also cheated on me too." You mentioned, taking a long sip of your drink.
He nodded. "Oh, dope. Double fuck that guy."
Coming clean to Colby about Henry sparked a new connection between you two. You felt more in love with Colby, and he fell more in love with you.
He had never met Henry but boy did he now hate him. It became a joke between the two of you that anytime someone would piss you off, cut you off in traffic, or just do something douchey in general, he was a Henry.
It helped to laugh through the pain that Henry had caused you, because it was in the past.
Or so you thought.
Two weeks after telling Colby about Henry, the devil himself texted you. Henry asked if you were up for a rebound, and you declined. You told him how happy you were in your relationship with Colby, and you told Henry you were going to block his number.
I wouldn't do that if I were you. He texted.
You rolled your eyes at his message. What did that even mean?
Suddenly, a picture was sent to you. It was of you... naked. A nude you had taken for him a long time ago gazed back at you, and it made you sick.
What the fuck are you doing with that??? You typed quickly.
Am I not allowed to look back at fond memories? ;)
We're not together anymore. Delete my nudes dick.
I don't think so. You're lucky I don't send these around to all my boys, let them know what a fine piece of ass you have.
Your stomach dropped at his words, tears immediately flooding your vision.
I'll press charges if you post them.
Who said anything about posting them? I promise I'll only keep them to myself... just as long as you have dinner with me.
Fuck no.
Then I guess other people are gonna see you naked. Besides, even if your nudes leaked, how are you gonna know they were from me? You slept around a lot. I can only imagine how many guys have seen your body, slut.
You threw your phone across the room, silent sobs shaking your body.
A couple minutes later, Colby came back from his workout. He cheerfully stepped into your bedroom, his smile dropping when he saw your tear-streaked face.
"What happened?" He hissed.
You explained that Henry was threatening you with your nudes in exchange for a date.
"If he posts them, you can press charges." Colby declared.
"I know, but what if he gets away with it? He could, he's always had more money than me," you argued breathlessly. "Then that leaves him out of prison and my nudes on the internet. I'm gonna be ruined if he does it."
Colby held you close to his chest, rocking you back and forth as you cried.
"Baby, how about you... accept his offer?" He questioned.
You shrieked. "What?!"
"Let me explain. Invite him over. And instead of you being here, I'll be here. Maybe I can talk to him, straighten him out." Colby sneered, "and tell him to fuck off."
You sighed. "Or you might make it worse."
Colby made you look into his eyes, his ocean blues intensifying. "I promise you, that man will not leave this apartment with your nudes on his phone. He will be gone from your life when I'm done talking to him."
You didn't know what else to do. So, you accepted Colby's idea.
That was your first mistake.
~~~~
Colby didn't exactly know what to do with Henry once he came over.
He planned to definitely talk to him, and most likely, fight him. But he hoped that it wouldn't come down to that.
Colby prepared a dinner, just for the sake of being theatrical. He was cutting up vegetables when three knocks came from the apartment door. He walked over casually, and opened it, Henry staring back at him confused.
Henry grunted. "Who the fuck are you?"
"Y/N's boyfriend. Why don't you step inside?" He answered, moving aside for Henry to get through.
"Um... okay?" He walked through the door awkwardly, and Colby locked the door behind him.
Henry glanced around the apartment. "So... where's Y/N?"
Colby smiled, walking back into the kitchen and continuing to make dinner. "She's out with some friends."
"...She wasn't the one that invited me over, was she?" Henry noted.
"No. Of course not, Henry. I did." Colby stated.
"Why?" Henry scowled.
"Because I figured I needed to talk to you, since you think threatening my girlfriend with posting her nudes is something you can do without consequence." He retorted, chopping the veggies noisily.
Henry shrugged. "Look, I was just messing around-"
Colby interrupted, slamming the knife down. "Do you think doing something like that is funny? Why the fuck do you still have her nudes on your phone?"
"You know why, bro. She's hot." Henry laughed.
"But she's not with you anymore." He replied, glaring.
Henry strutted towards Colby, standing right outside the kitchen. "What are you gonna do about it? No offense bro, but you're not exactly intimidating, and I could 100% fuck you up."
Colby rolled his eyes, looking down at the cutting board as he cut the next veggie. "You really think I'm scared of you? You keep your exes' nudes because you can't get anyone else's." He looked up quickly, "You're a bitch."
Henry smirked, stepping into the kitchen. "You know that's what she liked to be called in bed."
Colby spat, turning to him. "Say something else about Y/N and I'll fucking end you."
Henry raced up to Colby aggressively. "You wanna fucking go-!"
Henry gasped loudly, his body lurching forward, shaking.
Colby stared down at the knife in his hand, now deep inside Henry.
"Dude what the fuck?! Why would you run into my-?!" Colby exclaimed.
Henry dropped to floor, gripping his wound silently, his thud cutting Colby off.
A loud groan fell from Henry's lips as he looked up at Colby helplessly. "...dick."
And then, Henry died.
It took a minute for Colby to even realize what had happened. But when he did, he dropped the knife, trembling as he fell to his knees.
Colby killed someone. For you.
Fuck, you! You could be home at some point soon.
Colby grabbed his phone, texting you and saying to stay out longer with your friends because Henry hadn't shown up yet and he didn't want you to arrive at the same time as him. You agreed and stayed out longer.
An unknown vibration came from the floor, Henry's phone going off with a text. Colby grabbed it out of Henry's still warm hand.
Dude, are you getting it in or what?? A guy named Chad messaged.
The fuck does that mean? Colby thought.
The only way for the phone to unlock was by placing it in front of Henry's face. Colby dangled the phone over him, and once it unlocked, backed away.
Colby scrolled through the messages slowly, analyzing each word.
Henry had plan to sleep with you tonight, one way or another. He made it known to his friends that you "wanted him back badly" and that he was only coming over to get what he deserved. He also planned to share the nudes with his friends regardless of the outcome tonight.
Colby saw red.
How dare this fucking perv try to do this to you. To threaten not only to post your nudes, but to also assault you?
He picked up the knife and stabbed Henry another time, his blood gushing out onto the floor.
"You like that, you piece of shit?!" Colby stabbed him again, his limp body still with each thrust of the knife.
After a couple vicious stabs, Colby was done, exhausted, and had made a huge mess. Blood drenched the kitchen floor and cabinets.
Colby knew he had to get rid of the body and blood fast. But where to put Henry?
The river. There was a river with a huge cliff not too far away from the apartment. That would be a good place to dispose of the body.
The only way for Colby to get the body out of the apartment without anyone seeing him was to put Henry in Y/N's largest suitcase. Henry's lifeless body fit pretty well inside it. Colby zipped it up quickly and moved it towards the door.
He did his best to clean up, scrubbing and mopping with bleach and soap. Once the mop was no longer red with blood, he figured it was time to get rid of the body.
He rolled the suitcase down the parking garage of your apartment, placing the suitcase into the trunk of his car. He drove to the spot, parking the car at the peak of the cliff that overlooked the river. It was dark out, and no one was around.
Colby rolled the suitcase to the edge of the cliff. He stared at the moon for a second, appreciating the stars around it.
Then, he Sparta kicked it over, hearing it bang down the cliff until it slammed into the water, sinking down deep.
He always wanted to do something like that.
Colby didn't think twice; he drove home, got changed, and started making the food all over again.
You came home an hour later, sighing as you walked in through door.
"Did you clean while I was out?" You asked, the air in the apartment smelling like bleach and the food Colby was cooking.
"Yeah, I wanted it to be perfect for when Henry would arrive." Colby smiled sarcastically.
You followed Colby's voice into the kitchen, coming up next to him. "Did he...?"
"No, he never showed up." He lied, embracing you.
And while you worried that Henry would post your nudes, Colby assured you that Henry was not going to bother you ever again.
You frowned. "How can you be so sure?"
Colby hugged you tighter into his arms, "I just... feel it in my bones."
~~~~
You should have seen the red flags. You should have realized the moment Colby was interested in your exes, that something was wrong.
But at the time, it didn't seem like it was going to be a problem. Honestly, you just thought Colby wanted to know more about you.
You were at brunch with him and your friend Sarah. And your friend asked to see the list.
Colby raised an eyebrow. "What list?"
"Oh, Y/N has a list of the top five worst exes she's ever had." Sarah pointed at Colby, "You better not end up on it."
"Wait really? You've never told me about this." Colby's eyes widened as you pulled out your phone.
You exhaled, "I never really planned to show you it. It's something I started one night after drinking with some friends."
"We all went through all the exes she had and rated the worst to the best. These were our top five." Sarah informed.
"And the top five I also agreed to." You chuckled.
You showed the list to Colby, his face scrunching up at the names.
"Have you told me about any of them?" He questioned.
You shrugged. "I think I've mentioned one or two of them. Obviously you know Henry."
"Oh yeah. He was a dick." Colby remarked.
You raised an eyebrow. "Was?"
He cleared his throat, glancing at you quickly. "Well, I mean, he hasn't contacted you in a month or so, right?"
"That's true," you answered. "But knowing him, he'll pop back up again at some point."
"Doubt it." He mumbled.
Sarah interjected. "Did anyone move around on the list?"
You nodded. "Brian and Greg switched with each other."
"Greg... why does that name sound familiar?" Colby inquired.
"I'm friends with him." You replied.
Colby cocked his head. "But... he's on your list."
"I know. But I've forgiven him for what he did in that relationship. And he's forgiven me for the shit I did back. But it doesn't take away from what he did do, so that's why he's still on the list." You explained.
Colby stared into your eyes; his face serious. "You have never done anything wrong, babe."
You smiled, "Thank you, but that's not true."
As you continued to talk to your friend about your other exes, you didn't even see Colby screenshot your phone and send it to himself.
"Do all of these exes still live around here?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Yeah, I think for the most part," you guessed. "I know Greg and Henry do at least."
You didn't think much of this conversation at the time, chalking it up to Colby just wanting to know more about you.
He even asked about the next guy on your list, Jimmy, a week later. "What did he do to end up number two on your list?"
"Oh, he was the worst. I only dated him for a short period, but he was pretty bad. He used to count the amount of calories I consumed in a day and would tell me if I ate too much. He also flirted with other girls in front of me all the time. At first I thought it was his personality, but he was just trying to find someone else to be with. There was this one girl in particular that I told him I didn't like him being around, and he told me I was paranoid and clingy. And then he left me for that girl." You disclosed, Colby's arm's wrapping around you.
He growled. "What an ass."
"Yeah, he made me feel really self-conscious about my body. There was like a whole year I didn't wear crop tops because he said it made me look fat." You huffed.
Colby gasped dramatically. "I love when you wear crop tops."
You giggled. "Aw, thank you baby."
You continued to go about your days, ignoring that feeling in the back of your mind that maybe you told too much to Colby. You weren't sure why you felt that way. Maybe you just weren't used to opening up with someone. Maybe you just felt like Colby needed to know the information rather than wanted.
You tried to ignore those thoughts, assuming that you just weren't used to being close to someone like Colby.
But then a month or two went by and you learned some horrific news.
Henry was dead. His body found stuffed in a suitcase in the river not too far away from your apartment. It made you sick to your stomach to know he was killed in such a terrible way.
Tears spilled from your eyes as they landed on Colby. "Who could do such a thing?"
He shook his head. "I don't know, babe."
"I know Henry wasn't a good person, but he wasn't that bad. He didn't deserve to die." You choked, Colby cupping your face sweetly.
He cooed. "Don't worry too much about it, Y/N."
The police interviewed you, since you were one of the last people to talk to him. You told them the last you heard from Henry had been months ago, and you figured he just stopped texting you like he always did. He had a tendency to randomly hit you up and then never speak to you again.
"He claimed he was coming over." The police officer stated.
"He never did. I was out with friends all day, and my boyfriend was here." You responded, leaning against your doorway.
"Why was he here instead of you?" The officer pointed at Colby.
He moved closer to the door, saying, "We were basically gonna prank him since he threatened to release her nudes."
The officer challenged. "But he never came over?"
"No. He probably figured that she was playing with him and stayed home." Colby expressed.
The police took down both of your statements and left. You went to bed that night cuddling Colby tightly, feeling unsafe in your own home. But the next morning, you woke up alone. You texted Colby and asked where he went, and he said that he was out jogging, needing to get some fresh air after hearing the news of your ex being killed. You told him to come home soon, worried there might be a killer on the loose.
And he promised he would be home once he was done.
~~~~
Colby dug the knife deeper into Jimmy's chest, his screams being silenced by the blood gurgling in his throat.
Finding Jimmy's address was pretty easy. He lived in a house an hour or two away from Y/N's apartment, and had all this information on his facebook. He lived by himself, in borderline seclusion. And for someone that loved fitness and calorie counting, he wasn't that strong.
It also helped that he was asleep and kept a key under the doormat.
Colby made sure to bring a change of clothes and gloves. He made sure nothing he touched was out of place as he left quietly out the back door, jumping over the fence, and getting into his car.
When he came home with his gym bag in hand, you glanced at him confused. "I thought you went for a jog?"
"Oh yeah, I did. I went to the gym... and jogged." Colby breathed, letting out a laugh. "I ran on the treadmill."
She cocked her head at him. "That's a weird way to say it."
He smirked. "Well, I'm a weird guy."
"And I love you for it." Y/N kissed his cheek.
Last night, after the police left, he knew he had to exact his plan quickly. Taking his time going through your exes was not going to work.
Colby knew the first time was an accident. He never meant to kill your ex.
But the second time... was a choice.
As long as you were his girlfriend, he was going to do everything in his power to seek revenge on all of the men that broke your heart before him.
Every. Last. One.
He already knew where the next one, Will, lived. Problem was, Will had a girlfriend. And Colby also didn't know exactly what Will did to you.
Like it mattered anyway. That man was on the list for a reason, and thus he deserved to die.
How could anyone live with themselves knowing that they hurt you? You were an angel sent from above, and no one was allowed to harm you and live.
Until Colby could think up a plan to kill Will, he decided that the best thing would be to get your mind off of the stress that finding out about Henry caused. Colby decided to take you to a new nightclub that had just opened up called 'amare la morte'. He wanted to see you happy again, and dancing the pain away was your specialty. He even had some of your friends come out to cheer you up as well.
Colby was even having a good time, watching you dance and laugh with your friends. But then in the middle of the dance floor he saw him. Will.
And he was dancing with someone that wasn't his girlfriend.
Oh, he definitely deserved to die tonight.
As luck would have it, when Colby went outside to get some fresh air, to step away from the bumping bodies and loud music, Will was in the alley behind the club, smoking a cigarette.
"It's crazy in there, right?" Colby laughed, stepping up to Will.
He agreed, puffing his cigarette. "Oh yeah. The ladies are all over me tonight. What about you?"
"I wouldn't know. I only have eyes for my girlfriend." Colby glared.
"Don't we all," Will smirked. "What's her name?"
Colby pursed his lips. "Y/N."
"I had a girlfriend named that once. She was crazy." He chuckled.
Colby hummed. "Really?"
"Yeah, she swore up and down that I was gonna cheat on her. She said that it had happened before to her and she just could tell." Will scoffed, "Like, it's not my fault that you have baggage."
"But did you cheat?" Colby queried.
"I mean... yeah. But it was only after she claimed I was gonna do it. I did it more for spite than to actually cheat, you know." Will admitted.
"No, I wouldn't know that. I would never treat my girlfriend like that." Colby snapped.
Will took a long drag of his cigarette. "Well if your girlfriend was my Y/N, yes you would."
A dry laugh escaped Colby's throat "Wow... killing you is gonna be the easiest thing I do tonight."
Will's brow furrowed. "What?"
Colby pulled out his switchblade, slicing Will's neck with a single arm movement. Will clutched his throat, trying to scream out. Will tried to fight back, smashing the burning cigarette into Colby's arm. He hissed, stabbing the knife through Will's neck, silencing him even more.
"I'll tell Y/N you said hi." Colby whispered into Will's ear.
Will slumped down the wall, blood gushing from his wounds. Colby picked Will up by the shoulders, throwing him over into the dumpster next to them, and slamming the lid down. Colby walked back into the club like nothing happened, washing his hands and switchblade off in the sink, and getting back to you before you even realized he was gone.
Y/N grinned as Colby's arm's wrapped around her tightly. "I was wondering where you went to."
"I just needed to get away from everything for a moment." Colby commented.
She teased him, running her hands through his hair. "Do you wanna go home?"
His hands drifting down your body. "Yeah. I would love some alone time with you."
She giggled into Colby's shirt. "Colby..."
"What? You look absolutely gorgeous tonight. I can't keep my hands off you." He bit his lip, pupils dilating.
Colby ravished you that night, making you feel so loved and wanted.
"What happened to your arm?" She lightly traced the burnt skin, resting her head back against the pillow.
Colby grumbled. "Oh, some asshole flicked his cigarette at me and it burned my arm. I'm alright."
A moment of silence fell over you two, your bodies relaxing into the bed.
"I would do anything for you." He murmured, cupping your face.
She wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Anything? Really?"
Colby gazed into your eyes, almost looking through you. "You have no idea, babe. I would kill for you."
She snorted. "Jesus, Colby. That's a little intense."
But Colby meant every word.
It took a couple days for Will's body to be found. And a month until Jimmy's. Y/N noticed how Will was found outside of 'amare la morte', and swore off never going back there again.
Y/N cried for weeks about both of their deaths. Regardless of the pain they caused her, she hated hearing they were killed, especially since they all lived close enough to her.
"What if someone is after me? I mean, they've gone after three of my exes. It would make sense that I could be next!" Y/N shouted, pacing around the apartment.
He shook his head coolly, "Baby, I don't think so."
"How can you say that? You don't know!" She gulped, wiping away more tears.
"People die all the time, Y/N. We live in a major city, it's not hard to witness something like that." He replied, standing up to hold her.
She pushed Colby away, glaring. "Why are you being so calm about this?"
"There's nothing we can do. There's no point in stressing out about it. It's sad that they died, but... I think it's all just a big coincidence," Colby exhaled deeply. "And freaking yourself out over it isn't gonna help you."
Colby realized in that moment that even though your exes deserved to die, breaking your heart while doing it was going against his own reasons for killing. He hated these men for hurting you but hurting you in return to get revenge was not going to work anymore.
Even if there were only two people left on your list, he decided that he could wait. Maybe not even kill them at all.
But then the unthinkable happened months later.
~~~~
You decided to break up with Colby.
His flip-flopping between being needy and being cold to you was freaking you out. Your brain immediately jumped to him cheating, but there was no way. You guys basically lived together and worked the same hours. It was borderline impossible that that was happening.
Also, you had gone through a lot of therapy and worked on yourself. Jumping to cheating was something you used to do, and it wasn't worth reverting back to old thinking habits.
At least that's what your therapist said.
You needed a break from Colby, that was what's important. But you wanted to go to someone that didn't know him so that you could vent and explain why you felt the way you did.
You knocked on Greg's door, and he opened it a couple minutes later.
You and Greg had a complicated history. You guys dated back when you were teenagers. You treated each other like crap, taking out the wrong emotions on each other, doing petty and vicious things just to hurt one another. But years later, you guys reconnected and worked through the stuff you both did to one another. You considered him one of your best friends now.
Greg huffed. "Look Y/N, if you don't feel comfortable dating Colby anymore, then you have to break up. It's as simple as that."
"I know. My heart hurts knowing what I'm gonna do to him, and myself. Because I still love him, but there's too many things he's done now that I can't just forget." You spoke, bottom lip quivering from holding back tears.
He patted your hand sweetly. "Well then, you've already decided. You didn't need me."
"I know, but it was nice to speak to you about it." You agreed.
The next day, you asked Colby to come over. He smiled when he saw you, but then his face dropped at your expression.
"What's a matter? You seem upset." Colby puzzled.
You walked him into your apartment. "I have to talk to you."
"...About?" He asked.
"Us." You replied.
He crossed his arms. "What about-"
You interrupted, cutting him off quickly. "I think we need to break up."
Colby remained silent, no emotion coming to his face. Almost like it didn't register.
"I love you so much, Colby. But... I think the two of us need a break from each other." You squeaked, trying not to cry.
He blinked. "I don't want a break from you."
"But I need one from you." You answered sadly.
He uttered, his eyes on the floor. "Did I do something?"
"I just feel like you've been flip-flopping back and forth between being clingy to being distant. And I get we both have been busy and this year has been crazy, I just think it would be better if we took some time apart." You continued, "Maybe when I feel better about everything, about us, maybe we could get back together... if that's what we both want."
"But I haven't done anything wrong." Colby protested.
You sighed, getting frustrated. "You had no reaction to my exes dying. I know you didn't know them, but your lack of empathy for their deaths is concerning to me. We both agreed-"
"Who's we?" He questioned.
You hummed uncomfortably. "...I talked to Greg about it. About us. I just needed a second opinion."
Colby's breathing began to pick up, his chest heaving. And then suddenly, he stopped.
He smiled politely; his voice low. "Okay. If that's what you want."
You were confused. Colby was taking this all surprisingly well. And with a cold hug goodbye, he left.
You were all by yourself now.
It was a weird feeling, something you weren't used to.
It had been a couple days, and your mind kept drifting back to Henry's murder. You kept tabs on each of your exes' cases, praying that whoever killed them would be arrested soon. A new update had been released to the public: the type of suitcase Henry was found in. The brand and model sounded familiar to you, almost like the one you had.
You went through your storage... and your suitcase was gone.
Maybe Colby took it for some reason. You thought.
You decided to read about Will's case. You knew he was killed a couple days after you and Colby had been to the club. But the local news had just reported that the autopsy showed that while he wasn't found until Tuesday morning, when the trash was being picked up, his time of death was Friday night, Saturday morning.
That was the time you and Colby were there.
The mark that Colby had from the club... someone burned his skin with a cigarette. Will always used to smoke, something that you guys argued over since you hated the smell.
Your stomach dropped as you read the article. Your mouth watered as you felt the need to vomit.
Something wasn't right, and you felt like Colby had something to do with it.
Jimmy's death was harder to pinpoint. It took a month for anyone to find out Jimmy was dead, so there was no way to know when it could have happened since he had already... decomposed some. But the coroners believed that he had died as early as a month prior.
The day Colby acted weird when he came home from the gym. He could have done it then.
You began to pace in your kitchen, your breathing picking up faster and faster.
Did Colby really kill all of your exes? There's no way. Why would he do it?
Maybe you were just freaking yourself out. Colby was a kind, gentle soul. He could never hurt someone.
A quick glance at your counter made you jump back, a shudder escaping your lips.
A knife of yours was missing. You never would have realized it since Colby was the one that cooked all the time.
Bleach. When you came home from being out with friends, the day Henry was supposed to be over... the house smelled like bleach.
Colby killed your exes. But how did he know about them? You hadn't told him about Will.
You whimpered. "The list."
You had to warn Greg and Brian.
Your phone rang loudly, bringing you out of your thoughts.
You might have already been too late.
~~~~
Colby never actually heard anything you said after "I think we need to break up". He blacked out and wasn't even sure how he responded. He assumed everything was alright since you were still alive and the cops hadn't been called on him.
The only thing that was on Colby's mind was killing your last two exes, Brian and Greg.
He really wanted to kill Greg first. The audacity that man had to even speak to you was astounding. That man gave you the green light to break up with Colby. None of your exes knew you like Colby did. None of them had the right to speak to you, to be friends with you, to love you... like Colby did.
And for you to break up with him... that meant that he had to follow through on his plans.
But that meant following your list. Brian was first to go. Then Greg.
It took one Instagram and facebook search to find out that Brian was overseas. While Colby was all about making a list and checking it twice, he didn't really feel like travelling to a random country to kill.
But then he remembered... Greg used to be above Brian. But they switched.
So, technically, he was allowed to kill Greg first, and then Brian later.
Colby didn't want to just kill Greg and move on. Oh no, he needed Greg to know the pain that he was going through.
And he knew the perfect spot to do it at.
An abandon warehouse Colby found while exploring the city was the perfect spot to take Greg.
Everything fell into place for Colby the night he kidnapped Greg. It was like he was supposed to do it. Like God was allowing and agreeing with his decision.
Colby followed Greg to a grocery store late at night. When Greg came out a couple minutes later, Colby asked him for some help, telling him his car needed a jumpstart.
While Greg was getting the cables out of his trunk, Colby came up behind him and knocked him out with a baseball bat. He slid Greg's body over to his car, shutting him in the trunk, and drove off in a flash. Before he left, he made sure that Greg's car didn't look deserted.
He didn't want to get caught. He had to get this done tonight.
After tying Greg up to a chair, he sat and waited for him to wake up. He knew Greg wasn't dead, but he was definitely concussed a bit.
When Greg finally came to, Colby smiled at him.
"Hey." He waved.
"Wha-? What the fuck?! Where the fuck am I?!" Greg struggled against his ties.
Colby tsked, pointing the knife at him. "You might not want to scream, you're just gonna waste your breath. There is no one around for miles."
"Who the fuck are..." Greg squinted at him, his eyes widening. "Colby?"
"Oh, so you do know me." Colby muttered.
"You looked familiar in the parking lot. I should have known." Greg shook his head.
"Do I really give off the vibe of someone that would kill?" Colby questioned.
"No, but you made it pretty fucking obvious when you started killing only Y/N's exes." Greg's voice echoed loudly off the walls of the warehouse.
"I know. I'm a bit on the nose for that one," Colby cackled, his smile dropping. "But... you all deserved it."
"What? Me and her dated years ago." Greg argued.
Colby stepped closer, playing with the knife. "And yet, you still remain on the list."
Greg cautioned. "What list?"
"The list of the top five worst boyfriends she's ever had. You hurt her in ways that no one else has," Colby leaned in. "And for that, you deserve this."
He slid the knife across Greg's arm, slicing open the skin.
"Ahh, fuck!" Greg yelped, trying to pull away from the knife.
Colby slapped Greg hard across his face. "Stop being so loud. Wouldn't want to wake the neighbors."
Over the next couple hours, Colby pricked, jabbed, and slashed into Greg's body. Nothing deep enough to kill, but just enough to make the pain excruciating.
Greg cried out, begging. "Please stop. Or just kill me. I can't take anymore."
Colby ignored his cries. "I'll be nice. Since I do plan to kill you, I'll let you say goodbye to Y/N."
"Y/N is gonna hate you when she finds out." Greg fumed, still fighting against his ties.
Colby got quiet for a second, getting lost in thought. "She won't. She loves me."
"Not after tonight, fucker. She knew something was wrong with you. Why do you think she broke up with you?" Greg growled.
Colby deadpanned. "Do you wanna say goodbye to her or not?"
Greg nodded pathetically. Colby pulled out his phone, calling Y/N's number.
After almost all the rings, she finally picked up.
~~~~
Before answering the call, you looked at Colby's location since it was still on for you. It was in the middle of the city, in a random abandoned building.
Your heart stopped as you picked up.
"H-Hello?" You stuttered, grabbing your keys and leaving your apartment.
Colby's voice was cheery through the phone. "Hey Y/N. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well. H-how are you?" You asked, running down a flight of stairs.
"I'm good. It's been difficult not calling you. I'm so used to seeing you every day." Colby mentioned, his voice sweet.
You gagged, hiding it well. "I know. What did you call me for?"
Colby sang. "Oh, I'm actually hanging out with someone right now that wants to say hi to you."
You pulled out of the parking complex hastily, driving like a bat out of hell.
A coughing groan came over the line. "H-hey Y/N."
Hearing Greg's voice made you tear up. You were so happy to hear his voice. That meant he was still alive. "Oh Greg. You're with Colby?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Greg whined, his voice sounding like he was in pain.
Colby added. "We just ran into each other randomly and I thought it would be nice to hang out. Get to know each other."
"That sounds nice. Where are you two?" You inquired, swerving around corners.
He paused. "Oh, at a restaurant. Well, I'll leave you be-."
"No wait!" You yelled louder than you meant to. Calming down you stammered out, "Um, I-I was thinking maybe we could talk about us for a moment."
"In front of Greg?" Colby mumbled.
You knew you needed to keep Colby on the line. Otherwise, he could kill Greg before you got there. "Can't you walk away from him for a second?"
"Sure. I guess." You heard Colby shuffling away, and then he cleared his throat. "So what did you want to talk about?"
You spoke the first thing that came to your mind. "Well... um, I wanted you to know that I miss you."
You didn't miss Colby, you missed who you thought he was.
"I miss you too." He conceded.
You knew you were close to the warehouse. "And I was thinking that maybe we shouldn't have broken up."
"Really? Why do you think that?" He asked.
"Because you really do mean a lot to me. I love you. I love you more than anyone else." Your voice quivered.
Colby accused. "If that's the case, why did you break up with me?"
"I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." You lied.
"How do I know you're not lying to me?" His voice lowered.
You shook your head, wiping tears away. "Why would I lie about loving you?"
"Because I know you know about me killing your exes." He stated plainly.
You felt your heart skip a beat from the coldness of his voice. "What...?"
"Don't lie to me. It's not gonna end well for Greg." He fumed.
You started, trying to play innocent. "Colby I don't know-"
His voice boomed through the phone, your skin breaking out into goosebumps. "Don't fucking lie to me!"
You couldn't help the sob that escaped. "Colby, please... don't hurt him."
"Oh, we're already past that stage sweetheart. All that's left is whether or not I kill him." He confessed.
"Colby, you don't need to do this." You pled.
He chuckled darkly. "I think I hear Greg calling me. Talk to you later, babe."
"Colby don't kill him!" The line cut out, and you screamed as you drove as fast as you could, cutting everyone off as you could see the warehouse getting closer.
You skidded to a stop by the entrance, jumping out of the car and running into the warehouse.
Colby had his knife against Greg's neck. Your voice left your body before you could even think.
"Colby, drop the knife!" You screeched, running towards him.
He gripped Greg harder, pressing the knife closer into his skin. "Come any closer and I'll slice him open."
You stopped, putting your hands up. "Please Colby, don't do this."
"Why shouldn't I? Why should someone like Greg, or Will, or Henry stay alive?" He bellowed.
You croaked. "They haven't done anything wrong."
"Yes they have!" Colby emphasized his words pressing the knife into Greg's skin, "They. Hurt. You."
"But that's what you're doing to me now. You're hurting me by hurting Greg." You warned, stepping closer achingly slow.
"I'm doing this for your own good. These fuckers don't know you like I do. They don't understand you like I do." He hissed.
"I never wanted this, Colby. I might have hated some of my exes, but I never wanted them dead." Your voice and body quaked.
"You have no gratitude for what I've done for you," he scoffed dramatically, leaving Greg behind to get closer to you. "I'm doing what's best. People like them shouldn't be able to live with themselves for hurting you."
"I forgave Greg. Greg is my friend. You killing him isn't gonna do anything, Colby. It's just gonna break my heart." You whimpered, trying to back away.
"I'm the only one good enough for you!" Colby roared, his eyes almost black from his widen pupils.
"Then let Greg live." You begged weakly. "I promise if you do... I'll get back together with you."
He scowled, his face close to yours. "You're just saying that."
Tears rolled down your cheeks. "No, I mean it."
"Don't do it, Y/N." Greg griped from behind Colby.
"Stop speaking! No one fucking asked you!" He screamed, turning to Greg.
You grabbed Colby's face, forcing him to look at you. "I promise Colby. I will never leave you again, if you let Greg go."
Colby swallowed as he looked down at your face, taking a moment to pause.
"Okay. Untie him." He breathed.
You stumbled over to Greg, undoing his ties as fast as you could.
Greg was able to stand up, but he stood in front of you, blocking you from Colby.
"Leave now, or I'm just gonna kill you." Colby commanded.
Greg quipped. "Then kill me."
"No, Greg. Go. Please." You wept, forcing yourself in front of him.
He pleaded. "I'm not leaving, he's gonna kill you."
Even if that was true, both of you dying was not a good way for things to end. "No he's not. He loves me. He would never do anything to harm me. Just go."
Greg's eyes bore into Colby's one last time. Then he shuffled as fast as he could out of the warehouse.
"It's just you and me, babe. I know we're not gonna have that much time left, since I know he's calling the police right now..." Colby wrapped his arms around you, and you held back the urge to puke.
"Do you still love me?" He asked gently.
You nodded, your heart feeling empty. "Of course."
He kissed up your neck, pressing his lips into your ear. "Liar."
Colby rammed his knife into your stomach, your breath hitching in your lungs as you dropped to your knees. He leaned down to your level, his face remaining close to yours.
"Do you honestly think I'm that much of an idiot? I know you don't love me anymore. How could you? I killed all your boyfriends."
He twisted the knife, your body shuddering against his in agony.
"You and I are meant to be forever, Y/N. And I know one day you're gonna thank me for what I've done." He remarked, a certain innocence on his face.
"Not if you kill me." You groaned, gripping his wrist so he couldn't force the knife deeper.
"But that's the best part. You die, and I die. Then we'll be together. Because if I can't have you," Colby leaned in, pressing his lips to your ear once more, "...no one can."
The world began to spin around you as you felt your body going numb from pain. As you gazed behind Colby one last time, you saw a figure running up on him.
And then everything turned to black.
You weren't sure if you died, or if you were in hell, because wherever you were, you were in pain.
You woke up in a hospital, with Greg sitting by your side bandaged up to hell and back.
Before you could speak, he chimed in. "Don't waste your energy, Y/N. Just get some rest. Colby's in jail, I'm alive, and so are you."
You exhaled, finally feeling safe, and fell back asleep.
But Colby's voice echoed in your mind, haunting your dreams.
You and I are meant to be forever...