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Hart laid on his bed, his eyes inspecting the four walls around him. He thought his room needed some adjustments. Like for instance, the red lamp on the nightstand threw off the original theme of the room; dark, colorless and empty. The red color, the large painting hanging over the bed frame, it was all distracting to his thoughts. He hated them. He wanted to throw them out, but he knew he couldn't.
Checking his wrist watch, he realized it would be midnight in a few hours, so he got out of bed and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. He grabbed himself a bowl of cereal, forgetting to add the milk. Not noticing his mistake, he sat on the small kitchen table and began to eat.
His eyes dozed off, but this time they landed on the newspaper in front of him. He read the headlines "Festival in Bellumstone." Bellumstone being the ludicrous town he lived in. It was quite big. A lot of variety, culture and backgrounds. It attracted many tourists, mostly the younger generation. But he detested it all. He thought they were foolish and reckless.
Hart cocked his head to the side, chewing his cereal loudly. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
He thought about attending the festival, maybe to see the fireworks, or the people dancing happily in the streets. But there would be too many of them, and he did not like that. He liked the silence, it was his best friend. That was why he lived far away, deep in the forest in a house his father had built a long time ago. He was content where he was.
The parade should be starting any minute now – or at least that was what it said on the newspaper article. If he left now he could make it to the fireworks. Without even giving it a second thought, he stood up and took his jacket from the coat hanger in the hall. Once outside and seated in his car, he grabbed a comb from his pocket and brushed his hair back, watching himself on the rear view mirror. He was a little overdressed for the occasion, but it didn't matter to him. No one was going to be watching him.
It was an hour long drive to get to the town. Already the streets were covered in red and white decorations. The unofficial flag of Bellumstone hung on every lamp post for miles. It was a rock, or a diamond as people argued. But in the end it was a rock. A beautiful white rock.
Hart decided not to head to the park, where most people would be at to watch the fireworks. Instead he parked his car behind a closed grocery store and began to walk down the empty side walks, hands in pockets.
Occasionally people would honk at him and shout their excitement. Hart just kept walking, staring up ahead. As he kept passing streets, more people began to appear, until at last every corner was full of civilians waiting for the parade.
People of all ages, mostly young, sat on the edge of the sidewalks, talking to their friends about how beautiful the town had transformed for the night. Flashing lights adorned every balcony on the street Hart was on. They changed from red to white every few seconds.
Hart mostly enjoyed the older folks dressed in outrageous outfits to match the crazy theme of the festival. He couldn't avoid smiling when one would look at him strangely. They were just too funny, especially when they broke out dancing to some salsa music playing from one of the apartments. Unfortunately, he only forced the smile. He needed to be normal, he needed to blend in.
Hart could see the parade marching in his direction, so he moved to an empty spot on the sidewalk and patiently waited. The salsa music was overshadowed by the music from the parade itself. It was more energetic and fun, which oddly made everyone step out on the street and dance along with the parade people.
A few extravagant floats passed first, and then smaller ones being followed by the owners. The one that stood out to Hart the most was the one with the beautiful female dancers surrounding the giant violin. He very much enjoyed that one. The females had mysterious white masks on with matching outfits that had giant black feathers poking from their backs.
One of the dancers caught his gaze and grabbed his hand, pulling him along with the parade. She was genuinely beautiful. Her heart-shaped face, cute small nose, cherry red lips and green eyes that popped out of her mask, strangely compelling him to keep walking even though he did not belong to the parade.
She tried to make him dance, and he did not abide at first, but after feeling the music traveling from the air to her touch, he began to move with her. Hart twirled her around, and shockingly she spun like a natural dancer, swinging her right leg back like a ballerina.
"You are quite beautiful, my lady," he told her.
"You're not so bad yourself," she responded, amused, winking back at him playfully.
Hart smiled in return, spinning the both of them with the music. He moved just as gentle and smoothly as she did, causing eyes to follow them as they moved down the streets. Hart couldn't stop staring at her and the way she got lost in her dance. She lived in her own world, just as he did as well.
"What is your name?" he asked the girl.
"Maeve."
Hart stopped his pace and lifted her hand, landing a single soft kiss on it. "Maeve, I hope to see you again one day. Thank you for the dance and enjoy your night."
She looked upset but hid it well behind a fake smile. She graciously curtsied to the stranger and went about her dancing.
Hart hadn't realized how long he'd walked, because as he looked around he was incredibly confused. There were even more people than before, all gathered around so close that there was barely any room to breathe. It was the party of a lifetime, and he was starting to get anxious.
Slowly, he stepped away from the crowd until his back was pressed up against one of the buildings. There he silenced his mind and closed his eyes, blocking out the loud monstrous music and noisy chattering. His tensed muscles relaxed. His jaw unclenched. Even his skin turned warmer. All of it to remain collected . . . and sane.
When he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see another pair of eyes staring back from the other side of the street. Large floats kept passing between them so it was difficult for Hart to catch even a glimpse of this person's face. He only knew that he was attracted.
The stranger looked away when he realized Hart caught him staring, blushing furiously as he disappeared into the crowd. For now, Hart ignored the boy, too consumed by the energy around him to focus on just one person.
Another thirty minutes passed under the cloudless night sky. The moon stood high and vibrant just like the townspeople. It watched them like a silent God, casting down white light that illuminated the dark corners of the world.
As Hart walked with the parade, he noticed he was still being watched. The same strange boy with the sandy brown hair and big brown eyes. Was he following Hart? Maybe he was watching someone else, considering there were hundreds of people mindlessly exploring the magical streets, it seemed like the only logical explanation for his tail.
Hands in pockets, Hart stopped and turned to face the boy. Surely enough, he was watching him. Hart was very attracted. The boy looked around his age, maybe younger, or perhaps even older. (His styled hair puzzled that question with many possibilities).
Hart stared back. Then after seeing how nervous the boy looked, Hart beckoned him to come to him. From the other side of the street, the boy looked around and obtusely pointed at himself in confusion. Hart nodded, smiling at the innocence.
The boy looked sort of pleased to find that Hart wasn't in fact terrified that he had been watching him. Hart met up with him half way so that they were standing in front of each other in the middle of the street.
"What's your name?" Hart asked.
"R-Riley," the boy stuttered.
Hart smiled back. "Listen, Riley. It's not very wise to let someone know you're watching them."
Riley's breath hitched. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to . . ." Hart cut him in mid sentence by extending his hand out. Riley looked down at it like he didn't know what to do with it. In the end he shook it, slowly.
"My name is Hart," he said.
Riley noticed they were still shaking hands for an awkward amount of time, so he pulled away once he caught his breath again.
"I'm sorry if I'm freaking you out, Hart. I have lived here my whole life and not once have I seen you around."
"I'm not much of an outsider," replied Hart.
Riley smiled at that. "Yeah, I'm not much of an outsider either."
Hart raised a brow at him and smirked cheekily. "Then how do you expect to see me around if you're not an outsider?"
Speechless, the brown haired boy became embarrassed. He was having a difficult time trying to keep the conversation going. It seemed as if everything that came out of his mouth was just going to be mortifying.
The more Hart talked to him, the more intense his attraction became. He couldn't put it into words, but his thoughts rambled on and on about how beautiful he was. Never in his twenty four years of living had he ever seen such a perfect man. They were both about the same height, with Hart being at least an inch taller. And what compelling skin he had, with tiny freckles that added to the innocence.
Even so, Hart's attraction couldn't compare to what Riley was feeling. He wasn't stalking the man in the abnormal suit, looking out of place when everyone around was in shorts and colorful T-Shirts. He was watching him because something about Hart made Riley feel hope. When he looked into his calm blue eyes everything bad vanished into thin air. He was different from everyone else, it was refreshing to see, so of course he would stare awkwardly from behind people. He wasn't planning on being caught. He just wanted to admire from afar.
Those questions buzzing around in his mind made him ask the following question, "Why are you dressed like that?"
The taller man laughed. Riley wasn't expecting that reaction. He thought the question would have made him feel offended, not make him laugh.
"I could ask you the same thing," replied Hart, his eyes flickering down Riley's body, examining his black jeans, his shirt that hung too low to be his size, and the brown climbing boots.
"Oh, um. I was on a camping trip with some old friends and we just got back three hours ago. I haven't had time to change with the festival happening." He then looked at him dead in the eyes and asked, "What's your excuse?"
"I'm old fashioned," he responded with a shrug.
"We kind of look stupid standing in the middle of the street . . ." Riley swallowed hard, breathing nervously. "I'm actually supposed to be heading to my friend's house. She has a bar and invited a couple of her friends over. Want to come with?"
Hart turned to face the sky, his hands in his pocket. He sighed deeply and shook his head, denying the offer, telling him he only came to the festival to watch the fireworks. Riley hid the look of disappointment on his face by looking away.
"You can stay and watch them with me," Hart told him.
"Oh, I don't want to bother you."
Hart looked back down and gave Riley a pat on the back. "It's no bother at all. I would love some company."
The two happily stayed together, but they moved away from the streets to avoid people bumping into them as they danced the night away. They found an empty playground and sat on the swings, listening to the music playing in the background. Riley felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety as they waited for the fireworks to blast into the sky. Hart, on the other hand, felt nothing.
Riley did most of the talking after that. He felt as if he was interrogating him with all the questions he was shooting Hart with. But the man didn't complain, so he felt safe to continue. It was odd that he had never seen Hart before. The town wasn't extremely large, but it was still small enough that you could know everyone. He did find out that he was home schooled when he was little so maybe that was the reason he never saw him growing up.
When the fireworks came and illuminated the night sky, both of them stopped swinging to look up. Their eyes flashed with colors as the sparks exploded and rained down. One by one they thundered loudly, quieting down Bellumstone. Riley became teary-eyed, memories stroking his thoughts without warning. He tried so hard not to remember but how could he not?
Hart didn't notice that the man next to him was surreptitiously trying to wipe his tears away until the fireworks were almost over. It didn't faze him. He just thought it was strange to cry over fireworks. Indeed, they were a sight to experience, but he did not get it. He did not get them.
"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Riley," said Hart as he jumped out of the swing and fixed his jacket.
Riley fought the panic in his eyes from showing. Somehow the thought of Hart figuring out that he made Riley nervous frightened him. He hadn't met anyone so composed in a town like Bellumstone. Everyone was always so crazy, and then there he was as calm as the end of a storm.
"Wait, do you live far away?" Riley asked, following his movements to the outside of the playground.
"I do. My car is four blocks from here."
Riley suddenly felt his clothes becoming tighter, and the temperature of his body rose rapidly. Even when the air was chilly, he felt like he was on fire. The way Hart stared down at him, the way he slowly blinked like he had all the time in the world. He was surprised Hart hadn't found him to be awkward yet. It was definitely the longest he had ever gone without screwing something up.
Riley knew from the second he saw Hart walking down the street that he wanted to befriend him. But why would anyone like Hart want to be friends with someone like Riley? They were both strangers and from what Riley could gather they were both such different people, which was what drew him in the first place.
And of course, he was hot.
"Can I walk you to your car?" It took Riley all the courage he had left to ask that question. And he hoped with all his heart Hart would say yes. He didn't want to say goodbye. Hart had been too quiet. It wasn't really a problem, Riley actually expected that. But he wanted to get to know more of him. And what if he never saw him again since he never went out?
With no emotion in his eyes, Hart said yes.
They walked back to Hart's car side by side. The aftermath of the parade was horrendous. So much trash everywhere. The streets were now empty, with some drunk people trying to find their way back to their homes. Now that the silence was with them, Hart felt at home. He almost couldn't deal with the pounding in his head when he first got there. So much noise.
"Well, this is my car," Hart said, taking out his keys from his pocket.
Riley looked down, hugging himself. "It was nice meeting you, Hart. I hope I see you again someday."
"I can give you my card if you want," Hart replied nonchalantly as he opened the door to his car.
The brown haired man almost jumped in excitement but kept his cool as he nodded. Then he realize Hart had his back to him so he said a simple, yet quiet, "Yes."
"Give me a second. I don't know where I put my cards." Hart reached inside the front seat and searched around until he found what he was looking for . . . a bat.
Unexpectedly, Riley received a blow to the head with the metal weapon. For the first few seconds he didn't black out. He actually saw everything happen and wondered if in fact it really happened. But then his world turned black as Hart stood over his body with no expression on his face. It was quick and soundless.
Hart threw the bat in the back seat of his car and opened the door while at it. He dragged Riley inside and covered him in blankets so that he looked like he was sleeping. No one was around to witness. There was a reason he parked behind the closed grocery store. He knew he was going to bring someone. He hadn't bought anyone home in two weeks.
After making sure no one saw what he had done, Hart got in the car and drove casually. This was the easiest catch for him. The boy literally walked into it all by himself. Hart didn't have to do anything. He also knew once he caught him staring that he was the one.
People in this foolish town were such easy targets. They were naive. They were hopeless.
It was a very long ride back to his house. There were cops everywhere trying to set everything back into order. The chaos the festival left behind would take a couple of days of tending till it was all back to normal again.
Riley hadn't awakened yet, so Hart must have hit him too hard. Didn't matter, though. All he wanted to do was knock him out, and he did. He was still breathing. Bleeding, but still alive. Hart parked his car next to his house when he arrived. It wasn't anything special, but his father had built it so it was sort of special in a way. It was a very simple Victorian-styled home. Two colors, both light and faded with age. You couldn't even tell the difference anymore.
Hart had the sleeping figure over his shoulders as he walked up the steps to his front porch. He opened the door, which he had left unlocked. Once inside he dropped Riley on the floor purposely, leaving him to twitch and wake. Hart reached for the door and locked all five locks. He then proceeded to check that all the windows were sealed and also locked. He left the sensors for last, turning them on with his code. If Riley were to somehow escape, he'd know.
When Hart came back to Riley, he was awake. He was studying his surroundings, his eyes narrowed in a confused manner. He sat up, rubbing his hands over his wound and hissing when he felt the pain.
Then their eyes met. Hart still had the same empty eyes that Riley last saw. They weren't the same as when he first saw him. He was different now. It was all a game. It was all a lie. But how could he have expected this? He was kidnapped. All the stories his mother used to tell him about not trusting strangers all made sense now.
"Are you going to kill me?" Riley asked calmly, showing no emotions, too. He wouldn't dare let this man read him. He was going to get through this. It would all be fine soon.
Hart cocked his head to the side so promptly that it almost looked inhuman. "Not yet."
Riley didn't even wait. He wasn't going to ask. He wasn't going to beg. He immediately went into action and tried to run. Hart grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back so hard that the fabric ripped. A shirtless Riley fought back, pushing Hart away as he tried to grab him again.
"Stop! Let me go! Don't do this!" Riley cried out as Hart pulled him by the hair and dragged him down the empty hall. There were no pictures hanging on the walls, no decorations, no furniture. Only because Hart already knew what happened when people found objects they could use against him.
Hart ignored him as he fought to drag him to the basement. But then Riley kicked Hart in the face and ran for the door as Hart fell to the floor, bleeding from the mouth.
Touching the blood falling from his lips, Hart became infuriated. This had never happened before. He could tell Riley was going to be one of those difficult cases. Hart got up, cracking his neck, and walked towards the escaping victim. Of course, Riley couldn't escape. The whole place was under lock down. No one got in. No one got out.
Once figuring out that he wasn't going anywhere, Riley turned his back against the door and watched with wide eyes as Hart made his way to him. His pace was slow, not rushed, but so threatening that it made the hairs on the back of Riley's neck stand straight.
"I don't know what I did to you, but let me go. You don't have to do this," Riley tried to reason with him, but everything he said just went through one ear and out the other. Hart was a strange man who seemed to be in another world.
Again, Riley was dragged by the hair but this time Hart threw him against the walls over and over till new wounds emerged. Hart punched him in the face until he was left almost unconscious again. In that moment Riley felt weak, useless, but most of all hopeless. This couldn't be happening to him. It just couldn't.
Somehow he ended up over Hart's shoulders. He was taken down some stairs. A basement perhaps. He couldn't be sure since the house was spinning and he didn't know which way was up or down anymore.
"Please," Riley continued, using the remaining energy to get himself out of the situation. He knew the outcome of most kidnappings. But he had to at least try.
He couldn't see anything down there. It was dark, with no light except the faint one coming from the door at the top of the stairs. Then in a blink of an eye the lights turned on. The room was small, very small. The only two things in the room was a wardrobe and a metal table. Like those used for operations. Hart laid Riley on top of it and moved to the mirror hanging on the wall. He touched his mouth, saw the blood still dripping down his chin. There was no sign of anger in him. There was just emptiness.
"Hart, just let me go," Riley told him.
Again, no response.
Something even stranger happened. Hart touched the wall where the mirror was hanging and it opened. Riley saw something through the newly opened doorway. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to disappear from this place, wake up from a terrible nightmare in his own bed.
"No! No! Stop! Let me go!" Riley shouted as Hart grabbed him and once again dragged him by the hair, and towards the new entrance.
This new room wasn't just a room. It was bigger than the house. It was three times wider than the house and it was located underground. It was so immensely large that you could fit hundreds of people. And yeah, unfortunately Riley's thoughts were correct. There were at least a hundred people in this enormous place. And no, they weren't alive. They were all hanging in different positions, limbs missing, cut in half, some with no heads, some have become almost skeletons. The stench of death was so poisonous that it made Riley's eyes turn watery.
Riley screamed as loud as his lungs let him. Tears streamed down his cheeks as Hart pushed him inside the room and turned the lights off, leaving the both of them in the dark. Only that Hart wasn't going to stay with him. As soon as the lights were off Hart turned around and exited the room, shutting the wall completely till he couldn't hear Riley's screams anymore.
Switching off the lights, Hart went up the stairs and locked the basement door. He didn't like the feeling of blood running down his face, but the blood seemed to stop for now. His clothes were now ruined and he'd have to burn them. Too bad, the jacket was one of his favorites.
Sighing deeply, Hart returned to the kitchen and sat at the dinning table. He grabbed the spoon from the bowl and continued to eat his cereal, chewing silently as he stared at the newspaper in front of him. He couldn't wait for the next festival.
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[Author's Message]: Hey guys! Thank you so much for choosing to continue reading this new story of mine! It means so much if I could get your support on this one. It's a very strange and weird one. All of you seemed to like it judging by the feedback from the prologue. I don't know what to think honestly! I honestly got emotional haha. This story is our new baby guys. We need to vote and comment, like, share, everything!
Anyway, this is my first story in 3rd person. I think I suck at it, I'm not sure. If you ever notice the usage of first person, PLEASE tell me so I can fix it. I'm so used to first person that while writing this chapter I ended up writing some parts in first person and even in present tense lmfao. I was so confused but hopefully with your help I will do it with no problem. So if you spot ANY mistake, no matter how small, tell me. <3
Please vote and comment. Did you like the first chapter? Was it weird? Are you weirded out? Do you like Hart? What about Riley? What do you think is going on oh my god so many questions. LOL