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The secrets were starting to pile up and Riley couldn't take it anymore. He had to do something, he had to figure this out even if it killed him – literally kill him, like not coming back from the dead kind. It was obvious that he was mental for putting Hart in the dark room, but he had assumed he would free himself easily . . . but three days passed and he hadn't heard a single breath come out of that room. Was Hart still in the dark room or had he left without him noticing?
The horrible part of it all, he missed him. He craved his skin, his strength, his mystery and most of all his touch. Riley couldn't deny the constant need after that night in the dark room, the night when he lost his purity. It was strange; he couldn't really remember what had happened, but he still remembered how it felt. And that alone was enough to drive him crazy with desperation.
And when he saw him kissing the stranger on the mouth, he just couldn't believe it. He was never the jealous type, but something about that night made him feel too close to Hart, not like a connection, but like two heavy metal chains locking around them so that they couldn't separate, and if they tried . . . it would hurt.
It was as if they had said 'Till death do us apart' when they had sex.
He contemplated checking the dark room to see if he was there. He didn't want to hurt him, just make a point that if he really did love Riley, then he wanted to be a part of everything – that meant the secrets, his plans and even the murders. Not exactly participating in them, just knowing when they were going to happen and how he could help.
It still hadn't hit him what he had done, and he didn't think it ever will. There was something so simple about the things happening, like maybe he was meant to do this. Maybe he was just as insane and evil as Hart was, and it had taken this long for him to actually see it.
He had always known he was different from everybody else, he wasn't like his sister. They were complete opposites, like they weren't even related at all. She was sweet and friendly, while he was indifferent towards people and seized any opportunity to distance himself away from interaction. It didn't necessarily mean he was a born killer, but he was half way there.
Witnessing death for the first time was traumatizing, so of course he was afraid at first. He thought of Hart as a monster, because only a monster could do the things he did. And while in some cases that was the truth, he didn't feel any different from him now.
In a way, Hart was preparing him for his future. It was true, he was a warrior, but not the kind that would have the word 'Hero' engraved on his tombstone. He didn't know what he was fighting for, but he was about to find out.
Riley opened the dark room, he had figured out how along time ago. It was only a four number code, and after being forced to watch death happen over and over, seeing Hart opening the door by pressing his hand against the wall with the mirror, he just figured it out eventually.
He walked in front of the door as it slowly opened, making loud creaking noises. There was a familiar odor coming out, one that triggered his memories back to his first night. His heart began beating fast as the dangling bodies came to view. Hart was in the middle of the room, watching him with intense eyes. He couldn't stare at him too long, not when other lifeless bodies were watching him.
His hands felt cold, his body suddenly shaking. The memories of the night when he was left with the bodies were too strong, he couldn't get them out. He noticed the newly added bodies of the victims he had seen suffer by his own hands. There were also the ones Hart had killed in his presence. They were all in there, staring at him with dead eyes.
He wanted to run and hide, but his feet were glued to the ground. He felt Hart's eyes on him the whole time like needles poking his skin. Hart was a man of control, and if someone else tried to take it from him . . . well, you could kiss your life goodbye. But Riley didn't regret what he had done, not after seeing him again. It all came back to him in flashes; the lies, the secrets, the unanswered questions.
Riley took a testy step forward, watching Hart. The man didn't move or react, he only stared back. He was surrounded by the dead bodies like they were somehow protecting him, which frightened Riley even more. He had already experienced what dead people running after him looked like, he did not want to see it again. And if they did wake up and try to grab Riley, he was ready to disappear instantly; his dagger was in his right pocket, close to his touch.
Don't let him manipulate you, Riley. You can't let him go. You have gone long enough without answers, it's time to get them.
“Hart.”
The man didn't respond. His eyes bore into Riley's, watching his every move as he walked closer inside. There was something different about the way Hart looked. As Riley walked closer, passing through bodies, he noticed Hart had dark bags under his eyes, like the man hadn't slept for days. His posture was weak, his shoulders slouched a little and his hands dangled at his sides like useless heavy limbs.
The same question kept circling his thoughts; why didn't he leave the dark room? He could have easily done so, yet there he was, like he hadn't moved an inch since he last saw him. And the way he looked, what was wrong with him? Was he sick?
“I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to,” Riley warned him, the distance between them closing.
Hart started laughing quietly, showing his bloody teeth.
“Hurt me, as if you could.”
Riley flashed him the dagger, but Hart did not seem to care. It made Riley wonder if it was all a lie to ease his fear, that in fact the dagger couldn't kill him. But it didn't explain why he still had the scar across his face. He couldn't have lied, no way. Hart was sick, he looked like he was dying. He was talking nonsense.
“What are you trying to say?” Riley asked, giving in to his skeptical thoughts.
“I'm immortal!” Hart yelled, raising his hands.
The bodies around Riley began to twitch, and he knew what was coming. He had to react fast, otherwise he might not make it this time. Hart was different somehow, he wasn't himself. Riley couldn't be sure if he would hurt him, or worse, kill him. He ran forward and grabbed Hart by the shirt, teleporting them outside of the dark room and shutting the door as quickly as possible.
“What are you doing?!” Hart growled angrily.
“Shut up!” Riley screamed at him as he pushed the man against the wall and wrapped the chains around his hands. Hart tried to launch at him but the chains restrained him very well, and he did not seem to like that because he then snapped and began to violently lash out with crazy eyes and a bloody mouth. He looked like an animal.
“Take these chains off!”
“No,” Riley said, walking back to the metal table in the middle of the room. “We're going to play a little game called 'truth or dare' but with a twist. Want to know what the twist is?”
Hart glared darkly, not saying a word as Riley picked up a large knife.
“The twist . . . is pain. I'll ask you a question, and if you don't answer, well, I'm sure it's obvious what will happen.” Gripping the knife tightly, Riley walked back to Hart and ripped his shirt off with the sharp blade. “I know you can't die by this, but I know you can feel every pain.”
He began by slowly dragging the cold knife down Hart's pale chest. He watched as the touch made Hart twitch and squirm uncomfortably. He still glared, still kept quiet, telling Riley that he wasn't going to give in easily.
“Why did you kiss the guy we kidnapped?” Riley asked the first question.
As expected, no answer. He had no choice but to push the knife against his chest, pulling it down as blood oozed out of the cut.
“It's something I've always done,” Hart hissed. “Seducing the victim, making them feel aroused or uncomfortable, it doesn't matter. I didn't intend to make you feel jealous or to jeopardize what we have. You weren't even supposed to be there.”
“How far would you have taken it?” Riley asked.
“Not farther than a kiss. I wasn't even planning on kissing him until he shouted things at me.”
Riley nodded, pulling the knife back and watching as he quickly healed up. He tossed the knife away and reached for a saw that Hart had used to construct the cross outside of the house, in the backyard next to the garden.
“Why do you kill people?” he asked.
Hart stared at the tool in Riley's hands with wide and panicked eyes. He looked like he was struggling to stay silent, but Riley made that impossible. He knew this day would come, he just didn't know it would happen like this.
“I kill people because it's in my nature, as it is in yours,” he answered vaguely.
“That doesn't answer my question. I understand that we're all animals born to kill, but there has to be a reason why you do it.”
Hart closed his eyes and swallowed.
“It's all for . . . a spell.”
Riley looked confused. “A spell? You're killing people for a spell? Like what you did to the dagger?”
He shook his head. “No, that was an enchantment.”
“What's the difference?”
The man sighed loudly. “They're similar things, yes, but the enchantment was for an object. A spell is a bigger thing, a much harder task to accomplish. There are many things that have to be done in order for it to be done, and it doesn't always guarantee success.”
“What's the spell?”
Silence. Just what Riley was waiting for. He was about to use the saw when Hart jumped up and started talking.
“It's a very complex spell to bring someone back from the dead.”
“Didn't you just make all those bodies in the dark room wake up?”
“To bring back someone from the dead completely, whole, like they never even died.”
“It doesn't seem so complicated for someone like you, who apparently knows everything about the universe and how it works.”
“It's complicated because the person I'm trying to resurrect is in a place that can't be touched, broken into or even scratched.”
“Hell.”
“Yes.”
“Who is this person?”
He dropped his head low, his shoulders relaxing as his eyes just closed. Riley got what it meant pretty fast. He took the saw and began to torture him, drawing out screams after screams, anything but answers. Eventually, after what seemed forever and when his chest was completely red, he answered.
“My mother.”
“Your . . . mother. You're killing who knows how many people, for your mother?”
“Yes,” he replied emotionless, his voice husky and tired.
“How many people do you have to kill?”
“A thousand.”
Riley's jaw dropped, even the hair on the back of his neck felt like electricity had ran through it. That answer made the next question feel difficult to say, but Riley managed to without a single hesitation or fear.
“How many have you killed?”
“Nine hundred and ninety eight.”
Riley gulped, nodding. That meant only two more murders until his task was complete. So that was why he killed so much, he finally knew, and unfortunately no weight was lifted off his shoulders. Knowing the truth didn't feel any better than not knowing it, in fact it made him feel a lot worse. But this wasn't about feeling good, it was about knowing, and he wasn't stopping now.
“The last sacrifice is tomorrow night,” Hart told him, looking up into Riley's eyes.
“But you need two more, so shouldn't it be the last two sacr – wait, sacrifices? Who are you sacrificing to?”
“My mother, and no, I'll only need one more, since I'll have the other one tonight.”
“No, you won't. I'm not letting you go tonight. You're staying here with me.”
“That's fine.”
“How did you manage to kill so many people without being noticed?”
“Because most of them didn't happen here, they happened in various states across the country.”
Riley walked around for a minute or two, thinking about everything he had been told. He didn't want to torture Hart anymore, he didn't like it. He could see the pain in his eyes, the sadness and the willingness to just give up and die. And then there was the simple fact that he loved him and hurting him was something he never wanted to do. It pained him to see him like this; all broken, sick and weak.
“One more question, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Why do you really need me? Why did you make me go through all of this? What is the meaning in all of it?”
“Because I needed someone, and that was you.” Hart's face was expressionless, unreadable, making it impossible to know if he was telling the truth. His eyes were honest, but the sparkling blue could be a misleading ability, like how animals use their natural gifts to fend off enemies or fool them; like how a porcupine has a coat of sharp spines that protect it from predators. Maybe his eyes were just that; to fool people.
“Need me for what?”
“To stand by my side forever.”
Riley raised a brow. “Like . . . marriage?”
“No, marriage is nothing compared to what I'm talking about.”
“Then tell me.”
“You don't understand, it's difficult to explain with words,” Hart told him, shaking his head.
Riley walked forward till their faces were inches apart, he pulled out his dagger and pressed it against the dangling man's neck.
“Then find the words.”
Riley's heart suddenly sunk to the pit of his stomach. He stared quietly as the corners of Hart's eyes filled with red liquid and slowly trailed down his cheeks. His pupils dilated almost entirely, leaving a bright blue ring.
“What's happening? What's wrong with you?” Riley quickly asked, panicking as Hart's veins began to appear on his skin. They were black and he could see them growing like beating hearts as blood flowed through them.
Hart screamed as his body shook powerfully. He tried breaking free from the chains but he was too weak. Riley could see that he was in great amount of pain, but had no clue what was causing it. Hart kept trying to to launch at Riley, but kept forgetting he was chained. He wanted to hurt him.
“Hart, please . . . what's wrong with you?”
“YOU! You . . . you killed him.”
“I don't understand.”
“Once I have my victim,” he took a long break, breathing calmly, trying to gain his control back, “I have to kill them. Unless they are not mine to kill.”
Riley blinked twice, his mouth moving but no words coming out. He didn't understand a thing that Hart was saying, and he noticed this, so he tried to explain it again.
“Do you ever wonder where I get my strength from sometimes? How I am able to take out people that I shouldn't be able to? It's an ability of mine. A hunting one. Once I mark a target with death, like setting a goal, I gain strength and power to overtake them. But if you mark a target, you must kill them, otherwise you'll die if you don't. I only do it when I know they have a chance at beating me, or escaping.”
“And I killed your target,” Riley added, now understanding. “So now you're dying . . .”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?!” Riley shouted, running around in circles, pulling his hair as his eyes watered. He didn't want Hart to die, he was supposed to be invincible. He was supposed to be immortal, wasn't he? Nothing could kill him, only his dagger.
“I told you not to kill unless I gave you permission.”
“You never told me that! You told me the opposite, you told me to kill!”
Hart twitched, and the movement was strong enough to snap one of the chains. It broke off, falling on the floor loudly. Riley stepped back as far as he could so that Hart wouldn't be able to reach him with his free hand.
“I'm sorry, I'm not actually perfect. I make mistakes, many of them.”
“Tell me what to do, there has to be something I can do to stop you from dying. Please! I'll do anything, anything to save you,” Riley begged.
“Don't worry, I was never afraid that I would die.”
“What does that even mean?”
“There's only one way to stop it, to kill the one who killed your target.”
There was silence after that. Hart had to kill Riley in order to stop himself from dying, meaning that this was what he meant when he said he was going to have a kill tonight, it was going to be him. Hart was never worried after all, because he was going to kill him tonight, and then tomorrow would be the last sacrifice.
“Then do it,” Riley told him softly. “Kill me.”
Hart succeeded breaking off the last chain with the bit of strength he had, rubbing his wrists as his wounds began to heal. He looked at Riley through bloodshot eyes and slow walked towards him.
“I'm sorry,” Hart said as he grabbed him and pinned him against the door of the dark room. Hart eyes were full of sadness and regret for what he was about to do.
“Don't be,” Riley reassured him, laying a delicate hand on Hart's shoulder. “I guess I'll see you when I come out of the earth.”
Hart kissed him gently, leaving small prints of blood on Riley's lips. Then he grabbed Riley's head and snapped it. As Riley's body dropped down instantly, Hart backed away. Riley's body dissolved and was swallowed up by the ground. He sat down and began to listen, waiting for the heart beat.
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[Author's Message]: Okay, this chapter was actually supposed to go a different way, especially with the torture scene. The chapter is called A Game Of Truth or Pain, and it didn't live up to the name, why? Because I'm entering this story on the Watty Awards, so I cannot fully describe in detail scenes like this, which is why the sex scene was almost non-existent. I can only LIGHTLY describe sex scenes to be PG-13. If A Little Insane doesn't make it to the Watty Awards, I'll be editing the chapter and I'll add the real torture scene between Riley and Hart, but just know that it was supposed to be very graphic and terrifying and horrible like omg. I'm so mad lol, but I gotta do what I gotta do.
Anyway, holy crud, the next chapter is THE LAST CHAPTER. O_O It's called "The Last Sacrifice" and it will end . . . very shockingly lol. Remember that there is a part two, so please don't ask me to add more chapters! Just wait for part two to come out.
REMEMBER TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO HAVE A CHANCE TO GET A CHAPTER DEDICATED TO YOU! ALSO I NEED ALL THE SUPPORT FOR THIS STORY IN ORDER FOR IT TO ENTER THE WATTY AWARDS! THANK YOU GUYS, HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE CHAPTER! LOL MWAH. <3