Chapter Five

Dealing with injuries

Warning: Does contain some triggering content, which includes but isn't limited to brief mentions of child abuse, domestic violence, and implied torture or abuse, brief mentions of self-inflicted injury, and some mild gore/blood which is really just a brief description of infected injuries.

-Rema-

Once I gathered what medical supplies I had and a bowl of warm water with a cloth, I walked back into the living to find him half unconscious again.

“Frey, wake up!”

I didn’t know what happened or how bad he was hurt… Or why he came to my bar, of all places after I only saw him once, but I guessed he really had no one else to turn to… That made me pretty sad...

He looked like hell, and in the light, he looked even worse.  His face was bruised and leaking blood down the left side.  Under his hood I could see handprints around his neck.  He smelled like blood, puke, and something rotten.  His clothes were drenched and he was freezing, and so, so pale.

I wondered how long he’d been in this shape, all alone, living in the street and sleeping on the ground during one of the worst snow storms we’ve had all year.  He’s lucky he’s even alive.

“Where else are you hurt? Your leg?” I asked.

He looked at me and nodded, yanking his hood down.  For the first time, I could see his face and the long mess of hair he hid under the hood.  My jaw dropped a bit when I realized his face was littered with scars, and half of it looked burned with the left eye glazed and blind.  I didn’t notice it before, he never looked up and that hood did a great job of hiding his face…

“My leg, ribs, back, head…. Pretty much everywhere f****n’ hurts…”

“Take off your hoodie, shirt, and pants… Boots too.”

He stared at me with wide, untrusting eyes. “Why the f**k would I do that?”

“So I can see your injuries, genius… I’m not going do anything to you, why are you looking at me like that?”

He still looked confused, but the anger slowly left his face so I sighed and lowered my tone. “I need to see how bad these injuries are, and clean them…”

He nodded and started stripping off his clothes slowly, like every movement hurt.  After his hoodie and shirt, he leaned forward and threw up on my floor and I caught a full view of his back.  It was covered in scars just like his face… Scars that were years and years old.  They were all different, and could have been from knives, a belt, or even a whip.  There were burns too, and obvious circle shaped cigarette burns going up his spine in a crude and perfect pattern, like someone slowly put cigarette after cigarette out on him for some kind of sick art form.  His arms, were also covered in cuts and scars, but they looked self inflicted.

What the hell was I seeing?  I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn’t just seeing things due to the shots I had earlier.  I’d see abuse before, my husband would smack the s**t out of me and my Daddy even believed in a good belt to the a*s when I was little, but I never saw anything like Frey’s marks before.  Looked less like abuse and more like he walked out of a snuff film.

He glanced up at me, his eyes narrowing. “Would ya stop staring at me?”  He removed the worn out boots and bloodstained jeans and I saw the source of his problem.  A large gash on his right leg that was bright red, leaking, and looked as though he stitched it himself with thread.

I bent down, pulling back when he jumped.  I peered at the wound, it was infected… Pretty badly infected too… In fact, another couple days like this, he could have easily died.

“F**k, Frey… You stitched this yourself? What the hell is this? A knife wound? Did you get shot?”

“It’s nothin’…” He said.

I clenched my jaw… That indifferent, blank tone again… Someone obviously attacked him and he couldn’t seem to care less.

“I need to get this thread out and clean this…” I told him as I gathered what I needed in front of me. “You gonna tell me who did this…?”

I didn’t get an answer.

“Did they give you all those scars, too?” I asked softly. I saw him tense, “It’s hard not to notice… You’re covered from head to toe like you been tortured or something.”

It explained why he was so vague and on edge. why he wanted to jump that day… Why he seemed familiar to me… Victims can always spot victims, even if they’re closed off and dark vibed like him.

“Is someone after you?”

“The scars ain’t related…” He finally answered, his voice was tight now. “And why do you just assume I’m the victim?”

He sounded insulted, and I could sort of understand… Yet, the statement did confuse me… If he wasn’t the victim, then what was he?

He didn’t even wince as I cleaned the wound, barely hissed while I cut out the makeshift stitches and tried to push as much of the pus out as I could.  He could handle pain… That was for sure.  He stared at me the whole time, those empty orbs watching me like cameras.  It made me uneasy again; he was good at that.

“You could go to the police… Tell them what happened to you… They’d get whoever did this…”

“I don’t need no cops to get somebody who’s already got…” It was a confusing line that felt like it had a deeper meaning, but his words were so slurred and his accent made the line kind of hard to understand anyway, so I dropped it.

I cleaned and bandaged his leg and head, and checked for other injuries but it seemed like they were the worst among minor injuries like bruises, scrapes, and some cracked ribs.  

“You hungry?” I asked.  He was pretty thin for a guy his height. Not skinny or extremely underweight, but he looked like he barely ate unless he needed to… being homeless, he probably didn’t.

“I’ll probably throw up again.” He said as I handed him a blanket, he was still freezing cold to the touch.

“Let me get you something to drink at least, can you drink milk?” I asked.

“Yeah…”

“I’m gonna get you that, at least it has some nutrition.”

As soon as I walked into the kitchen, I felt the need to cry.  Something hurt looking at him, something deep inside my soul.  I could always feel someone’s pain, it was like a special gift I had, and for some reason, he seemed so empty… But the amount of scars and the look of complete lifelessness in his eyes told me something awful happened to him… and it hurt me…

I came back in with his milk, and he was fading off again.

“Frey.” I shook him gently and handed it to him when his head shot up.  I sat in the chair to his left while he drank slowly, watching him in case he’d puke again.  I already had to clean up a puddle of blood and bile on the floor from earlier, I’d hate for him to add ot it.

He glanced at me, noticing my stare. “I can leave as soon as I can stand… just give me a few minutes…”

Another shot to my chest. “I didn’t say you should leave, in fact… You shouldn’t.  It’s the middle of winter out there, you barely got meat on you, and you almost died tonight.” I chewed on my lip… “Frey, do you want to stay here for the night?”

He cocked his head to the side again, “What?”

“Look, I know we don’t know each other, and I have no idea what happened to you but you’re hurt.  You’re homeless, starving, cold, and now you’re seriously hurt.  I’m not asking you in a creepy way, I just wouldn’t feel right letting you leave tonight.  I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep out of worry.”

He looked away, and appeared to think it over a bit.  His eyes darting back and forth.  He looked so exhausted. “I guess…”

“I don’t mind. Just sleep here, on the sofa for the night and get some rest.  You look really worn out.” I told him.

“Yeah…” he mumbled.  He looked like he was about to pass out anyway, which only made me want him to stay here more.

“Just get some rest…”

Author's Note

(the next chapter mysteriously went missing and I had to repost it, you can find it by looking at the end of the book, or by clicking this link: http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/Sinbulvinter/1937940/)

Okay, so all is well and Rema took care of him like the motherly waitress prositute she is! XD Also, a little hint at some shit about Frey's past, which is pretty damn disturbing to fit a disturbing guy. XD

Again, multi-chapter, so you'll wanna read the previous ones first or it won't make sense, blah, blah.

I love comments, reviews, and feedback. Let me know what you think. Anything is greatly appriecated! Thank ya!

Reviews

[Kesha]

Idk why but this made me chuckle "I’m not asking you in a creepy way".. another wonderful chapter, glad he decided to stay the night and rest

[Sinbulvinter]

Haha. Thanks for reading and reviewing

[Kesha]

You're welcome!

[CAPOLAVORO]

I like Frey's character so much. He is so interesting to read. :)

[Sinbulvinter]

I'm glad you like him so much. He's a lot of fun to write and think in his character, especially in the early chapters.
Like I said before, I really didn't expect so many people to like Frey - since he's kind of a insenstive jerk and borderline sadistic. But for some reason, readers really like him. I guess its the whole "dark and damaged" complex he has. lol.

[Island Hippy]

Aloha, I really like Rema, you painted a tenderness about her that makes her even more likeable. I thought your description of Frey and how Rema sees him was so well done. The detail makes the scenes effortlessly visual which creates a potent mood.

I think we also see how beneath their darkness they hurt and bleed just like the rest of us, and they come with a past. It would be awesome to learn the history of Frey's scars, even though he makes the statement...not to assume he's the victim. That's a very curious statement. Izzy

[Sinbulvinter]

Rema is pretty likable, and isn't really a bad person. She is very caring, actually, and just has another side of her that snaps and does bad s**t.

That's kinda my point, people become what they lived. Frey's past is pretty fucked up, and it makes him a fucked up guy. The whole "Not a victim" bit is more referring to the injuries he had caused by killing the guys before, saying that just because he was hurt doesn't mean the other guys weren't victims (seeing how he started the fight, then murdered them all like a psychoatic a*****e), but it also goes to show that he doesn't like to be seen as a victim or really pitied, like a lot of people with hard pasts feel.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

[Dr. YumnaKay]

I'm beginning to like them as a couple haha :p
I liked how you described Frey in the eyes of Rema. It felt real especially this paragraph here:

"He looked like hell, and in the light, he looked even worse. His face was bruised and leaking blood down the left side. Under his hood I could see handprints around his neck. He smelled like blood, puke, and something rotten. His clothes were drenched and he was freezing, and so, so pale."

I loved the details in this one. I feel guilty of sympathizing with Frey but you managed the scene pretty well that the reader can't help but feel it, with all the scars and wounds, who wouldn't? :p

And the hints you throw in for Frey's past has got my interest too. Seems more like to me, it's Frey who did it but could be that there's more to it than meets the eye...

Overall I loved this chapter. Almost humane ;)

[Sinbulvinter]

Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Yeah, Frey's character I kinda aimed to be that way. People shouldn't really feel bad for him because of the person he is, yet people do for the reasons why he is that way. Like I said before, I aim for my characters to be more gray rather than black and white. No body is completely good or completely bad, and everyone has a reason for being the way they are.

Frey's past is a heck of a doosy, and probably a bit over the top, but he's a really messed up person and he had a lot of messed up s**t happen to him that made him that way - Kinda like people become what they've been through.
And as for his scars and backstory and s**t, that actually takes a while to get into and readers don't know tthe full story until later into the story. You'll learn more about Rema's past than Frey's much quicker.

Thanks again for reviewing, I'm glad you're getting into it.

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Ahh well I'll be interested to know both ;)
And yes, I'm completely hooked by this story :))
You're welcome :)

[Sinbulvinter]

Well, Rema's past is pretty easy to figure out, but Frey is something out of a Deep Web story, but actually has a kind of metaphorical meaning, despite being beyond fucked up.
And I'm glad you're hooked!

[Dr. YumnaKay]

You confused me lol I'll find out myself 😛😂

[Sinbulvinter]

Yeah, sorry, I'm a bit confusing with my words.

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Nah it's okay 😉😊

[BBP]

Nicely done! You have showed a vulnerable side to Frey, even if he didnt want you to! ;) and a caring side to Rema.

You have made them even more humanized than before, makes you almost forget they are killers.

You write wonderfully! It is refreshing to read real stories on here, I came here for my novel so it's inspiring when you come across other novelists who are taking this so seriously!

Thank you for sharing!

[Sinbulvinter]

Thank you so much for your words. It really makes me happy when someone enjoys what I write.

That's kind of what I've tried to do, show every good person has bad in them, and every bad person has some good. I keep my characters in a gray area, because we as people aren't black and white, we all have an good side of us a bad side.

There is a lot of really good aspiring writers here, and a lot of people who leave awesome feedback for people who are starting. That's why I love this site so much.

[JoeM]

Well, I've gotten this far. I think I've led a very sheltered life. I feel dismay that there could be people as you portray that must wonder what the word 'happiness' means.
You write well about a very depressing subject.
God! All that blood.

[Sinbulvinter]

Haha, omg, your review just made my day. I seriously began laughing when I read this.
Sorry if I tainted your sheltered life, and about all the blood. (which is really tame at this point in the story, it only gets worse - a lot worse.)

Thanks for reading this far, and I'm glad I could write a depressing subject well. =)
Thanks for the review, I really appecriate it.

[matrixmark]

Rema - I liked how you brought out her caring side, it was demonstrated really well. But if you step back it is quite a surreal situation to see these 2 people together. But then again, isnt that what makes for a good read.The descriptives were good when Frey took of his clothes - it gives the reader a good idea just how much this man has suffered - also if you add it to his mental stability it shows just how damaged this person really is. It also shows that Freys reluctance to take off his clothes shows that he is a pretty much closed off type of person BUT at the same time he is willing to open up a little towards Rema. It also leaves the reading wondering about Freys past and what is to become of his future.

Questions, questions...
Hopefully they will be answered.

A touching piece (in an odd way - if you know what I mean)

Mark.

[Sinbulvinter]

Thanks for the review!

Rema is a caring person, despite the things she does she still holds onto her humanity and has a motherly role to her.
You're completely right about Frey, and I'm glad I was able to portray that correctly. He is a very closed off and damaged person, his sadistic and indifferent nature is really mainly a front and coping/defense skill.

Questions are answered in later chapters, it doesn't take much longer.

Thanks again for reading and reviewing. Very glad you're enjoying it.

[matrixmark]

Very happy to be part of this journey.

Mark.

[Coyote Poetry]

A very good chapter. Some medical help and calmness in the story. Thank you for sharing the excellent chapter.
Coyote

[Sinbulvinter]

Thanks for reading!

[Coyote Poetry]

Was my pleasure and you are welcome.

[Oneluv]

This showed that both of them have a soft side. I wonder what happened to Frey. I know why Rema does what she does but, not him. The both was forced to kill. Cant wait until you upload the next chapter!

[Sinbulvinter]

Yeah, they both do have a good side to them. I think like all of us, they have a good side and a bad side.
Frey's stories explained bit by bit as the story goes on, but he's a closed off guy, so it takes a bit. Rema's a very open and expressive person, so her backstory is told pretty quickly. It's just meant to show the contrast in the two.
The next chapter should be uploaded soon, I just gotta finish editting. The 7th might come up tonight if I decide to edit that one too instead of devoting all my time to writing.

[Oneluv]

I enjoy your writing...Im happy I found you on hear!