7. Locked Doors

After running into Frey again, Rema convinces him to stay with her during the winter months. She tries to get him to open up to her, but some doors just won't budge.

"Locked Doors"
This chapter contains mild non-graphic murder, non-graphic scenes of self injury that may be triggering to some, and Language. 

-Rema-

Days went by since I met that stranger.  Since he tried to kill me, then connected to me in a way I can't explain, then just disappeared as quickly as he appeared.  It felt almost like a dream... I wondered if I'd see him again, but the days turned to weeks and I still haven't.

Winter hit hard.  I wonder if he's out there in the cold and snow. I wonder if he's hurt or dead.  I wonder about him constantly. Obsessed with that haunting memory like I met saw a ghost and I try my hardest to get that ghost to show himself again.

The bodies piled up on me. I went from a few a month, to a few a week and I could tell Zekk was starting to worry.  I just can't stop. It brings back the energy of Frey.  He was the embodiment of death and blood.  The aura of death reminded me of him...

I feel cold and numb. Like a thick blanket of darkness fell over my days, wrapped around my eyes. I feel lost and confused in a daze.  I don't know what to do with myself. I don't know what to think.  Everything just feels... Meaningless.  My life and the life of others meant nothing to me.

I find myself wandering through the park, like I do each day. The park I met him in.

My eyes dully stare off, until they catch something, or rather someone, lying in the snow.  My vision clears, eyes brightening as if waking from a dream. I walked towards the figure quickly, already knowing who it is.

Huddled on the ground shaking from the cold and his hands covered in blood, he lies there.  Those blank eyes fading in and out of darkness.  He feels cold to the touch when I lean in to move his hair and look at his face.

"Frey..." I whisper, getting onto my knees.  I found him... I actually found him.

He's cold. He's so cold. His skin is deathly pale.

"Frey... Come here." I pull him so he's sitting up and leaning against me, shaking so horribly. "Frey, you have to get up." His head just falls forward and I shake him in vain. "Come on, get up."

He's too heavy to pull up, but he'll freeze to death in no time like this.  It's too cold... He'll die...
I notice the blood on his hands is coming from his wrists.  The cuts are self-inflicted, but don't seem too deep.

"Frey, get up." I pat on his face, trying to get a reaction. Nothing.

I pull out my cell phone, dialing Zekk's number in a frenzy.

"I need you to help me. I need you." I cry into the phone as soon as it picks up.

"Rema...? Rema? What's wrong?"

I can hear his groggy voice turn quickly become rushed and harsh.  I can sense his panic.

"I need you to help me. Please help me!"

"Where are you? What happened? Are you hurt?"

"Park a few blocks from home. Please, please hurry."

"Rema, what happened? Are you okay?"

"Please, just f*****g hurry!" I hang up, beginning to shake Frey again.

His teeth chatter, fingers turning blue. So cold. He's so cold.

It takes Zekk what feels like hours, but must have only been a few minutes to find me.  Looking at me in complete confusion and shock. "Who is this? What'd you do?"

"Please, help him. Please."

"What happened? What did you do?" he asks again, his voice stronger now.

"I didn't do anything!" I scream, "I know him.  Please, help me!"

He exhales roughly, bending down to pull him from my arms and lift him.  He carries him to the car, placing him in the back seat.

"Wrap him in those blankets." He says, quickly getting in the driver's seat. "Where to? Hospital or what?"

"No.  Take me and him home. Please."

"Rema, he's freezing to the point he's in the early stages of hypothermia. How long has he been out there?"

"He's homeless." I answer.

Zekk does as I ask him, taking Frey into my apartment and we cover him with blankets and crack up the heat.

"What do I do?" I ask in a craze.  I can't breathe, my chest is so tight that it hurts.

"Rewarm him. Hot towels, lots of blankets. When he wakes up, give him alcohol. I've heard that helps." He chews on his lip, his eyes observing the other man carefully. "Might wanna bandage up those wrists too..."

"Okay... He'll be all right? Right?"

"Rema... Who is this guy? You never mentioned you knew a homeless suicidal guy who sleeps in the snow in the park." He starts pacing, watching me run around the room for anything I can use to help Frey. "He's safe, right?  Not a risk to you or anythin'?"

"He's fine. Please... Just... Help me." I beg.

"There really isn't much you can do for him besides trying to get his body warm again.  He'll be okay... His shaking is even starting to go away." He bends in closer to look at him, eying the scarring on his face and neck. "Dude looks like somebody took a weed-whacker to 'em. What happened to this guy?"

"Don't." I snap, narrowing my eyes.

"Sorry... Just... The guy seems kind of... Off... You sure he's safe to be around?" He presses again, taking a deep breath. "Something about him just doesn't sit right."

He's unconscious.  What possibly wouldn't sit right with him?  Zekk's always been overprotective and a bit judgmental of any men I choose to be around, but he's just angering me now.

"If you aren't going to help, Zekk, please leave."

He frowns, shifting his feet. "Call me if you need me."

"Thanks, Zekk." I say as he walks towards the door. "Don't tell anyone."

"Your secret's safe. Don't worry.  I just don't wanna be you when Kacia comes back." He laughs and shakes his head as he closes the door.

I lean in, brushing hair out of Frey's face. "Can you hear me?"

His eyes flutter open, unfocused as they look at me.  For a split moment, I see the flashes of fear and a broken expression come over his face before it goes blank and he looks at me in confusion.

"Do you hear me?" I ask again. "Please answer me..."

"Where am I?" Just like last time...

"I found you... You were so cold... I thought... You could have died..."

He just stares at me, wide-eyed.

"Just relax, I'll get you warm in no time." I slap myself in the forehead, making him jump. "Hold on! I'll be right back. Don't move."

I run to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of rum Kacia left in the fridge the other day.  I bring it back to him and tell him to drink, making him even more confused.  I watch over him for a while, until he looks over at me with clear eyes.

"You should have left me there." He says coldly, his tone almost bitter at me.

I want to smack him. Ungrateful. Then I remember the cuts on his wrists... Was he trying to kill himself?

"I wasn't going to just leave you to die..."

"Why'd you help me? I don't like owing people."

I frown, "You don't owe me anything.  You were so cold, just lying there shaking.  I had to help you..."

"No, you didn't. You shouldn't have.  It wasn't any of your business." He growls, "You're f****n' nosy, you know that."

"Stop, Frey." I tell him. He doesn't seem like last time. He seems even more hopeless and bleak then before. "What's wrong? You aren't hurt again, are you?"

"I'm fine..." He tells me, "Just... Tired. Of everything."

"Frey... Stay with me... At least for a little while... Please." I whisper, my heart weighing heavy in my chest.

He doesn't answer me.

"Please, I'm begging you. Don't go out in that cold again... You won't make it through the winter."

"I've made it through many winters by now."

"Please." I feel the tears coming into my eyes again.

He rolled his eyes and almost growled at me. "Fine, whatever."


Kacia was extremely unhappy with me for having a stranger stay, until I mentioned how many strangers she'd bring home from clubs and bars all the time and that shut her right up.  She seemed uneasy around Frey, and once he caught onto it; it seemed like he did things just to freak her out. I'm not sure if he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and didn't mean to do it, or if he was seriously messing with her on purpose.

"He's weird." Kacia says, twisting her hair in her fingers as she looks into the living room, checking constantly to see if he's there. "And he's kind of creepy. I don't like the feel of him."

"He's just messing with you, Kacia." I hope he is only messing with her. "Just ignore him."

"It's kinda hard when he's sleeping in our living room." She mutters. "Speaking of the weird homeless guy you took in, where'd you say he went?"

"I don't really know to honest."

He left about an hour ago. Didn't say a word to me and just walked out.  He's done it a few times in the last couple weeks he's been staying with me.  The first couple times I didn't think he'd come back, but he always did a few hours later.  I didn't ask where he went or what he did, but I knew he was probably killing people.  He'd come back with blood on his hands and that darkness in his eyes.

He didn't talk to me much, even though I bothered him pretty often. He's extremely vague about everything he says or tells me, if he even answers me.  I try to be open with him in hopes he catches on and does the same, but I'm not sure if this guy even knows how to open up.

"Where'd you say he's from?" Kacia asks, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Um, I don't really know."

She raises an eyebrow. "How old is he?"

"Not sure. Probably around our age, I guess."

He told me he honestly doesn't know how old he is.  He can't remember, and his kidnapper never bothered to inform him.  I'm guessing he's in his mid-twenties, probably only a few years older than me, if that.

"You really know nothing about this guy, do you?" She frowns, "This really isn't like you.  I don't want you fooling around with this guy, he could end up being like the last dickhead you were with."

"I doubt that."

I didn't doubt it. In fact, it surprised me how much alike they were. They both were violent, seemed to have anger and aggression issues, and a lack of remorse.   I think the only main differences I could find was that Frey wasn't a drunken a*****e with control issues, and my ex husband wasn't a emotionless shell of tragic memories and demented voices.   They both were dangerous, but in different ways.
Plus, Frey didn't seem like the abusive type. He didn't seem like the type to even get close enough to someone to abuse them. Chances are if he was going to hurt me, he would just kill me.

"I'm just sayin'.  You let some crazy looking homeless guy with busted teeth and scars all over him come in our house and you know nothing about him.  He could be some kind of serial killer or a drug addict or just released from prison for all you know."

Kind of odd how she's right about the serial killer thing.

"Well, I already have a drug addict living with me." I smirk at her.

She glares. "That was low."

"Hey, I'm just sayin'."


-Frey-

The blood covers my hands, soaks into my sleeves. I can't stop stabbing, even as the man fights and pushes at me.  Trying so hard to get away, it's almost amusing.  Some people don't know when to give up.  This guy already lost a s**t load of blood, he won't make it very far, even if he does manage to get away.

The knife leaves large gashes in his skin, tears in his clothes.

"Don't you know struggling will only make you die faster?" I ask, but the voice isn't mine.

Horror comes over his face, then mixes to rage and he still fights.  Stupid.  He really should just give up and let himself die.  He isn't helping himself at all by trying to be brave.


I walk home slowly, hiding my bloody hands in my pockets.  The guy fought quite uselessly, but did manage to get a few good hits in.  Including bashing the side of my face on the pavement in a failed attempt to get away from me.  He busted my head open and it still bleeds down my face, neck, and stains my shirt.  Other than that, I'm pretty much fine.

It's way after midnight when I get back to Rema's house, though I debated not going back like I did every time.  She's annoying and clingy and asks too many questions, but for some reason I can't stay away from her.  I didn't expect her to be awake when I got in, and she nearly leaped off the chair and ran to me, trying to look at my face.

The f**k does this girl think she is? A doctor?

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." I shove her hands away from me and try to get pass her to the bathroom.

"You're bleeding."

"And you're annoying me, f**k outta my way." I snap at her.  She's making my head hurt.

She looks startled by my reply, but steps aside and then follows me to the bathroom as I wash my hands and face. "What happened? Your head is split wide open."

"You should see the other guy. His throat is split wide open." I laugh dementedly, again a laugh that isn't totally mine.

She steps back for a moment, then wipes the shocked look off her face and sighs. "Well... Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No, I'm fine. Now can you leave?"

"You're hurt though."

"And you talk too much. Now leave. I have to shower.  So unless you want me to strip in front of you, I suggest you walk out."

She shakes her head and puts her hands up, turning her back to walk out.

I wait for the door to close and peel the bloody clothes off me and start the shower.  The water turns crimson when I step in.

The voices start again.

'You know, you could always kill that stupid girl.'

"I don't have a reason to."

'You didn't have a reason to kill any of the others you brutally hacked into pieces.  Plus, you're always thinking about how much she annoys you and sticks her nose where it doesn't belong.'

"Well, she's actually been rather useful.  She took me in, helped me... She's annoying, but she's actually been kind to me.  I haven't had that before."

'What? You like her? Don't be dumb, Frey, she'll never care about you. She'll either hurt you or you'll kill her. That's the only way it's going to end.'

"Shut the f**k up." I growl.  It's just trying to provoke me, and I know that.

My hands move almost by themselves, grabbing a razor Rema must have left in the shower.  I break it and eye the little blades, my vision clouded by darkness as I run them across my wrist.

Blood drips from the open wounds and onto the shower floor. It releases chemicals in my brain that make me feel both dizzy and energized. Both relaxed and shaky.  Everything starts fading away and I enter a memory.

Author's Note

A/N:
Okay, So Frey's a suicidal psychopath, but Rema's really sweet for taking him in out of the cold! And Maybe, just maybe, Rema's kindness is starting to grow on Frey.
'Cause even two crazy serial killers need love.

If you enjoy the story, review and let me know what you think. =)