Cachexia - IV

Date: ???

Time: ???

A loud clatter was heard.

A gasp echoes loud in the room that is as small as a living cage.

Just not long after a quiet minute, another gasp follows with a scream echoes in the room.

Just to add more suspense that ever. Especially if there is a witness to see what happened inside the room itself. Sadly, no one ever witness anything, except the two that resides in the room for the longest time. If this is some sort of smut story, certainly the reader would get excited and engrossed with. Sadly, it isn't.

Especially when a shrill of scream was heard again, from Jean's throat.

"Say the reason why you're trying to dig into my case, Jean." Niles threatens again with the dagger he holds in his hand, mercilessly slicing after the skin with one expert slice that wouldn't kill Jean, but torturing him. And the torture works so well, Jean actually dillated his eyes and glares at Niles as if he wants to kill him. If Jean isn't bound by the ropes and free to go, he'll definitely turn the tables and stab the dagger straight to Niles's stomach by now. Or even, the pair of eyes that looks like nothing better but mocking Jean and his murderous intention to hit Niles if he is possible.

HeーNiles, looks like no one but a murderer now.

And the police actually turns in a wrong person when the real Niles is here, psychopatic and had no mercy on the officer. Especially when Jean kept his lips closed. But Jean is a bastardーhe always knows to torture and gain what he need, yet with another painful slash that makes Jean's wound open further and made him scream further.

"Say it, Jean." Niles asks with a malice in his tone as he pulls the dagger back and licks the back of the blood that is now tainted by Jean's blood, dripping to the floor. "I'm just the ghost of the past. Why would you want to seek someone who tries to murder everyone else?" Niles asked with a small voice and smiles at the young officer that now wears a weary face, messy, and smeared with tears. Jean merely grits his teeth as he glares at Niles.

"No answer? Thenー" Niles is already about to stab the sharp object just right to Jean's body parts, but when he sees the young officer parts his lips open, his eyeballs darts back to the young officer, who gasps for air. Finding his victim struggling, the older male merely holds firm the handle and kept his gaze carefully on Jean, who strive really hard to adjust with everything, especially because of the pain from the open wounds over his body now; with the blood trickling and pained him further whenever he breathe.

For Jean, this treatment is no better than a death.

It takes Jean few minutes to maintain his breathing until he can fully say something he needs.

"Where did you learn the technique to torture people like this?" Jean asks and expects a rage forming on Niles's expression. Instead, a smile forms on the captor's lips. He looks amused.

"Why would you ask that to a murderer on the news? Certainly you do know my motive." Niles plays dumb and swings the dagger in his hand, which've gotten Jean to sigh; he knows what did Niles mean.

"You know the news caught an imposter just to end your missing case. Now tell me, where did you learn that torturing move? Certainly, you aren't the type to do this unless you learntー"

And a dagger already stops on Jean's throat made the offficer's eyes grow wide. He can feel his body trembles slightly now Niles probably isn'tー

"Instead of interrogating me, mister officer. Why would you seek me? Why dig the past? Are you interested in the riddles?" Niles smiles, but even normal people can tell he smiles threateningly. Jean, too, knows it well.

It was as if Niles doesn't want anyone to ask, but why go so far to hurt Jean if he really...

"Why would you hurt me if I am only interested in the riddles?" Jean slips out the question he deems to be important, but gulps his saliva when he just realized what he asked.

Especially when Niles stares at him with a pair of unreadable eyes. But the dagger is still there, unmoving.

The room was at first, quiet.

None of the two moves as they wait for the others to engage first. Until a loud laugh escapes from Niles's throat, which erupted and echoed through the room. Jean merely sat there with a confused expression and furrows his eyebrows. He knows that Niles is certainly not one to be underestimated.

"This is the first time I see a good victim. Shouldn't you actually ask and beg me to stop instead of questioning such things?" He asks with a low, unstoppable chuckle that hints he is more than amused now everything came to gather here.

Jean, however, spits to one side as he kept glaring at the captor, who doesn't even seem to be bothered by his actions. If anything, Niles is too calm to be a normal person. He is certainly, trained and unpredictable, Jean noted.

'He might be the real criminal but we never know. After everything I have done to seek justice, is this what I got...?' Jean mused inwardly as he throws his gaze to his bleeding parts and stays quiet since he knows Niles is observing him just like a specimen of a rat that is ready to be slaughtered at the last minute.

Niles's smile grow even wider when Jean isn't planning to ask anything anymore. He withdraws his dagger and actually do something Jean doesn't comprehend. His palm cups Jean's cheek and all the sudden, his expression changed to just what he looked like in the old pictureーwarm, innocent, and happy. Jean, almost unbelieving of what he sees, actually shivers in his seat and felt more afraid than ever. Especially when Niles's gentle stroke suddenly changed to a strong graspーthat almost crush Jean's jawーand he grins widely.

"You're an odd one, Jean. I'm actually interested in knowing more about you! But tell me... why are you trying to dig the past? I'm no more that a ghost of the past and living just like what I wanted to be."

'Again, another word of being a ghost of the past?' Jean asked deep inside his heart as he find Niles to be oddly, repeating the words that doesn't seem to match his behavior.

And just another repeat of a question that almost drives Jean insane. It was as if he was trying to brainwash Jean in a sense, but it isn't showing any kind of effect, at all.

Although, having enough to listen to the same thing over and over, he clicked his tongue and shouts, "It's to put you into a light that you are not a murderer, and look at what've you done! If the police sees what you did to me, they will certainly think of you as a murderer! You'll definitely be charged of kidnapping and attempting to murder a police officer who tries to find justice in your case. Well, no, even worse than that. After what you've done!"

Niles drops his dagger and let the steel clutters on the floor, ringing loudly whenJean said what he really wanted to say. Jean kept his eyes on the other male as he doesn't understand on what was happening after a sudden change of reaction.

And just out of a sudden, the older male actually wears a different expression where it truly is not... something right. Jean kept his eyes on the male before him, who'd already grasped both of his face like he wants to tear his flesh while wearing a frightened expression. He was really pale and both of his eyeballs doesn't seem to be focused but darting off everywhere as if he wasn't living in the present.

"I... what should I do..." He whispers and stares at Jean at first, getting even more frightened now he sees blood on Jean's body, a small hysteric gasp could be heard from his mouth; as if he doesn't do anything to begin with.

Jean knows something is not right with his captor so he actually takes advantage of the situation by trying to calm him down first. Even though his body is really hurt from the whole ordeal, yet he still thought of helping Niles.

'Maybe because I might came to know what happened to him. No, not only that, maybe, I might find more than what it seems, even though it might cost me my life...' Jean mused as he tried to crouch down and trying to engage in a concersation with the male that seemed to be going to end his life right there and then if Jean is going to say anything more.

"Hey... calm down. I don't know what happened to you, but tell me, who taught you to torture people like this? This isn't something you would evenー"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

And just a loud scream along with burst of tears forming over Niles's face made Jean shut his mouth tight.

Jean isn't sure on what is happening by that time, but knowing that question probably hurts him more than what he thinks, the officer kept his mouth closed but with eyes glued to Niles, who already crouches down to the floor while holding his head, seeming to be afraid to be hit. His body even trembled as he squeezed his eyes.

By then, Jean thought... it might be because of how he raised his voice. He was deeply sorry for poorly engaged in a situation he doesn't know of, but he kept a note that he has to take good care of his actions or else he will feel really disheartened if he is uncapable to solve the mystery that shrouds this male before him.

Jean, too, registered the reaction as something that happened to him in the past, and probably related to abuse that drives him to such overraction and a change of patternal behaviour.

"Hey... I'm not here to hit you." Jean starts with a low voice when he looks at Niles, who flinched when he listened to Jean, who apparently is trying to make a conversation with. Niles slowly parts his eyes open when he sees Jean being calm. He was quiet at first but kept his eyes glued to the young officer that tried his best to smile in a situation where he shouldn't, even.

"You wouldn't...?" He asks slowly, just like a kid who asks for forgiveness.

And by then, Jean knows Niles, certainly have a complex disorder. No, not even that, perhaps he has something related to his trauma now he develops some sort of characteristic change. Or maybe it might've a heightened stimuli that makes Niles overreact by just a wordーa word that might trigger something he doesn't even recall, or worse, triggering him to overreact with trying to kill to upright his defense now he'd come this far. Perhaps something else happened in the past, which Jean needs to dig, even though his crime right now is certainly not to be overlooked at.

Although, depending on the situation and the whole scenario, even Jean knows his punishment sentence might've change if Jean is more than able to retrieve something of the past to be put onto testimony, if this case if brought to public and happened to be heard to the laws and justice.

'I'm just glad I have brains and logic just well I wouldn't just point my fingers to call him as some sort of monster now I came to witness this.' Jean thought as he starts tinkering his brain on how to approach and handle a messed up Niles now he might've just rendered into 'a messy case.'

Why does Jean knows this? He was stationed in therapeutic facilities for years before he became an officer to learn about some psychological syndrome that drives someone to do some sort of crime he doesn't want to do.

And in this Niles's case, he might've forced, used, or even doing something out of the context, due to the fear of rejection and more complex situations that corners him now he resort to use violence to release the anxiety system that drives him to the psychopath context. His reaction is obvious.

'Maybe he was doing this because of the past. Although, that, I need to find out, because there isn't really a story about him. Not even the documents I gathered are enough to tell his story.' Jean nodded to Niles, who smiles just like a kid, forgetting his crime already.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you, as well." Jean said after a long silence that'd start to live in their place as Niles starts to calm himself down and holds his face hard, with both of his eyes are still on the ground.

'But if people sees this, they will definitely try to kill Niles in return. But no, I am here to find a light and justice of my own case.' Jean mused as his eyes are now drawn to the dagger on the floor, witnessing how dangerous would it be now if Niles is going to kill him just right after thisーif he is ever to berserk and mess everything up. The young officer's brows knitted in a reaction of what he'd thought deep inside now he had to not step on the bombs that might set false alarm in Niles's head.

Jean draws his gaze back to the older male before him and tried to smile, but it turns into a wince once he felt the pain over his body; he forgot about the pain for once. He gulps for air at first but continues with what he had in mind.

"Say, Niles. Are you able to cut my ropes off and help clean my wounds? I want to talk to you after thisー"

And the dagger was already find its way to his throat again, with the tip of the sharp blade sunk to the officer's flesh now his skin tore open yet another fresh wound.

Niles slowly lifts his face and turns his cold gaze to the officer, who actually trembles in fear now his captor seems to be in a newーno, foul mood. "Are you going to leave me? Jean."

Jean quickly shakes his head in return and stares both of his eyes to the male that seems to be more than infuriated now. Such a change of unpredictable events, Jean noted. The male gulps his saliva at first and braces himself to meet death today if he failed to convince Niles to free himself.

"Why would I leave you? I know you are feeling really miserable inside and we need to talk. And not only that, if you don't really free me, and by the day the cops found out I was kidnapped by you, I'm pretty sure you will be in a grave danger yourself." Jean starts to reason as he threats the other male who had a waver in his eyes now it seems the reality had just sunk into his flesh.

Harsh as the reality might be, Niles actually realized his actions when his expression, once again, turns for the worst. He, however, doesn't go berserk or scream now he might have shifted to a neutral reaction; he wasn't as paranoid as he was earlier. "By that, what do you... mean?" He asks softly and shifts his gaze to the officer that actually have the upper hand now his last minute convincing skill actually works better than his prayers.

And by luck, of course.

'Even though I had to guilt trip him, but this is the best way to find justice.'

"Depending on your story, the riddle, and the story that revolves around you, I might just let you go after all what you've done to me; you've might have just charged with death sentence if I am that mindless man who does not care for any sides or story. I wouldn't really say what you've done is correct either; it doesn't go unpunishable. But of course, an eye for an eye." He said softly on the last part.

Jean expects Niles to fight back or even saying something that might have just attack Jean in a sense, but when the male seals his lips shut and tore the ropes on his body, the officer is certainly surprised. Not that he is going to complain or even saying anything bad now Niles actually listens to him. Although Jean needs to be careful, still, knowing that Niles have the upper hand. Jean's eyes are following each and every of the suspect of criminal before him now he doesn't know what is he truly planning as well.

Especially after he finished cutting the ropes and tending all of Jean's wounds. Jean tensed up when Niles' fingers starts to touch his cheek and trails down to his neck. He darts his eyes straight to Niles's unchanging expression, with a hope knowing what he had in mind.

"I will talk to you." Niles said softly until his fingers starts to cup Jean's cheek and strokes it gently. "But don't leave me."

Jean felt odd when he kept listening to Niles who repeated the same word over and over, but nodding his head and replied with,

"Yes. I won't."

Niles smiles in return and eventually clasped his hand against Jean's wristーwhich really made Jean quite odded and weirded out nowーbefore dragging him to somewhere else. Jean, who doesn't understand on what is happening, stutters and made noises of, "Wait, where are we heading to?", when Niles just drags him to the door where he came at first, Jean noted, and eventually to another door, and door, and doors ahead...

...that seems to be endless ahead until the actually came to a huge room where it has nothing but a set of wooden door ahead. Jean, who merely inspect the place in one glance and noting how huge the place is, actually perked his head up when he heard a soft crash of ocean waves ahead. Unsure on where he is heading to or even knowing his current location, Jean merely kept his gaze on Niles, who seemed to stood still in time as he listens to the current waves as well.

For the longest time, Niles merely gaze to the wooden door ahead and eventually shifts his gaze to Jean, who is still confused and tense while having his wrist grasped as well.

A smile came to Niles's lips.

"Everything starts from here."

He said before dragging Jean ahead again, with a stronger grasp on his wrist now the two is about to unfold what is beyond the curtainーthe mystery that shrouds the male before himーand everything is just beyond the door ahead.

Just one push and...

...everything will be revealed.

The truth, the mystery, the numbers, and the remains that should no one know about, but Jean, himself, with the lead villain who seemed to be a protagonist in this story before.

❖❖❖