Devil's Night

Buried Roses

Chris POV

Everything was so sensitive right now and I didn't know how to phrase or approach this properly to avoid another lash out from Ricky. I didn't take a genius to see that he wasn't in the most optimal or stable mental state presently and I can't blame him one bit. What we suffered through would fuck up even the most emotionally and strong willed being. Anyone who claimed to never cry with an iron heart,  would completely break down after Rem had his way with them.

Hell. I was baffled that I wasn't in a far worse condition than I was now, I don't know if it was all of the painkillers or just me. I got lucky on this one but unfortunately, Ricky was tremendously scarred and I had the unnerving suspicion that this was all starting to take a toll, carrying him to insanity's ledge. He's holding on for dear life to not lose himself in his mind but how much longer will his grip last? Ricky's walking a fine line between his reality and emotions, tiptoeing the very edge that would place him in Death's hand with one misstep. I feared that he would end up in such a pit of darkness, that not even the most eye blinding lights could return him into a healthy balance.

The primal cruelty I saw in his eyes as he straddled Rem with the makeshift knife in his bloody hands, there was only hate and the piercing desire for revenge in his shattered heart. When I was in the cell with him, being pinned to the floor by the guard across from me where. I struggled to watch. It pained me to be witness to such a gruesome scene but I couldn't get myself to turn away. Horrified but oddly mesmerized, all I could think about was the man before me wasn't the Ricky I knew and loved. Or even human, like he was enslaved by one of his most vile inner demons. This wasn't the Ricky I fell in love with.

Battling against the silence we've created, both of us were adventuring through our own individual worlds, deep in contemplation. A dire need to ask the question that's been circling my brain ever since my torture session with Rem, I knew I'd just have to come out and say it.

The mysterious message Ricky wrote on the stone wall was engraved in my mind. The handwritten words, his blood a vibrant red was unforgettable and until I addressed it, I would never be able to make amends with the sight. Looking him directly in his icy blue eyes, I was soothed at his undeniable beauty. Within and out.

"What did it mean?" I vaguely asked Ricky in a mumbled tone.

He refocused his eyes form a glassy stare on to me, gazing into mine. "Pardon me?"

Questioning whether he really heard me or if he wanted me to repeat myself for amusements sake, I asked it again only a bit louder so that this time he wouldn't miss a word.

"Written in red and dripping down the stone walls of the tunnel on my way to the chamber." I described the background of this to him so he couldn't possibly mistake this anything else. "Who were those 'final words' referring to?"

He just bowed his head, composing himself enough to answer me and trying to calm the red hue that shaded his cheeks. I just sat there patiently as I awaited a response from him. Maybe this was a far more serious than I originally thought.