Psycho Killer (Jahren) *COMPLETED*

Chapter Seven

AHREN

The second Joel and I stepped foot back in his house, it was hard to get two words out of Joel. He was too preoccupied running around muttering something about having to leave now he'd given Police his address in his witness statement. There was one word that confused me, and that was his constant use of the word 'I' when saying he had to leave with no mention of me.

I stand up and step in front of him as he paced the living room blocking his path, "what the fuck is going on with you Joel?"

He stares at me with cold dead eyes, "I need to leave. This was never a part of the plan Ahren. I have to get out of here before they put all the evidence together."

I shake my head, "you keep saying I need to leave, does that not include me?"

Joel grunts and grabs my shoulder roughly, pulling me towards a door I never noticed under the stairs. He rips it open still keeping his tight grip on my shoulder, and drags me down another set of stairs which I assumed led to a basement.

"THIS IS WHY I NEED TO LEAVE AHREN," he growls aggressively, "IT WAS NEVER PART OF MY PLAN TO GET CAUGHT AND THEN YOU CAME INTO MY LIFE!"

I was genuinely scared for my life in his moment. Then Joel flicks on a light and my stomach churns at the sight in front of me. Joel obviously used his basement as his killing room. There was a metal table in the centre of the room, and instruments used to mutilate and torture were scattered around aimlessly without a proper place. Although I couldn't see any blood the familiar metallic scent overpowered the air along with bleach.

I gulp and dare to walk around the room trying to hold my breath as not to gag. I guess up until this point I didn't fully see Joel as a serial killer. Joel stands next to the stairs watching me with eagle eyes, making me feel like a hunter stalking his prey waiting for that moment of weakness to show so he could strike.

"The Police don't suspect you, Joel, you were an amazing actor who had them eating out of the palm of your hands. Leaving town will only make them more suspicious and come sniffing around."

Joel snorts, "I know this hierarchy a lot better than you little naive Ahren. I know how they think."

Hearing him call me naive hit a nerve. Yes, I was new to all of this, but if I'd known all of this a long time ago maybe I could have acted instead of running with my tail between my legs acting like a scared little boy. I was a lot stronger than Joel gave me credit for, just because he'd only seen my weaknesses.

"So what happens now, Joel?" I manage to get out, keeping emotion out of my voice even though I was close to breaking down.

Joel closes the space between us and takes me by surprise smashing his lips down on mine, holding my jaw tightly in his hand as if he was scared I'd pull away, but I allow his tongue to explore freely enjoying what I assumed would be my first and last kiss with Joel Birch. Even when he was pissed Joel was rather gentle and loving in his kiss.

After a couple of minutes, Joel pulls back breathing heavy and avoiding eye contact, "you need to leave and forget me, Ahren Stringer."

I bite my lip to keep a sob back, I didn't want to leave and forget him. But right now neither of us were in the right headspace.

"You know Joel I once read somewhere that the most beautiful things are often the deadliest. I suppose that is why I find you beautiful."

Joel still avoids eye contact but I swear I see a stray tear run down his cheek. I wipe the tear away and get out of the basement as fast as I could.

JOEL

Fear of the darkness consumes me, it won't leave me alone and time keeps running out for me. There was only so long I could do this before the final grain of sand fell, and my time of content and bliss came to an end. Just one more life, I'm so sick and tired of singing the blues for myself, I should turn my life around but I can't.

Tell me why do I feel this way? All of my life I've been standing on the borderline between light and dark. I've burned too many bridges and told too many lies, that I no longer know where I belong in his cruel world. I had a life once upon a time but I can never go back and play happy families with how bloodstained my conscious was. I can't do that, I can't go back and continue hurting people close to me.

The dread follows me home, disturbing my sleep until Ahren came into my life and I slept without being kept up by the demons inside me. But now I need to find a place, a place where no one can find me, not the demons and especially Ahren. though I'd never forget running my fingers through his soft dyed hair calming myself more than him. Maybe I'm lost, or maybe I'm scared, but too many times I've closed doors behind me not caring about the consequences or who I had to leave behind.

Ahren had called me beautiful before he left, and had wiped away my tear, a sign of weakness I hardly ever showed. At that moment he hadn't judged me, or mocked me like so many others would have. It was clear to me that he was struggling to keep his emotions at bay, trying to stay strong in front of me because he didn't want to seem weak in our final moments together. All this time I saw emotions as a sign of weakness, but maybe they weren't as bad as I assumed they were.

But now I needed to leave it all behind, finally, cross the borderline and face the truth. I wasn't as heartless a killer as I wanted to make myself out to be. By pushing Ahren away I thought I was keeping him safe, by hurting him I was trying to make him a stronger person. But a huge part of me didn't want Ahren to change, to become emotionless like myself because his emotion made me protective and was a part of his personality. I needed to take a cold hard look in the mirror at myself.