My Captivating Romance (with a serial killer)

e i g h t

October 21st, 11:19 am

We drove an hour or so up through the rocky mountains. I was nervous and excited to have a 'vacation' of sorts with Gerard. Frank wasn't wrong when he told me his parents didn't use this place often. It was so dusty I nearly choked to death upon entering. We weren't in the door five minutes when Gerard meekly said he had to leave.

"Why?" I groaned. "We just got here."

"I gotta finish what I started yesterday. I won't be gone long, I promise."

"Mmhmm." I muttered, unpacking our clothes and sliding them into the cobweb-covered armoire. Gerard sauntered over and grabbed my head, tilting me back slightly so my neck was exposed. He softly kissed the tender flesh under my earlobe, causing me to whine.

"How about, when I get back, we try out that hot tub?" He whispered, dragging his lips over my ear.

"That would be nice." I said softly, trying not to let my voice get breathy.

"Good."

He pulled away quickly and kissed my cheek before leaving again. He always had a way of seducing me into letting him leave. Although he almost never made good on his promises. I spent the next few hours cleaning. I found a whole hallway closet full of cleaning supplies. The cabin itself was all one level, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Just about everything was real wood so I went through 3 canisters of Pledge and nearly a gallon of white vinegar. I boiled a pot of cinnamon sticks and vanilla so the house wouldn't smell as musty.

I was grateful that Frank had taken me grocery shopping this morning so I had something to cook. I bleached the inside of the fridge and put all of the groceries away. Eating nothing but fast food and gas station burritos the last two months was turning my skin yellow. I was excited to show Gerard my kitchen skills. I had planned on making lasagna for him. I was just about done when he toppled through the door.

"Gee! What happened?" I shrieked as blood sprayed across my freshly cleaned floor.

"Motherfucker shot me!" He growled angrily, stumbling into the kitchen and collapsing onto a chair.

"Wh-what do I do? How can I help?"

"You tell me, nurse. Fucking Christ it hurts, Jo."

I raced to the bathroom and searched the cupboards for a first aid kit. Nothing of fucking course. I did manage to find a pair of tweezers and some peroxide to sterilize with. When I returned to the kitchen, Gerard was chugging an old bottle of vodka like it was a juice box. I yanked it out of his hands.

"Alcohol thins your blood, dumb ass." I said angrily at him. "You wanna bleed out?"

"No doc. I wanna not feel this shit." He said. I could see tears gathering in the corners of his hazel green eyes.

"I'm gonna dig the bullet out. Okay?"

"Anything, doc."

I dumped peroxide on the tweezers before carefully sliding them into the three-centimeter hole in Gerard's left bicep. He clenched his teeth tightly and snarled. I slowly retrieved the misshapen chunk of metal but the bleeding didn't cease. I had to guess he'd lost at least a liter of blood at this point. I stuck a clean dish towel over it and pressed as hard as I could.

"Fix me up, baby doll." Gerard said through his gritted teeth.

"I need to stop this bleeding," I told him. "Fuck, I didn't see a needle and thread anywhere."

"No needles, baby. Please. No needles."

"Alright, alright, uh." I thought for a few seconds, watching as the blood seeped through the towel. "I might have to..."

I hesitated because I really didn't want to do this.

"Do it, sugar. Do what you have too. I'm feelin woozy." Gerard groaned.

"I'm going to have to cauterize it, Gee. I'm gonna have to burn it shut." I was already grabbing the butcher knife from the wooden block on the counter. I moved my pan of pasta off the stove and turned the flame up as high as it would go. I set the knife over the metal grate and prepped Gerard. "This is gonna hurt really bad, but it's gonna close the wound. I need to sterilize it first, okay?"

Without a word, he grabbed the bottle of vodka and sucked in a mouthful before spitting it down his arm. He winced as the alcohol seeped into the exposed flesh. He took a few more swigs but swallowed this time.

"That's not sterile, Gerard. Fucking hell." I muttered angrily.

I grabbed the red-hot knife and sat in Gerard's lap so I was straddling him. I took his hand and shoved it up my shirt, making sure his rough, bloody fingers were cupping my bare breast. This was gonna hurt, but I was gonna do my best to make him forget about the pain. He squeezed my breast and pressed his vodka-soaked lips to mine as I pushed the scalding metal against his bicep.

He gasped and screamed against my lips as I held the knife firmly to his wound, the smell of searing flesh burning our nostrils. I moaned into his lips and arched against him, making him whimper. His free hand went to the back of my neck, kissing me deeper and holding me in place. He dug his nails into the sensitive skin and I groaned with him. His skin stopped sizzling, signifying that the knife had finished its job.

I tossed it to the ground and pulled back from Gerard. He didn't let up on me, sinking his teeth into my neck and raking his fingers up and down my back and sides. I grabbed the vodka and dumped more of it down his arm. He let out a near ear-splitting scream, tears flowing freely down his red cheeks.

"I don't feel so hot." He said before letting his head drop back against the chair.

I wasn't totally sure if he was asleep or unconscious, but he was breathing. And that was good enough for me.

I carefully cleaned Gerard's wound with some triple antibiotic cream I found. He didn't even stir, he must be unconscious. I wrapped his arm in some old gauze that was lying in the back of the medicine cabinet. After I had him sufficiently bandaged, I needed to move him. I couldn't just leave him slumped in this wooden chair all night.

Fuck, I wish Frank was here. Yanking the chair across the floor with one hundred and fifty pounds of dead weight wasn't near as easy as it sounds. I pulled him as close to the couch as I could. I had been a nurse aide for two years so I did what I could to lift Gerard. I slid my arms under his and linked my fingers together. Thinking of it as a one-person transfer.

"Okay, Mr. Way, when I count to three, we're going to stand and pivot. Got it?" I asked, knowing full well that he couldn't hear me and wasn't going to offer any help in standing. "Awesome, alright now, 1, 2, 3."

I lifted with all my strength. I had Gerard completely stood up before my knees went weak and I knocked us both onto the couch. I fell on top of him and he jolted awake. He looked around, confused momentarily, before wincing at the pain in his arm.

"Joli." He said softly.

He pulled me close and pressed his lips to mine, giving me a slow kiss that I wished would last forever. He turned on his side, his back against the couch, his bad arm draped lazily over my waist. We kissed softly, our mouths barely open when Gerard pulled away.

"You fixed me." He said with a slur.

"Yeah." I said simply.

"So sweet to me. I killed that fucker." He smiled.

"Good, Gee. I know you're kinda shitfaced so I don't expect a straight answer. But can we...I dunno, treat this as a real vacation? No killing. Just while we're here." I said meekly.

"Of course, sugar. Just for you. I'll be a good boy. I promise."

He tried to kiss me again but I pulled to the side and kissed his check instead. I knew how drunk he was and I wasn't about to take advantage of him in his stupor. I ran my fingers through his hair and within a few minutes, he was fast asleep. I gave him a quick kiss on his pixie nose before retiring to the master bedroom.