You Said Remember Me

86

The tube had been removed from Heechul's mouth and he lay there with his eyes searching the room when Donghae and the chief arrived.

"How are you?" Chief Kang asked leaning over the bed. "The doctor said you're lucky your organs didn't get cut very deep."

Heechul nodded quietly then glanced at Donghae who noticed the stare.

"You went to the apartment like I told you to," Chief Kang said, "I forgot to say thanks."

Heechul didn't say anything.

"You took some mighty good pictures." Chief Kang complimented.

"Don't go there," Heechul whispered.

"What?" Chief Kang asked.

"He isn't there," Heechul told. "Keep an eye on Victoria and you'll find him hiding somewhere."

Donghae felt his heart race at even just the mention of someone watching her.

Heechul nodded toward Donghae gesturing for him to come to him. Chief Kang made way for him and Donghae had to literally lean over to hear Heechul's quiet voice.

"Donghae, you bastard," Heechul cursed, "I'll let you beat me this time. Don't let anything happen to her."

"Of course, you can trust me," Donghae told him with his mocking smile.

When they left Donghae tried calling her again. This time the phone rang then he got cut off. The voice operator only answered him. Why had she taken out the battery from her phone? Was she that angry?

"Chief, I'm going to head to Seoul for a bit," Donghae told.

"Ok, when I get the search warrant I'll inform you."

Donghae nodded and boarded his car. While on the highway he called Hyuk and asked him to try to get in touch with Victoria. He called back saying he couldn't reach her either. The feeling he felt left him hanging hoping that Victoria was just out.

When he reached her house and saw the car in the driveway he felt a flush of relief flood through him. Walking toward the door he knocked, rung the doorbell, and knocked again. Melodix only answered.

"Victoria!" he called then peered in through the oval window to a partial mess inside.

Running back to the door he tried the doorknob to find it locked. He backed up and ran against the door breaking in. Melodix came running out to him and followed him when he walked around. He glanced at the torn curtain then noticed the broken snow globe on the ground. Moving his eyes across the floor he noticed the picture lying there all wrinkled up.

With heart in his throat he called Chief Kang exclaiming, "Don't wait for the search warrant. Victoria's missing. Just break into the apartment. We need to find her!"

/////

Victoria awoke with her head dizzy and her vision blurred. She felt a rag tied around her mouth probably to prevent her from screaming. Trying to move she also noticed that her hands were tied behind her back and her ankles were tied together. Her body felt awfully sore and her head throbbed painfully. She squirmed across the bed and stopped when she heard her phone ring. Feeling her pulse race she edged toward her phone wherever it was. Only moving toward the sound Victoria moaned and stopped when she heard the door open. Shutting her eyes to pretend she was asleep she heard him walk in. He walked toward her phone flipping it open then took out the battery tossing it onto the desk. She heard him walk over to her and prayed over and over that he wouldn't know she was awake. He placed his hand on her forehead and walked back out.

She didn't open her eyes until 10 minutes later. Where was she? What time was it?

/////

He felt himself going crazy. She was missing and the search warrant hadn't arrived. Chief Kang was keeping him still in his office without nothing to do. He felt himself breaking.

"We have to tell the media. We have to get them to help us!" Donghae had been screaming a minute ago.

"Do you want to put her in more danger? If he knows we're on his tail then she's done for. He could kill her any minute." Chief Kang had pointed out and that had shut him up.

He felt sorry for arguing with her. He wanted to turn back time and not have said a word about it at all to her. Resting his head in his hands he looked up when the door opened.

"Chief," it was Sasha. "It's here."

The chief had warned him not to go out of line and to maintain his behavior. Donghae had willingly agreed without even listening. He literally ran up the stairs after the search team and ran into the apartment after them. And everything was just like it had looked in the pictures Heechul had taken for them.

When he came across the pictures of his scribbled face holding hands with Victoria on the streets he felt his heart sink. What could he be doing to her now? Was she still ok? He, who had been with her at rehab...suddenly Donghae couldn't think anymore. He only wanted to find her.

The apartment was empty and Ren Gei was no where in sight. Where would they find him? Donghae was forced back home and he couldn't even sit still. He paced back and forth and stared at the framed photo he kept in his room. Victoria was missing. The fact was dawning on him so bad he felt like bawling.

/////

Victoria opened her eyes when the door opened wondering what time it was. The dark room had no window and she was given no sun light to enjoy. When she turned she knew she made the wrong move. He stared down at her with a slick smile on his face. Victoria stared up at him in fear and wanted to turn away but he pressed his hands on her shoulders to prevent her from looking away.

"My Victoria," he whispered. "The red roses we planted together at rehab, have you been getting those?" Everything he said was in mandarin and everything he said she understood amazingly.

Flowers. Bouquets. The bad feeling they brought her and the anonymous cards she'd received along with them. The tall man who had purchased the flowers. Donghae's voice entered her mind. She wanted him there with her. If he were there this psycho wouldn't be able to do anything to her.

"Do you want to hear a story?" he asked. His eyes never left her face.

Victoria wanted to move her eyes off his face but his gaze was so strong she held it.

"Sandy saw me taking pictures of you and she told Il Chung. They were protective of you and the baby in your stomach, so I killed them off." he said. "And In Ji was so proud but naïve. You make the strangest friends, my Victoria."

Victoria felt her heart shake, her breath quicken, and tears arise. For that minute she only felt shock spread through her brain and seep into her blood.

"But I didn't kill your baby or In Seol."

Victoria felt her eyes widen. Why was he addressing In Seol so casually? He had no right to! But she couldn't even say that to him. She felt weak and powerless.

"That investigator. Why did he show up?" Ren Gei went on his eyes suddenly somewhere else. He was suddenly someone else. "He gave you a lot of attention and didn't give you the time to remember me. I thought killing you off would be the best way to get him away from you, but you survived that accident and he just got closer to you. Why are you so easy?"

He came closer and Victoria couldn't inch back.

"Then I thought getting rid of him might work," Ren Gei told, "so I did what I did and he still survived. You two are hardcore. I can't get rid of you two, but when he comes here for you I'm going to get rid of him and you'll be gone by then and as for me...well, I'll follow you two down to hell and finish you there."

Ren Gei stared at her hard.

"You...suddenly left me without even saying good bye. I was going to apologize you know." he said sounding like an innocent boy then his voice became coarse. "Why did you leave me?! I waited for you to return but you never did! I cried and I hurt for you and you didn't care! You didn't care! I waited so long! And in the end I had to come for you and you don't even remember me! Why do you hurt me so much! Why, why, why!"

Victoria shut her eyes and finally turned away giving out a cry. Her dear friends were murdered and he'd left them for her to find. A rush of emotions came at her all at once and she couldn't control them. He scared her with the way he looked at her. All her feelings just came out like a river.

"Shh..." he cooed stroking her hair with his sick hands. "I'll take care of you better than anyone can. Shhh...now breathe lightly." He put his hand around her throat and she slowly blacked out.

/////

Two days passed and Chief Kang still refused to leak out the information that Victoria was missing. No one was allowed to speak about it and Donghae felt himself dying slowly. Then the anonymous call came the third day. Strange activity at a home.

Donghae, Chief Kang, and a back up team sped to Seoul.

/////

Victoria awoke feeling like she was freezing. Frozen air escaped her mouth when she breathed and her feet was numb. However, her brain told her she was hungry but she couldn't feel it. How long had she been knocked out? Her lazy eyes searched the white walls she saw around her and the feeling slowly seeped into her body. She was lying in a pool of ice and was covered with ice. The cold air she was feeling all came from the ice and she soon realized he'd tucked her into a freezer. She tried to scream but found the rag still around her mouth. Her feet tied and her hands behind her back. She couldn't sit up to open the freezer. The ice pushed her down even further and kept her there if she tried to move.

"Donghae, hurry up. Please find me." she prayed.

/////

Donghae's heart raced when he saw the white house before him. Its edges were built in brick and a lantern was nailed into the wall on the side of the garage. A tan walk decorated with Lily flowers on each side welcomed them. Chief Kang nodded toward the back up team gesturing for them to go first.

"Don't you dare go off anywhere on your own," Chief Kang warned, "I'll revoke you. It would have been better if I left you back at the bureau."

"I won't do anything out of hand, sir." Donghae promised.

Chief Kang eyed him before following the cops in with Donghae behind. They walked into the small living room with a tan couch a few feet from the large 45 inch HD TV. A coffee table in between with a cup of cold coffee on it. They walked into the next room, the dining room to find a circular table in the middle of the room with a window to the right, and the clean polished kitchen in front of them with the counter in sight. To the left was a hallway leading to the bedrooms. They found a game room then immediately found a room with a freezer inside it.

While the cops moved toward the freezer a black shadow ran down the hallway from the corner of Donghae's eyes. Turning around Donghae turned back to the back up team and slowly edged out of the room.

When he got out into the hallway he noticed the black shadow quickly descend into the kitchen and down the stairs.

/////

"We found her!" someone shouted.

Chief Kang ran over to find Victoria with eyes closed in the bed of ice. Her knees bent with the rest of her legs tucked under her.

"Get her out quickly. Someone call paramedics!" Chief Kang shouted. "Donghae, Donghae?" Chief Kang turned around to see that he was no where in sight. "Where's Donghae?!"

Victoria heard their loud voices through her closed eyes. She couldn't open them. Her eyes were frozen shut.

"Can you hear me?" a voice called. It wasn't Donghae's.