Nameless
Author: evil_queen369
Genre: Angst, Horror, Gore, Smut
Fandom: Nega
Pairings: Ray/San
Rating: NC-17 - R
Warnings: Smut, torture
Chapter: 3/??
Synopsis: “Who lives there?” Behind a large gate was a giant off-white mansion much bigger than Yuu’s. From the front alone twenty-six windows could be seen, all in which were decorated with white curtains. Outside was a white table with four white chairs sitting around it. Whoever lived there must have liked the color white, well, actually white isn’t a color if you want to get technical. The front yard was huge, and in the center was a vertical rectangle pool with stones around the edges. I looked back at Yuu as his nails began digging into my arm through my jacket.
Comment: At the end.
For someone so dark and mysterious, Ray sure did have a light and relaxing kitchen. The walls were an off-white color, and the tiled floors were pure white. In the center was an island with drawers and cupboards, and on top there was also a small sink where, as Ray had said, food was cleaned before cooked. He rambled off about clean food and how it was more healthy, or something; I wasn’t really listening to him, to be honest.
The island held a display of flowers in the middle, and one of those fancy cake platters. Above it was a low-hanging light fixture with three bulbs. Behind the island, about three or four feet away, was a small built-into-the-wall table thing. I never knew the proper name, but that doesn’t matter right now. On the side facing the inside of the kitchen was a countertop where the chef would prepare the plates, and on the other side were four chairs.
On top of the table were two plants on either side. Above it was another low-hanging light fixture identical to the one above the island. The main countertop was made of marble with a decent sized sink; one side was for washing the dishes, and the other side held a plate rack for the clean dishes. To the right was a double-sided cabinet on the wall with glass doors, and on top of it sat two clay pots that were obviously made by someone who knew what they were doing, and under those were pieces of fake leaves on a string, y’know how those fancy people are.
I found myself sitting in the kitchen while I watched Ray’s chefs move around to prepare lunch. For two days I stayed in the house despite what I really wanted to do, which was to return to Yuu’s house, but I couldn’t leave the house after what Jin had said at the grocery store. It didn’t make sense, but at the same time it did, and I only wondered why Cyrille was kept in the basement. He obviously hadn’t done any harm, but Ray was only keeping him alive because of some connection between us. How could I possibly have a connection with someone I had just met? No one told me France was going to be so strange, nor was I informed that I’d get myself involved with a rich lunatic. That, of course, was completely my own fault. If anything happened to Cyrille, that would also be my fault. Yuu would send me back to Japan in a heartbeat. The thought seemed a lot more appealing than it should have, but I couldn’t contemplate on going home while someone’s life was at stake, even if it was someone like Cyrille.
“Avez-vous faim?’ [“Are you hungry?”] One of the chefs had approached me with a small smile, hopeful that I could understand her. She was young with long brown hair tied up in a pony-tail on the top of her head. She didn’t look much older than me, actually. In her hands was a white towel she was using the clean up the small mess she and the other chef had made while preparing the lunch Ray had requested.
“Non.” [“No.”] I shook my head with a small smile. She nodded softly and went back to work as Jin walked into the room. The sound of dishes clattering together could be heard as the two chefs worked, and I found myself watching them out of pure boredom, but also because I didn’t feel like conversing with Jin at the moment. Every time we spoke it seemed as if he gave me another dumb idea. I was already contemplating going to the basement to help Cyrille get free. The only issue with that was that I wasn’t sure if anyone else was down there. The house was full of servants, that I knew of, and if Ray was the murderer I knew he was, there was no way he would leave Cyrille down there without someone watching him. I don’t know which thought was harder to believe: Ray working with someone else, or Ray working alone. He seemed like the kind of guy who would have followers or something, but at the same time, it felt as if he didn’t like to have people bother him.
Beside me, Jin cracked his knuckles and placed his hands on the table. He tilted his head at me and glanced over to the sliding glass doors leading to the backyard. He never spoke much in the house, I had learned. Maybe it was because he wasn’t allowed, or maybe he just didn’t want to get in trouble for saying something he shouldn’t have. Jin probably knew more about Ray than anyone, including the other servants. Jin wasn’t just a servant, he was Ray’s personal servant. He was trusted enough to know everything Ray had done or was intending to do.
“I need to speak with you.” He muttered faintly, looking out of the corner of his eyes almost cautiously. Although I knew it was probably a bad idea to follow along, I stood from my chair and walked outside to the backyard. If I had been shocked that the front yard was so gargantuan, I was even more stunned by what I saw outside the glass doors.
The patio was pure white, and again I found myself wondering what was so fascinating about the tint that Ray had it everywhere. The concrete stretched out to a small beach house some sixty feet away. There a table with a smooth white marble surface and black legs, and around it sat ten black chairs with white cushions. The table seemed as if it were prepared to be used, which I assumed was because the lunch hour was approaching. As the weather was nice and sunny and not too hot, Ray probably intended to eat outside with some of the staff, although that would seem a bit odd.
There were two steps leading down to the bright green grass. Directly in the center of the yard was a large pool. The corners were curved with steps leading down into the water, complete with shiny steel rails that curved elegantly at the top before leading straight down. The end of the pool met a wall that jutted up three feet where it met the pool house that seemed to wrap around some of the yard. The front of the pool, though, had a Jacuzzi with short steel railing on the right-hand side.
Off to the side of the pool, in the grass, were rocks creating a path to the stairs leading to the pool house. The pool house itself was amazing. It was almost as if it served to be a second home to Ray. It was white and very Victorian in structure, although I can’t say I was surprised. Ray seemed to like elegancy. On the center of the house that jutted out were three large doors that were rounded on the tops. Each door opened on both sides and was made of glass. On either side of the jutted out section were two more rectangle glass doors with windows above. There were rose bushes growing on both sides of the house that were neatly taken care of, and bushes around the jutted out section.
I watched as Jin walked along the patio to the pool house, motioning with his hand for me to follow along. The look on his face as he turned around told me he wanted more privacy than the house could provide, and seeing as Ray didn’t like anyone to leave his house without good reason, we had no choice but to hide away in the pool house for the time being.
The interior of the pool house was simple and more modern than the rest of Ray’s property. It had white walls and nice, light brown, wooden floors. On the left was a white couch with pillows with brown and white designs. In front of the couch was a black coffee table, and in front of the coffee table was a very small, black, entertainment system with a flat screen television sitting on top. On either side of the entertainment system was a large white vase-like pot with a plant inside. Above the television was a photograph of the ocean floor in a gold frame. Fifteen feet away, approximately, on the left was a table and ten more chairs with a rounded light fixture hanging above. To the left were two stairs leading further into the house, but Jin didn’t lead me any further than the one room.
He sat on the couch and patted the cushion on the other end with a tilt of his head. “Ray is too busy with the servants to bother looking for either one of us.”
“Aren’t you his servant?” I pointed out as I sat down. The cushions were soft, but still firm enough as to not let anyone sink down into them. I crossed one leg over the other and laced my fingers over my stomach as I looked over at him.
“True, but I have no work to do as of right now.” Jin shrugged and propped his feet up on the coffee table, something I felt he probably wouldn’t have done if Ray were around. There was a silence between us as he rested his head back and stared up at the white ceiling. A sigh passed his lips as he quirked them to the side. “You’re probably wondering why I brought you in here, right?”
I nodded.
“Do you remember how I said Ray is keeping Cyrille around because he believes there’s a connection between the two of you?” I nodded again, this time turning more toward him as his words caught my interest. No, I didn’t really care what happened to Cyrille, but I also couldn’t let anything happen to him. I’d be a horrible person if I let something happen while knowing completely that it was going on under my nose. “Well, as Cyrille explained how long the two of you have known each other, Ray decided he serves no purpose. If you have only known each other for a short period of time, Cyrille plays no significant role, therefore he’s isn’t worth keeping around. I’m assuming you know how Ray works.”
“He’s going to kill Cyrille, isn’t he?” I sighed heavily, pushing myself off the couch to instead pace back and forth in front of the coffee table. Jin nodded, looking down at his hands as his nerves began to set in. “I can’t let that happen.” I stopped in front of him and crossed my arms over my chest.
Jin laughed to himself, “What are you going to do? Go up against a murderer by yourself? San, you have no chance.”
I shook my head, uncrossing my arms and planting my hands on the table firmly. “I’m not doing this by myself; you are going to help me.” It seemed like the perfect idea; Jin knew all there was to know about Ray, and if he was intending to kill Cyrille, Jin would know the exact time.
Jin seemed alarmed and shook his head with his arms held up in front of him. “No. If I deceive him, he’ll come after me. I don’t want to die because I helped you save some idiot. Technically Ray could punish me for speaking to you so much seeing as you are his guest, and I’m just a servant.”
“Relax. You don’t have to go to the basement with me.” It would be completely pointless for both of us to go down there; one of us had to stand watch anyways and it couldn’t be me. Cyrille would never trust Jin. “You just have to tell me when Ray intends to go down there, if there is anyone else down there, possible ways to get Cyrille out, and keep watch. It’s not that much work.”
He laughed sarcastically, “Oh, that’s so simple.” His face was blank as he suddenly stopped laughing and put his feet on the floor. “I can tell you when Ray will go down there and if there are any others, but I don’t know of any ways to get him out other than the windows, but those are small and he may not fit. I’ve only been to the basement a few times because Ray doesn’t like for me to be around corpses or people who are down there suffering. He can be a real prick when he wants to be.”
“Then it’s settled,” I rounded the coffee table and sat back down with a satisfied smile, “we get to Cyrille tonight before Ray does. Don’t weasel out on me, Jin; I’m counting on you tonight.”
Silence engulfed the room until another servant entered the pool house with a bow, informing us that lunch was to be served on the patio and that Ray would be there momentarily. Jin pulled himself off the couch and held a hand out for me, pulling me up and smiling.
“Although I am a bit worried.” He continued our previous conversation as he made his way to the door. He stopped as his hand made contact with the doorknob and turned around. “How can I be so sure Cyrille will keep his mouth shut? If he goes to the authorities, Ray will only turn on you, seeing as you’re the only suspect he’d think of. The staff here are very loyal to him, of course with the exception of me, and because you are a stranger who broke into his home, he will think you freed Cyrille and told him to go to the police. There are many loopholes in your plan, San, so you have to speak to him before he can do anything.”
I agreed because if Cyrille told Yuu, he would go to the authorities without a second thought. Cyrille probably wouldn’t go straight to the authorities on his own, but if he went back to Yuu alone, Yuu would question him and demand to know where I had disappeared to. I didn’t want to get killed because of their stupidity, so it would only be best to make Cyrille swear to not get the police involved. If the police were called, that would not only hinder my search for Hiroki, but Ray would lose all trust in me; of course I guess that doesn’t matter because I’d be dead.
As we left the pool house, Ray was just walking out of the house. Jin quickened his pace a bit and pointed to the pool as if he had just been showing me around and nothing more. “Ray sometimes lets the whole staff take a day off if it’s too hot. We usually swim and hang out in the pool house until evening.” He turned around with a look on his face that clearly told me to follow along, and seeing the way Ray was looking at us with a raised eyebrow, I smiled and nodded, keeping the conversation going even as we reached the table and sat on either side of the other man.
---
Part of me wondered why I was so trusting of Jin, and as night was falling and Ray was off to get a shower, I questioned myself further. Jin worked for Ray, and although he was helping me, he didn’t show any hatred toward the other man. It seemed odd to me, but I wouldn’t say anything or risk helping Cyrille. So as Ray entered my room with a bow and told me he’d be in the shower if I needed anything, I found myself waiting to hear his bedroom door open and close before jumping off my bed.
Jin was standing at the end of the dark hallway. The only way I could see him was because his hair stood out in the dark enough for him to be visible. When I approached him, he grabbed my arm and dragged me down the stairs quickly and led me to the door under the staircase. It was the same staircase I had assumed held a closet beneath, but it was the door leading down to the basement instead.
“Ray takes about an hour in the shower. Be quick and remember to tell him to leave the police out of this if he wants you to make it out of here alive.” He spoke in a hushed rush as he opened the door and pushed me inside. I stumbled for a moment, splaying my hand out against the wall to prevent myself from falling. I wondered why Ray would shower before trying to kill someone and smirked at the thought; it’d serve pointless in the end, and did it really matter if he were fresh and clean before bathing himself in blood? I assumed he was a messy killer.
There was an old flight of stairs in front of me that I found as I put my hands out in front of me and slowly moved forward. There were no lights on, and all I had was a lighter Jin had given to me after dinner, telling me that I would need it because turning on the lights would alert someone. As I descended down the stairs, I reached into my pocket and retrieved the lighter while pushing myself against the wall.
It didn’t seem as if anyone were down there connected with Ray. Even as I made noise by accident, the only sound I could hear was Cyrille. He’s such a baby. The last thing someone should do is whimper and whine while in the basement of a murderer’s house. Showing weakness would only make the situation worse.
I flicked the lighter on and looked around quickly just to make sure no one was around, and after seeing no one, I moved toward the sounds Cyrille was making. “Chut! C'est juste moi.” [“Shhh! It's just me.”] I said softly, holding the lighter closer to my face to show him that I wasn’t Ray or anyone else who would try to do anything. He seemed to calm down as relief flooded him, and he looked up at me as he sat on the floor.
“Il était une mauvaise idée de venir ici, San.” [“It was a bad idea to come here, San.”] He spoke in a hushed tone as he looked around the room even though he couldn’t see anything. “Il sera ici bientôt.” [“He will be here soon.”]
“Je vais vous aider à sortir, mais vous ne pouvez pas aller à la police ou de dire Yuu où je suis.” [“I'll help you out, but you can not go to the police or tell Yuu where I am.”] There were ropes binding his arms behind his back and more keeping his feet together. How stereotypical of a killer to tie up their victim with ropes; Ray struck me as a chains kind of guy, but it seemed like even he didn’t have class. I held the lighter up to the ropes on his wrists to get a better look at them before turning the lighter off and holding it between my teeth. I felt around and tugged on the ropes, pulling them apart, and muttering apologies every time Cyrille would hiss.
“Pourquoi pas?!” [“Why not?!”] He asked incredulously as he pulled his arms as I tugged more.
“Voulez-vous qu'il me tuer?” [“Do you want him to kill me?”] I asked back just as incredulously, finally pulling the ropes apart enough for him to slip one hand out before the other followed. I lit the lighter again as he moved to grab the ropes holding his feet together.
“Non.” [“No.”] His blonde hair moved as he shook his head, and his hands flew down to the ropes a loud noise erupted from the upstairs.
“Fuck. Dépêchez-vous.” [“Fuck. Hurry.”] My free hand moved to help him as the sound grew louder. We were tugging desperately at the ropes before they finally came lose and Cyrille stood up as fast as he could. I grabbed his arm and held the lighter up toward the window.
The window was small, just as Jin had said, but it seemed big enough for Cyrille to climb through. I passed him the lighter and told him to hold it up so I could see. Together we pushed the window out, and it wasn’t easy seeing as it looked as if it hadn’t been opened in years. I wasn’t sure how to get him up and out since he seemed heavier than what I could hold, but with the adrenaline pumping through my veins and the sound growing louder, I put my hands out and nodded toward them.
“Restez bas et contre la maison. Lorsque vous arrivez à la rue, vous avez à courir aussi vite que vous le pouvez.” [“Stay low and against the house. When you reach the street you have to run as fast as you can.”] He climbed onto my hands and I pushed him up as well as I could, and as I heard Jin talking on the other side of the door, I pushed harder.
“Et vous?” [“And you?”] He asked as he pulled himself through the window. I knew it had to hurt for him to crawl out like that because of the sidewalk going around that side of the house, but he didn’t seem too bothered as he pulled himself out and turned around on his knees.
“Je vais rester.” [“I’ll stay.”]
He shook his head with a frown, reaching down to pat me on the head, something I found strange coming from him. “Nonsense. Tu vas venir avec moi.” [“Nonsense. You're coming with me.”] His hand gripped the back of my shirt for dear life as he began pulling me up and through the window. My head collided with the wall as I cursed under my breath, and as he pulled with all his might, the basement door flew open. Cyrille cursed and pulled me harder and out the window.
“Vous crétin!” [“You moron!”] I stared at him with wide eyes.
He grabbed my arm tightly, “Vous me remercierez.” [“You’ll thank me.”] He muttered, and before I could utter a word, we took off running as fast as we could across the yard. There was no sense in staying low and against the house if Ray knew we were gone, and I knew he saw Cyrille pull me out the window. Ray’s angry voice could be heard as we ran across the yard. We tripped over the bushes. and the leaves crunched loudly, but we never stopped or looked back to see if anyone was following us. We ran all the way to Yuu’s house, and as we began banging on the door, Cyrille looked at me with a relieved smile.
“I thought for sure he had killed you.” He spoke in broken Japanese. The door flew open to reveal a very angry Yuu. His hands grabbed the collars of our shirts and yanked us into the house with a growl, and I knew we would be lectured and put through hell for being gone without telling him where we had ran off to.
As glad as I was to finally get out of Ray’s house, I was a bit disappointed. I didn’t even get the chance to look for Hiroki, and Jin was probably in big trouble for helping me. I made a mental note to somehow go back and help Jin escape. He didn’t seem like he wanted to be there anyways. And even though I was out of the house, my search for Hiroki was far from over.
A/N: I apologize for taking so long to update this. I haven't had inspiration to write anything, so I'm been forcing myself to write. Most of my stories have been lacking because of that, and I didn't want this to lose quality, if that makes sense. This story, (if it turns out well and people enjoy it), will probably be added into the book I'm writing of short horror stories. &heart; Please, let me know if this story begins to lack or veers off the plot.
This chapter wasn't overly productive (okay, so kind of) because, as I said in the last chapter, I don't want to jump into everything quickly. If the violence and gore show up too early in the story, there will be an absence of surprise. I'd much rather keep it going slow and shock the readers when the violence finally shows up. :)
And once again I apologize if the French is off. I wrote the dialogue in a bit of a rush, so it may be off. (laughs)
Comments would be nice! I want to know how many of you are still reading! You lurkers *points* it'd be nice if you at least commented on this chapter. I promise I won't bite unless you're into that kind of thing, and then I guess it's okay; I'm a nice person, I promise. ♥
Genre: Angst, Horror, Gore, Smut
Fandom: Nega
Pairings: Ray/San
Rating: NC-17 - R
Warnings: Smut, torture
Chapter: 3/??
Synopsis: “Who lives there?” Behind a large gate was a giant off-white mansion much bigger than Yuu’s. From the front alone twenty-six windows could be seen, all in which were decorated with white curtains. Outside was a white table with four white chairs sitting around it. Whoever lived there must have liked the color white, well, actually white isn’t a color if you want to get technical. The front yard was huge, and in the center was a vertical rectangle pool with stones around the edges. I looked back at Yuu as his nails began digging into my arm through my jacket.
Comment: At the end.
For someone so dark and mysterious, Ray sure did have a light and relaxing kitchen. The walls were an off-white color, and the tiled floors were pure white. In the center was an island with drawers and cupboards, and on top there was also a small sink where, as Ray had said, food was cleaned before cooked. He rambled off about clean food and how it was more healthy, or something; I wasn’t really listening to him, to be honest.
The island held a display of flowers in the middle, and one of those fancy cake platters. Above it was a low-hanging light fixture with three bulbs. Behind the island, about three or four feet away, was a small built-into-the-wall table thing. I never knew the proper name, but that doesn’t matter right now. On the side facing the inside of the kitchen was a countertop where the chef would prepare the plates, and on the other side were four chairs.
On top of the table were two plants on either side. Above it was another low-hanging light fixture identical to the one above the island. The main countertop was made of marble with a decent sized sink; one side was for washing the dishes, and the other side held a plate rack for the clean dishes. To the right was a double-sided cabinet on the wall with glass doors, and on top of it sat two clay pots that were obviously made by someone who knew what they were doing, and under those were pieces of fake leaves on a string, y’know how those fancy people are.
I found myself sitting in the kitchen while I watched Ray’s chefs move around to prepare lunch. For two days I stayed in the house despite what I really wanted to do, which was to return to Yuu’s house, but I couldn’t leave the house after what Jin had said at the grocery store. It didn’t make sense, but at the same time it did, and I only wondered why Cyrille was kept in the basement. He obviously hadn’t done any harm, but Ray was only keeping him alive because of some connection between us. How could I possibly have a connection with someone I had just met? No one told me France was going to be so strange, nor was I informed that I’d get myself involved with a rich lunatic. That, of course, was completely my own fault. If anything happened to Cyrille, that would also be my fault. Yuu would send me back to Japan in a heartbeat. The thought seemed a lot more appealing than it should have, but I couldn’t contemplate on going home while someone’s life was at stake, even if it was someone like Cyrille.
“Avez-vous faim?’ [“Are you hungry?”] One of the chefs had approached me with a small smile, hopeful that I could understand her. She was young with long brown hair tied up in a pony-tail on the top of her head. She didn’t look much older than me, actually. In her hands was a white towel she was using the clean up the small mess she and the other chef had made while preparing the lunch Ray had requested.
“Non.” [“No.”] I shook my head with a small smile. She nodded softly and went back to work as Jin walked into the room. The sound of dishes clattering together could be heard as the two chefs worked, and I found myself watching them out of pure boredom, but also because I didn’t feel like conversing with Jin at the moment. Every time we spoke it seemed as if he gave me another dumb idea. I was already contemplating going to the basement to help Cyrille get free. The only issue with that was that I wasn’t sure if anyone else was down there. The house was full of servants, that I knew of, and if Ray was the murderer I knew he was, there was no way he would leave Cyrille down there without someone watching him. I don’t know which thought was harder to believe: Ray working with someone else, or Ray working alone. He seemed like the kind of guy who would have followers or something, but at the same time, it felt as if he didn’t like to have people bother him.
Beside me, Jin cracked his knuckles and placed his hands on the table. He tilted his head at me and glanced over to the sliding glass doors leading to the backyard. He never spoke much in the house, I had learned. Maybe it was because he wasn’t allowed, or maybe he just didn’t want to get in trouble for saying something he shouldn’t have. Jin probably knew more about Ray than anyone, including the other servants. Jin wasn’t just a servant, he was Ray’s personal servant. He was trusted enough to know everything Ray had done or was intending to do.
“I need to speak with you.” He muttered faintly, looking out of the corner of his eyes almost cautiously. Although I knew it was probably a bad idea to follow along, I stood from my chair and walked outside to the backyard. If I had been shocked that the front yard was so gargantuan, I was even more stunned by what I saw outside the glass doors.
The patio was pure white, and again I found myself wondering what was so fascinating about the tint that Ray had it everywhere. The concrete stretched out to a small beach house some sixty feet away. There a table with a smooth white marble surface and black legs, and around it sat ten black chairs with white cushions. The table seemed as if it were prepared to be used, which I assumed was because the lunch hour was approaching. As the weather was nice and sunny and not too hot, Ray probably intended to eat outside with some of the staff, although that would seem a bit odd.
There were two steps leading down to the bright green grass. Directly in the center of the yard was a large pool. The corners were curved with steps leading down into the water, complete with shiny steel rails that curved elegantly at the top before leading straight down. The end of the pool met a wall that jutted up three feet where it met the pool house that seemed to wrap around some of the yard. The front of the pool, though, had a Jacuzzi with short steel railing on the right-hand side.
Off to the side of the pool, in the grass, were rocks creating a path to the stairs leading to the pool house. The pool house itself was amazing. It was almost as if it served to be a second home to Ray. It was white and very Victorian in structure, although I can’t say I was surprised. Ray seemed to like elegancy. On the center of the house that jutted out were three large doors that were rounded on the tops. Each door opened on both sides and was made of glass. On either side of the jutted out section were two more rectangle glass doors with windows above. There were rose bushes growing on both sides of the house that were neatly taken care of, and bushes around the jutted out section.
I watched as Jin walked along the patio to the pool house, motioning with his hand for me to follow along. The look on his face as he turned around told me he wanted more privacy than the house could provide, and seeing as Ray didn’t like anyone to leave his house without good reason, we had no choice but to hide away in the pool house for the time being.
The interior of the pool house was simple and more modern than the rest of Ray’s property. It had white walls and nice, light brown, wooden floors. On the left was a white couch with pillows with brown and white designs. In front of the couch was a black coffee table, and in front of the coffee table was a very small, black, entertainment system with a flat screen television sitting on top. On either side of the entertainment system was a large white vase-like pot with a plant inside. Above the television was a photograph of the ocean floor in a gold frame. Fifteen feet away, approximately, on the left was a table and ten more chairs with a rounded light fixture hanging above. To the left were two stairs leading further into the house, but Jin didn’t lead me any further than the one room.
He sat on the couch and patted the cushion on the other end with a tilt of his head. “Ray is too busy with the servants to bother looking for either one of us.”
“Aren’t you his servant?” I pointed out as I sat down. The cushions were soft, but still firm enough as to not let anyone sink down into them. I crossed one leg over the other and laced my fingers over my stomach as I looked over at him.
“True, but I have no work to do as of right now.” Jin shrugged and propped his feet up on the coffee table, something I felt he probably wouldn’t have done if Ray were around. There was a silence between us as he rested his head back and stared up at the white ceiling. A sigh passed his lips as he quirked them to the side. “You’re probably wondering why I brought you in here, right?”
I nodded.
“Do you remember how I said Ray is keeping Cyrille around because he believes there’s a connection between the two of you?” I nodded again, this time turning more toward him as his words caught my interest. No, I didn’t really care what happened to Cyrille, but I also couldn’t let anything happen to him. I’d be a horrible person if I let something happen while knowing completely that it was going on under my nose. “Well, as Cyrille explained how long the two of you have known each other, Ray decided he serves no purpose. If you have only known each other for a short period of time, Cyrille plays no significant role, therefore he’s isn’t worth keeping around. I’m assuming you know how Ray works.”
“He’s going to kill Cyrille, isn’t he?” I sighed heavily, pushing myself off the couch to instead pace back and forth in front of the coffee table. Jin nodded, looking down at his hands as his nerves began to set in. “I can’t let that happen.” I stopped in front of him and crossed my arms over my chest.
Jin laughed to himself, “What are you going to do? Go up against a murderer by yourself? San, you have no chance.”
I shook my head, uncrossing my arms and planting my hands on the table firmly. “I’m not doing this by myself; you are going to help me.” It seemed like the perfect idea; Jin knew all there was to know about Ray, and if he was intending to kill Cyrille, Jin would know the exact time.
Jin seemed alarmed and shook his head with his arms held up in front of him. “No. If I deceive him, he’ll come after me. I don’t want to die because I helped you save some idiot. Technically Ray could punish me for speaking to you so much seeing as you are his guest, and I’m just a servant.”
“Relax. You don’t have to go to the basement with me.” It would be completely pointless for both of us to go down there; one of us had to stand watch anyways and it couldn’t be me. Cyrille would never trust Jin. “You just have to tell me when Ray intends to go down there, if there is anyone else down there, possible ways to get Cyrille out, and keep watch. It’s not that much work.”
He laughed sarcastically, “Oh, that’s so simple.” His face was blank as he suddenly stopped laughing and put his feet on the floor. “I can tell you when Ray will go down there and if there are any others, but I don’t know of any ways to get him out other than the windows, but those are small and he may not fit. I’ve only been to the basement a few times because Ray doesn’t like for me to be around corpses or people who are down there suffering. He can be a real prick when he wants to be.”
“Then it’s settled,” I rounded the coffee table and sat back down with a satisfied smile, “we get to Cyrille tonight before Ray does. Don’t weasel out on me, Jin; I’m counting on you tonight.”
Silence engulfed the room until another servant entered the pool house with a bow, informing us that lunch was to be served on the patio and that Ray would be there momentarily. Jin pulled himself off the couch and held a hand out for me, pulling me up and smiling.
“Although I am a bit worried.” He continued our previous conversation as he made his way to the door. He stopped as his hand made contact with the doorknob and turned around. “How can I be so sure Cyrille will keep his mouth shut? If he goes to the authorities, Ray will only turn on you, seeing as you’re the only suspect he’d think of. The staff here are very loyal to him, of course with the exception of me, and because you are a stranger who broke into his home, he will think you freed Cyrille and told him to go to the police. There are many loopholes in your plan, San, so you have to speak to him before he can do anything.”
I agreed because if Cyrille told Yuu, he would go to the authorities without a second thought. Cyrille probably wouldn’t go straight to the authorities on his own, but if he went back to Yuu alone, Yuu would question him and demand to know where I had disappeared to. I didn’t want to get killed because of their stupidity, so it would only be best to make Cyrille swear to not get the police involved. If the police were called, that would not only hinder my search for Hiroki, but Ray would lose all trust in me; of course I guess that doesn’t matter because I’d be dead.
As we left the pool house, Ray was just walking out of the house. Jin quickened his pace a bit and pointed to the pool as if he had just been showing me around and nothing more. “Ray sometimes lets the whole staff take a day off if it’s too hot. We usually swim and hang out in the pool house until evening.” He turned around with a look on his face that clearly told me to follow along, and seeing the way Ray was looking at us with a raised eyebrow, I smiled and nodded, keeping the conversation going even as we reached the table and sat on either side of the other man.
---
Part of me wondered why I was so trusting of Jin, and as night was falling and Ray was off to get a shower, I questioned myself further. Jin worked for Ray, and although he was helping me, he didn’t show any hatred toward the other man. It seemed odd to me, but I wouldn’t say anything or risk helping Cyrille. So as Ray entered my room with a bow and told me he’d be in the shower if I needed anything, I found myself waiting to hear his bedroom door open and close before jumping off my bed.
Jin was standing at the end of the dark hallway. The only way I could see him was because his hair stood out in the dark enough for him to be visible. When I approached him, he grabbed my arm and dragged me down the stairs quickly and led me to the door under the staircase. It was the same staircase I had assumed held a closet beneath, but it was the door leading down to the basement instead.
“Ray takes about an hour in the shower. Be quick and remember to tell him to leave the police out of this if he wants you to make it out of here alive.” He spoke in a hushed rush as he opened the door and pushed me inside. I stumbled for a moment, splaying my hand out against the wall to prevent myself from falling. I wondered why Ray would shower before trying to kill someone and smirked at the thought; it’d serve pointless in the end, and did it really matter if he were fresh and clean before bathing himself in blood? I assumed he was a messy killer.
There was an old flight of stairs in front of me that I found as I put my hands out in front of me and slowly moved forward. There were no lights on, and all I had was a lighter Jin had given to me after dinner, telling me that I would need it because turning on the lights would alert someone. As I descended down the stairs, I reached into my pocket and retrieved the lighter while pushing myself against the wall.
It didn’t seem as if anyone were down there connected with Ray. Even as I made noise by accident, the only sound I could hear was Cyrille. He’s such a baby. The last thing someone should do is whimper and whine while in the basement of a murderer’s house. Showing weakness would only make the situation worse.
I flicked the lighter on and looked around quickly just to make sure no one was around, and after seeing no one, I moved toward the sounds Cyrille was making. “Chut! C'est juste moi.” [“Shhh! It's just me.”] I said softly, holding the lighter closer to my face to show him that I wasn’t Ray or anyone else who would try to do anything. He seemed to calm down as relief flooded him, and he looked up at me as he sat on the floor.
“Il était une mauvaise idée de venir ici, San.” [“It was a bad idea to come here, San.”] He spoke in a hushed tone as he looked around the room even though he couldn’t see anything. “Il sera ici bientôt.” [“He will be here soon.”]
“Je vais vous aider à sortir, mais vous ne pouvez pas aller à la police ou de dire Yuu où je suis.” [“I'll help you out, but you can not go to the police or tell Yuu where I am.”] There were ropes binding his arms behind his back and more keeping his feet together. How stereotypical of a killer to tie up their victim with ropes; Ray struck me as a chains kind of guy, but it seemed like even he didn’t have class. I held the lighter up to the ropes on his wrists to get a better look at them before turning the lighter off and holding it between my teeth. I felt around and tugged on the ropes, pulling them apart, and muttering apologies every time Cyrille would hiss.
“Pourquoi pas?!” [“Why not?!”] He asked incredulously as he pulled his arms as I tugged more.
“Voulez-vous qu'il me tuer?” [“Do you want him to kill me?”] I asked back just as incredulously, finally pulling the ropes apart enough for him to slip one hand out before the other followed. I lit the lighter again as he moved to grab the ropes holding his feet together.
“Non.” [“No.”] His blonde hair moved as he shook his head, and his hands flew down to the ropes a loud noise erupted from the upstairs.
“Fuck. Dépêchez-vous.” [“Fuck. Hurry.”] My free hand moved to help him as the sound grew louder. We were tugging desperately at the ropes before they finally came lose and Cyrille stood up as fast as he could. I grabbed his arm and held the lighter up toward the window.
The window was small, just as Jin had said, but it seemed big enough for Cyrille to climb through. I passed him the lighter and told him to hold it up so I could see. Together we pushed the window out, and it wasn’t easy seeing as it looked as if it hadn’t been opened in years. I wasn’t sure how to get him up and out since he seemed heavier than what I could hold, but with the adrenaline pumping through my veins and the sound growing louder, I put my hands out and nodded toward them.
“Restez bas et contre la maison. Lorsque vous arrivez à la rue, vous avez à courir aussi vite que vous le pouvez.” [“Stay low and against the house. When you reach the street you have to run as fast as you can.”] He climbed onto my hands and I pushed him up as well as I could, and as I heard Jin talking on the other side of the door, I pushed harder.
“Et vous?” [“And you?”] He asked as he pulled himself through the window. I knew it had to hurt for him to crawl out like that because of the sidewalk going around that side of the house, but he didn’t seem too bothered as he pulled himself out and turned around on his knees.
“Je vais rester.” [“I’ll stay.”]
He shook his head with a frown, reaching down to pat me on the head, something I found strange coming from him. “Nonsense. Tu vas venir avec moi.” [“Nonsense. You're coming with me.”] His hand gripped the back of my shirt for dear life as he began pulling me up and through the window. My head collided with the wall as I cursed under my breath, and as he pulled with all his might, the basement door flew open. Cyrille cursed and pulled me harder and out the window.
“Vous crétin!” [“You moron!”] I stared at him with wide eyes.
He grabbed my arm tightly, “Vous me remercierez.” [“You’ll thank me.”] He muttered, and before I could utter a word, we took off running as fast as we could across the yard. There was no sense in staying low and against the house if Ray knew we were gone, and I knew he saw Cyrille pull me out the window. Ray’s angry voice could be heard as we ran across the yard. We tripped over the bushes. and the leaves crunched loudly, but we never stopped or looked back to see if anyone was following us. We ran all the way to Yuu’s house, and as we began banging on the door, Cyrille looked at me with a relieved smile.
“I thought for sure he had killed you.” He spoke in broken Japanese. The door flew open to reveal a very angry Yuu. His hands grabbed the collars of our shirts and yanked us into the house with a growl, and I knew we would be lectured and put through hell for being gone without telling him where we had ran off to.
As glad as I was to finally get out of Ray’s house, I was a bit disappointed. I didn’t even get the chance to look for Hiroki, and Jin was probably in big trouble for helping me. I made a mental note to somehow go back and help Jin escape. He didn’t seem like he wanted to be there anyways. And even though I was out of the house, my search for Hiroki was far from over.
A/N: I apologize for taking so long to update this. I haven't had inspiration to write anything, so I'm been forcing myself to write. Most of my stories have been lacking because of that, and I didn't want this to lose quality, if that makes sense. This story, (if it turns out well and people enjoy it), will probably be added into the book I'm writing of short horror stories. &heart; Please, let me know if this story begins to lack or veers off the plot.
This chapter wasn't overly productive (okay, so kind of) because, as I said in the last chapter, I don't want to jump into everything quickly. If the violence and gore show up too early in the story, there will be an absence of surprise. I'd much rather keep it going slow and shock the readers when the violence finally shows up. :)
And once again I apologize if the French is off. I wrote the dialogue in a bit of a rush, so it may be off. (laughs)
Comments would be nice! I want to know how many of you are still reading! You lurkers *points* it'd be nice if you at least commented on this chapter. I promise I won't bite unless you're into that kind of thing, and then I guess it's okay; I'm a nice person, I promise. ♥