[Please take a moment to vote for the chapter! Thank you very much!]

Hart stepped inside the dark room and saw Riley sleeping by the door. He hadn't moved ever since Hart laid him to rest after he had killed the unlucky man, and that was three nights ago. He wasn't sure whether he should start feeling concerned or not.

He crouched down next to Riley and shook him gently. Riley's body jerked away from Hart's touch, he was awake. Hart wasn't surprised. He rarely ever found him asleep.

"Good morning," Hart said.

"What's so good about it?" Riley muttered, opening his eyes.

His eyes were so dark, so empty, nothing like when Hart had first met him. He was slowly changing, his innocence shredding into pieces, disappearing into the air like dust. Hart was devouring him, swallowing the light until the end of the tunnel crumbled with no way out but through the darkness.

"Come with me," Hart said calmly, getting back up.

"No."

"I won't ask twice, Riley."

Riley shivered at the sound of Hart's dark tone. He looked up to meet Hart's terrifying blue eyes. They were so bright, as if he was staring right at the burning sun.

"No," Riley said, this time more slowly.

Hart crouched down again, closing the space between them, and he whispered, "I don't want to hurt you." He paused for a brief moment, and when he spoke again, Riley could sense the threat in Hart's voice, "So don't make me."

Riley glared back, propping himself on his elbows to get a better look at Hart.

"It's you who makes the choice. You kidnapped me. You make me sleep in this . . . dungeon. You are the one who is forcing me to stay here against my will. I'm not making you do anything."

Hart quickly got up again, straightening his back and extending his hand out to Riley. Riley grumpily took it and was pulled up on his feet. He hugged himself as Hart exited the dark room and walked towards the stairs.

"Follow me," Hart said.

"What are you going to do to me?" Riley asked, slowly following behind Hart's shadow.

"We're going to clean you up, get you into new clothes, and then we're going out for a little walk." Riley was surprised to hear an actual response from Hart, seeing as he was only expecting more pestiferous silence.

Riley looked down at his body, at the dried blood on his chest, stomach, hands and clothes. He liked the sound of cleaning up. He wanted so badly to get rid of the memories staining his skin. And clothes wouldn't hurt. He was tired of being shirtless in the cold dark room. It was uncomfortable. He never knew whether it was day or night, but sometimes he knew it was night when the floor would be colder than usual, so cold it seemed like it burned.

Now the walk he wasn't so exuberant about. Was he going to walk to his death? Was it a secret way of telling him he was going to die?

Hart took Riley to the upstairs bathroom, the one with the broken mirror. He had prepared Riley's bath before he even knew what he was doing. He didn't care about anyone, but he was fond of Riley. He couldn't deny his feelings, his human feelings. Of course he had them, he just preferred not to use them. He was better that way.

But Riley was like the blood that ran through his veins, something so important you couldn't live without, otherwise you'd die. Hart wanted someone, and that someone had to be Riley. He wasn't sure if he was ready, but enough time was wasted in loneliness. He needed to begin.

"Take off your clothes and get in the tub," Hart ordered when they were inside the bathroom.

"I'm not doing that in front of you."

Hart sighed long, walking past Riley and giving him a dirty look. Riley waited till Hart left to quietly panic. He didn't think it was going to be like this. He thought a shower, or a bath – since why not, the house was already a million years old, why not forget about installing a shower head – was going to be peaceful, like washing sin away, or escaping this nightmare, but nothing felt different. He still felt his stomach twisting, never resting or giving him a break. He was always intoxicated with the anxious feeling of finding out he was going to die.

Maybe it was time to give into it. To give into this nightmare. He had already killed a man. And his mind was slowly collapsing from this world. How deep could he go before everything darkened and he was no longer . . . sane?

He carefully walked towards the tub, because every step he took was as loud as the fireworks from the first night when he met Hart. The tub was almost filled to the top, but there was enough emptiness for him to get in without splashing everywhere. He relaxed his shoulders, rolling his head around. His hands went to his zipper, he slowly pulled it down and unbuttoned it his pants. He looked back to make sure he was really alone before removing his clothes entirely and leaving them in a corner against the wall.

He entered the tub, stood over the water and felt how warm it was. He slowly descended down until his whole body, except his head, was encased in soapy, hot water. His body shivered at how good it felt to once again feel the temperature of a summer day. He dipped his chin in the water, sinking deeper. The tub was actually quite big, but unfortunately not big enough to swim in.

He brought his hands to his face as he submerged completely under the water and brushed his fingers through his hair. If Hart was going to kill him, he'd prefer it to be done by drowning. Not only because he was in such ecstasy at the moment that his perception was clouded, but it would be less painful than getting your head chopped off.

Riley came up again, rubbing the water out of his eyes and pushing his hair back. He opened his eyes and his heart jumped out of his chest. Hart was standing besides the tub, just watching.

"If you're not gonna kill me anytime soon, can you at least give me some damn privacy?" Riley hissed, his hands blocking his privates, because even if he had nothing left to lose, and he was basically already dead, he'd still feel embarrassed and shy about a killer seeing his privates.

"I forgot I threw away all the clothes I didn't need, so you'll be using mine. We're both the same height, so I'm sure it will fit you just fine," Hart said, paying no attention to what Riley had just said. In his arms he had a black suit, one different than the one he was wearing at the moment but still a suit. And a pair of fancy shoes.

"I am not wearing a fucking suit," Riley told him.

"I never gave you a choice."

"You want me to wear a suit and go out for a walk with you? Don't you think that sounds a little bit odd? Are you going to bury me somewhere? A pretend funeral? Is that how you're going to kill me?" Riley knew better than to let his stubborn side out, especially when he was being held prisoner by the world's strangest killer. But if Hart wasn't going to kill him, then what was he doing with him?

"Finish cleaning yourself up. There's a towel in the closet, help yourself when you're done. I'll leave the clothes here." He placed the clothes on top of the counter, next to the sink. "Put them on and meet me downstairs." And just like that he was gone.

Riley let out the air he was holding in his lungs and fought hard not to cry. He was shaking again, and the hot water didn't help as he thought it would. Being in his place was very confusing. He didn't know what his emotions were doing. How could anyone prepare for this? Movies made it look so easy, when in fact it was suffocating.

He took the unopened box of soap beside him, opening it up and letting it drop on his hand. He wet it, rolling it under the water and slowly passing it over his body. He scrubbed the blood off his hands and chest, and he kept scrubbing even after he was completely clean. He still felt the icky sensation, the one that reminded him that he killed a man. He may be clean, but inside his skin a monster was born. It was there, and he felt it every second his heart beat, like it was somehow connected to it.

He grabbed the shampoo bottle clearly for him and opened the cap, squeezing out clear blue substance on his hand and spreading it over his hair. He dipped his head back into the water, scrubbing the blood off his hair as he spread the shampoo over his scalp.

Riley stayed in the water even after he was done. He hated baths, thought they were gross (you were basically bathing in your own dirty water) but it was the most normal thing he'd experience since he was kidnapped.

Eventually he had to get up, so he did, and he watched the water cascade down his clean body. He quietly got out of the tub and walked to the closet in the bathroom, opening it and removing a towel from inside. He brushed the fabric over his face, smelling the fresh, cleanliness of it. Then he went on to dry the rest of himself.

Riley took the suit from the counter and held it out in front of him. It was an incredible suit, expensive looking, really dark, not the usual suit you saw at the mall. First he put on the plain black shirt and pants, then he opened up the jacket and quickly put it on. It fit him like it was meant to be his. It was very comfortable, very soft and he felt stylish. But then he remembered the situation he was in and all amusement went out the barbed window.

Once he finished getting into his new clothes, he buttoned up the jacket, fixed the collar and stared at himself in the only piece of mirror left on the wall. It was very small, but he could see himself if he bent a little. He actually liked the way he looked. It was . . . nice. And of course, Hart did not forget to give him a pair of black leather gloves.

"What kind of killer does this?" Riley muttered quietly to himself as he put on the gloves.

Riley felt strange when he finally left the bathroom. Like something invisible had wrapped itself around him and was squeezing the life out of him. He couldn't explain the feeling, just that it was there and it wasn't pleasant.

Hart was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, looking up with curiosity as Riley appeared.

"What are you waiting for?" Hart asked impatiently.

Riley glared. "What are you holding behind you?"

Hart quirked an eyebrow, but nevertheless showed his empty hands at Riley.

"See? I have nothing. Now will you please come down."

Hart could see that Riley was afraid, even though he was putting a brave face. No one could fool Hart. He saw the real them. Riley was a strong one, Hart knew that from the beginning. But even the strongest warriors could be defeated in a war. And as Riley walked down, Hart saw in his face that he was close to crumbling. His wall would soon crack and fall into pieces.

In time . . . he will become his.

Hart examined the way Riley walked down and stared into his own eyes, the way he didn't blink or break eye contact. He also watched how gently his hand swept down the banister, like he was afraid of touching it.

"Does it fit well?" Hart asked him when he reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped off.

"It's fine," Riley responded quietly.

"Good, good. Well, it's still early in the day so how about some breakfast?"

"Okay."

"Okay." The corner of Hart's eyes wrinkled as he smiled at Riley. The smile made Riley swallow nervously, feeling uneasy at the sight of something so tragically horrible being so undeservingly happy.

Hart decided it was better for them to eat in the dining room, it was more open with a brighter atmosphere. The kitchen had only one small table where Hart usually sat and ate his meals, but it was only for one person.

The last time he used the dinning room was when he was fifteen years old, and that was ten years ago. Hart opened the double doors leading to the dinning room, and even after all those years, the room was still spotless.

He let himself in, walking around the long rectangle table and pulling out a chair for Riley.

"Please, sit," he said to the younger man who lingered at the entrance to the dinning room.

Riley went inside and took the chair Hart offered, sitting down carefully, keeping himself calm and vigilant. He felt relieved when Hart didn't kill him right there while he was behind him, but instead he just pushed Riley in like a gentlemen would.

Hart leaned closer to Riley and said, "I'll be back in a minute."

Riley just nodded and swallowed some more. Hart came back exactly a minute later, carrying a large tray of food. He set it on the table and took out a plate for Riley, laying it in front of him.

"Here you go." Hart handed him a glass of cold water with three ice cubes inside. "And I've brought you some fresh fruits. Just eat whatever you like. There's also bread, peanut butter, and oatmeal."

"I should say thank you, but I won't," Riley said quietly.

Hart chuckled, pulling back a chair for himself and sitting down across from Riley. He took an apple from the tray, bounced it in his hand and then took a big bite of it. As he chewed attractively, he stared out into space and looked confused. He was obviously thinking, and Riley couldn't even begin to imagine the vile thoughts that went through Hart's mind.

"I always wonder why the sky is blue," Hart suddenly said. "I know it's science, but why blue? Can you imagine another color replacing it? How different would our lives be if the sky was . . . I don't know . . . different. Would they even be affected at all?"

"What color would you like it to be?" Riley found himself asking.

Hart thought for a moment, "Red."

"Because you're a killer and you love blood?" Riley took a guess.

"Because it's the color of love."

"What do you know about love?" Riley asked, thinking how ridiculous the conversation was. He didn't actually believe Hart could be capable of feeling love. No person with love in their heart could do something so evil like taking people's lives.

Hart's electric blue eyes went to Riley's at the question. It didn't sound like a question to him, more like an accusation. He knew exactly what Riley was thinking at the moment, and Hart wouldn't dare let another second pass without explaining to him that love came in many different shapes.

"What do you think love is?" he asked the younger man.

"Not what you think it is."

Hart smiled at that, picking up his apple and biting into it without replying again. It left Riley at the edge of his seat, wanting the addicting tone of his voice to reveal what love was to him. He was curious, only curious. He had no other motives.

Riley ate fruits while Hart just dozed off, staring at the walls and the ceiling. He even tried the oatmeal, which was pretty good considering who made it. It was sweet, with an after taste of strawberries. It was different, but delectable.

He found it amazing that someone actually cared that he was a vegetarian, even if it was a serial killer. His sister always felt irritated whenever she cooked meals and had to do separate dishes because Riley would refuse to eat them.

He stopped eating at the thought of his sister. He missed her terribly and wondered what she was doing at this exact moment. She was definitely worried out of her mind, scared and confused. She was looking for him, he knew that. He also knew she'd feel guilty because the only reason he was even in Bellumstone was because of her. But it wasn't her fault he got kidnapped, it was Hart's.

"Riley," he heard his name being called out from the hall. He looked to the side and Hart was missing from his chair. Riley blinked, he must have dozed off too, thinking about his poor sister.

He got up from his chair and walked towards Hart's voice. When he left the dinning room, he saw the front door wide open. Hart was standing in the middle of the hall facing it with his hands behind him.

"Yes?" Riley said, warily eying the door.

"Come stand in front of me," he said.

"O-okay." Riley felt skeptical, but went along anyway. Riley stepped in front of Hart and was turned around by Hart's cold pale hands. It was the first time he saw him without gloves on. Did that mean he wasn't going to kill him? Didn't killers wear gloves to hide their fingerprints?

Riley gasped as Hart wrapped a cold metal object around his neck. It clicked loudly, like it had locked itself. Riley touched it with his trembling fingers, his eyes wide with panic. Hart roughly grabbed his hands and pulled them down.

"What are you doing? What is this?" Riley quickly asked, his hands going up to the foreign object again.

"Stop touching it," Hart growled, forcing Riley's hands down. "I'll demonstrate what it is if you just stand right there." Hart walked around Riley and stood in front of him. He held up another object, a replica of the one wrapped around Riley's neck.

"What is it?"

"I call it a collar." He twirled the metal contraption around, admiring it like a newborn child, a beautiful offspring that he created. There was a small screen on it with random numbers flashing in red. Around the screen were buttons, some which Hart was currently pressing. "Now that I've activated it, I'll show you what it can do."

Hart stepped back, held the collar with both hands as he concentrated on the outside. He took the collar in his right hand, swung his arm back and threw it through the open door. It burst into flames as soon as it crossed the door, exploding a second later with chunks of metal flying everywhere. This was his way of keeping Riley inside. Now he couldn't possibly escape. He was trapped forever.

Hart looked back to see Riley's expression. But what worried Riley the most was how pleased Hart looked with himself. All he saw in his eyes was excitement, a sweet need for thrill. Riley, of course, was boiling inside. He wanted to grab Hart and pull him through the door so that both of them died. But he was too weak, his legs wouldn't move. He was petrified.

"Wasn't that just marvelous?" Hart said.

"No," Riley said quietly.

"Huh. That's unfortunate. Well, shall we take that walk now?" He turned his back to Riley and started walking towards the door. He stopped when he didn't hear footsteps following him and turned around again. "What is it?"

Riley couldn't move. He was too scared. He wasn't going to pretend that there wasn't a device around his neck that could blow him up. What if something went wrong? What if something malfunctioned? Like the door that opened all by itself.

Hart walked towards Riley and took his hand. Riley didn't even flinch or pull away because he still felt frozen, like he had already died. Hart gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand, slowly pulling him towards the open door.

"I haven't activated your collar, it's okay to come outside," he said calmly.

"Is that supposed to make me forget that there's a bomb around my neck?"

All amusement left Hart's face, now he just looked angry.

"Outside, now," said Hart, grabbing the younger man's shoulder and pushing him towards the door. Riley tripped from the unexpected move and he fell over, landing just in front of the door's frame. Hart could be lying, and one inch closer and his head would explode. "Get up!"

Riley took a deep breath and crawled outside, getting up after not exploding. Hart passed by him, not giving him the slightest sympathy.

It was still early in the morning, Riley could tell. Mornings in Bellumstone were usually drowned in fog, and that was all he could see. If they went into the forest, which he hoped, Riley could run for it and disappear through the whiteness. Hart hadn't activated the collar, he could only do it manually. He could escape. This was his only chance, other wise . . . he should kiss the sunlight goodbye.

"Come this way," Hart said out loud, walking in the opposite direction of the forest.

Riley sighed quietly. It wasn't like he had any hope anyway. Every time he thought he had a shot at becoming free, it would just slap him in the face.

The two men walked in silence for half an hour until they reached a worn out barn with traces of the color red, but barely noticeable anymore. There were stacks of wood all over the place that it made it seem like the barn was still in use, and maybe it was, maybe this was where Hart went when he disappeared.

They stopped on a particular spot, one with the largest pieces of wood Riley had ever seen. Something was definitely being built. But what?

"Take the other end of this post," Hart ordered, bending down and picking up the opposite end.

Riley dug his fingers under the heavy wood and lifted. As soon as they had it in air Riley dropped it and almost made Hart hit his face on his own end.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Riley quickly said, lifting the heavy post again. He didn't know how Hart could even keep the weight on him, the wood was longer than both of them put together. But Riley shut his mouth and kept his complains inside.

"Start walking south," Hart said in the back.

"Would be nice to know where south is," Riley commented.

"The house, Riley. The house."

"Right . . ."

Hart shook his head and placed his end of the heavy wood over his shoulder as Riley did the same. The two of them carried it all the way back to the house, which took forever and it was exhausting but neither of them said a word.

They ended up in Hart's backyard, an empty field of literally nothing but short green grass. But there was one thing that stood out to Riley, a brown spot. As they got closer, he realized it was a hole. Not one big enough to fit a body, which was his first guess, but big enough . . . to fit a timber.

Riley, without being told, gently dropped his end on the hole and came back to help Hart push his end upwards so it would fall perfectly into place. Once they were finished, they looked at each other, and it wasn't an awkward stare, they were just curiously staring at each other.

"Thank you, Riley," said Hart.

"Yeah, um. You're welcome, I guess." Riley scratched the back of his head and looked below, unable to keep his eyes on Hart any longer.

They went back inside the house and Hart closed the door and secured all the locks.

"Can I ask you a question?" Riley said as Hart double checked the dozens of locks.

"Of course."

"What are you building?"

"A cross."

"A cross?"

He turned around, smiling proudly of himself. "Yes, a cross."

_______________________________

[Author's Message]: Hey guys! Sorry that I haven't uploaded in a while. This chapter took a bit of time because it was sort of boring to write since nothing exciting happened. I write exciting chapters a lot faster lol. Well, it's not boring, it's just that there's no killing or scary or anything cool happening, but every chapter is IMMENSIVELY IMPORTANT. Hope you guys liked the chapter though :) Next chapter is gonna be interesting, it won't be in the house and neither of the boys will be in it! O: CAN YOU GUESS WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN? NO? K. LOL. Anyway, the story has been changed to PG-13 and the Boyxboy tag has been removed from the title. Worry not, the story is still the same and nothing has changed. Romance is gonna start VERY soon (; well, if you can call it romance o.o

PLEASE vote and leave a comment, especially if you want a chapter dedicated to you! VOTE VOTE, LIKE LIKE, COMMENT COMMENT. WOOT. ;D Much love to you guys and the support you're giving this story. asdfhhgffdh feels.