Second Opinion
Author: vivalaraywood.tumblr.com
Recipient: der-guerkchen-boss.tumblr.com/
Summary: The Mad King and Scarlet Rose, both notorious criminals on the loose. They have conflicting methods of killing, but it gets the job done. It has gone on that way for a long time, but what happens when they meet through the same victim?
Warning: Minor Character Death, brief mentions of torture
Word Count: 1, 741
Ray was in his apartment staring intently at a screen. He was watching a woman go through her daily routine. He didn't know this woman, at least not personally. Weeks of watching her had changed that, although she still has no knowledge of it. He was what you'd normally call a stalker, albeit one who kills their victims afterwards.
He hadn't always been this way. It all started when he broke up with his first girlfriend. He had been so torn up, calling and messaging her endlessly, hoping she would change her mind. He always followed her home, watched her from her window. She never knew about it, and he never felt that what he was doing was wrong.
Weeks crawled by, and he knew more about her than he did when they were dating. He finally realized that they weren't right together, and that was when he snapped. He sneaked inside her room one night, and he let her know. He told her while she was tied up, her whimpers muffled by the gag tied around her mouth. He liked the fear in her eyes, as he told her about her deepest, darkest secrets. Secrets he found out from days, weeks, months, of observing.
He watched the life go out from her eyes as he slit her throat. He then climbed out of the window, swallowed by the darkness. The rose on her chest contrasted brightly with the blood surrounding it.
He was shook from his reminiscing by the sound of the woman giggling. She was reading a card from a bouquet of flowers. It read, "Let's watch a movie and eat afterwards. My treat, you deserve it. Let's go to my place after. Lotus Hotel, Room 92. Just in case I forget to tell. See you later." She pocketed the card and went out the door, leaving Ray to stare at the now empty room. He decided to get ready to go to the place the card said. Maybe he could check the place out in advance while the occupants were out.
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If there was one thing Ryan was bad at, it was being patient. He watched the couple walking in the empty parking lot. They were laughing quietly, their arms interlocked. He was itching to run towards them, but he restrained himself and continued walking towards them. A few moments later, he stood in front of them.
"Can I help y-" The male's question petered off to a gurgle as Ryan sliced his neck. The woman screamed, staring in horror at Ryan as spoke to her. "I'm giving you three minutes to run." The sound of clicking heels grew fainter as he counted. He watched her receding form go towards the woods. After three minutes, he started moving. This time he ran, smiling as he began to feel the thrill of the hunt.
A few hours later, the woman woke up in a dark room. She was tied to a chair, her mouth stuffed with a bunch of cloth. She strained against her bindings, flinching suddenly at the sound of the door opening. "About time you woke up. I was thinking of starting without you."
He flipped the light switch, watching her eyes squint at the sudden brightness. She looked around nervously, finally noticing the tools on the table beside her. She noticed that it was mostly scalpels of varying sizes, and some tools for operating. She stared at him, pleading with her eyes to let her free.
He merely grinned at her, picking up a scalpel. Her eyes darted nervously from his eyes to the door, hoping for someone to come in. She was beginning to cry, sobbing against the cloth. "I'm afraid no one's going to save you, so you better give up now." Ryan said softly as he slid the scalpel down her cheek. She whimpered and tried to shy away, screaming suddenly as Ryan pulled her hair.
She tried to speak through her gag, to plead for mercy. She was cut off with a stab in her arm, and she shrieked. "Shut up. Make any more noise and I will slit your throat. Keep quiet and I might let you get out of here." She nodded, crying softly. She kept herself from screaming as he sliced her skin to ribbons. He made her watch as he tore the skin away, exposing the muscle underneath. She finally screamed as he ripped her muscle and sinew next, until she could finally see her bones. "Just kidding." She last heard him say as her vision faded to black.
He searched the woman's pockets, checking to see if she had anything of value. He also wanted to see if there was anyone else related to her. His mind drifted as he continued searching.
Ryan guesses that what started him on this path was an experience from his childhood days. He clearly remembers holding a dying bird, watching it breathe raggedly until it's chest stopped moving. He stared at it as the warmth from its skin faded. He wanted to see it again, wanted to see the life from something fade away.
So he went bigger, and bigger. From birds, to squirrels, to cats, dogs, until finally, people. He was careful not to get caught. Killing became an outlet for his stress, a way to relax. Like hunting.
He finally found a card in the back pocket. "Let's watch a movie and eat afterwards. My treat, you deserve it. Let's go to my place after. Lotus Hotel, Room 92. Just in case I forget to tell. See you later." Interesting. The Lotus Hotel was a few blocks away.
He admired his handiwork, and made sure that the woman was dead. He cleaned up the scalpel and put the body in a bag. He then took a quick shower and got ready to go. He would definitely check if anyone was home.
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Ray crouched in the corner of the hotel room, hidden by the shadows. He was waiting for the owner to arrive. Finally, the door opened, revealing a man with a skull mask. He watched the man peek inside the rooms, seemingly looking for something, or someone. He thought that this man was a trespasser too. One thing he had to admire was that despite the man's bulk, his footsteps were light against the carpeted floor.
He saw a familiar looking card in the back pocket of the man. It was the card the woman got earlier that day. Ray decided that the man will be his next target, as he assumed that the woman was dead, killed by this man. He'd make his move when the man would leave.
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Ryan didn't find anything, or anyone. He felt disappointed as he made to leave. He'll just find another person sometime this week. As he moved to the door, he felt the slightest touch on his back. He turned quickly and saw a small dark haired man with glasses jump back, eyes alert and observant. There was a hint of agileness on his body. He also looked cute. Not now. Killing comes first. Ryan chastised himself. Ryan was surprised he didn't hear the man's footsteps. He doesn't seem scared of Ryan.
They circled the room slowly, checking each other for weak points. Ryan spoke first, his voice muffled by the mask. "I'm Ryan. Who are you?" He grinned as Ray calmly said, "Why the fuck would you tell a stranger your name?" "Eh, you end up dead anyway, so why not get to know you." Ray snorted at that. "You wish. I'm Ray." Ryan moved backward, still looking at Ray, and sat down on a chair. "Hey Ray, what are you doing here?" Ray contemplated his question, while sitting down on the floor. "Was stalking a girl. She had a card leading to this place."
Ryan remembered the woman he had recently killed. He chuckled, prompting a look of inquisition from Ray. "I'm afraid she won't be stopping by any time soon." Ray looked slightly surprised, but then nodded, annoyed. "I had a feeling you killed her. Saw the card in your back pocket."
"Why were you stalking her anyway?" Ray shrugged nonchalantly in reply. "Was following her for a month or so. Shame I didn't get to kill her." It was Ryan's turn to be surprised. "A month? If I were you, I wouldn't wait that long. Also, sorry for stealing your kill." Ray made a noncommittal noise. "S'fine. I can always get new targets. Besides, I like the finding out stuff part more."
They went silent for a while, both getting lost in their own thoughts. They were surprised at how easily they got along, despite the strange circumstances. They were both killers, although with different methods. They realized that maybe they could learn something from each other. "I was thinking-" "So maybe-" They both stopped talking, insisting the other say theirs first.
Ray scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "Maybe it'd be nice if we got together sometime. I mean, outside the killing stuff." Ryan nodded, looking thoughtful. "Sure. I'd also like to give your method a try, if you don't mind." "Sooo, do you wanna have my number?" Ryan nodded again, grabbing a piece of paper and pen from a desk. "Yeah, I'll give you mine too."
They both handed each other their numbers and made to leave. Ryan stopped Ray for a moment. "Oh yeah, just in case we see each other, I guess I should show you my face." "Yeah, sure. You better be handsome or-" Ray stuttered to a halt as he saw blue eyes and blonde hair. Holy fuck. He is handsome. Ryan grinned as Ray blushed and looked down. He also handed Ray a small device and winked. "Here's your tracker. Since we already have each other's numbers, no sense in me keeping this."
Ray took it, his expression back to normal. "I thought you didn't notice. But yeah, thanks." Their hands brushed together as he took back the tracker. He felt a small jolt of electricity and he looked down again, not noticing that Ryan was blushing. "I guess I'll see you around." Ray said as he went. Ryan followed him, closing the door. "Yeah. I'll call you later." They went their separate ways after that, each looking forward to when they would see the other again. For once, killing was not the first thing on their mind.