Divided heart

12. second victim

"The brain is the darkest place in human life, not the heart."

-Sin-

I woke up to the smell of metal and blood. It was pungent, making my thirst even more unbearable. My hands moved stiffly, the pain sharp. My eyes rolled in chaotic movements, struggling to focus on a single point.

My range of motion felt constricted; I felt nervous. The light was minimal; I could barely see my surroundings. The roughness of the walls and floor made me wonder, what kind of place is this?

With great difficulty, my body screamed in protest as I tried to sit up. A pool of blood stained my clothes. Faintly, some pieces of flesh caught my attention.

I recoiled in disgust, surprise, and fear. Not far from the pieces of flesh, a body lay prostrate. Motionless, blood pooled around its torn neck. As if it had been ripped apart by a wild animal.

Seeing this much blood, it was certain that the person was dead. I inched closer, dizzy from the smell of blood this close. I fought the overwhelming urge to press my lips against it. Crazy, a normal person would have run away in terror at this sight. Or at least vomited from the smell, but I was enjoying this horrifying scent.

There's something wrong with my brain. The last thing I remember is peering into flat number 19, and poof! Suddenly, I'm here with a corpse.

That strange dream is still haunting me. Who is the child named Heil? Why does that figure feel so familiar? That child's sadness still weighs heavily on my heart. Even a fleeting thought of it makes me want to cry.

I hit my head in frustration, even more confused by this bizarre situation. Time seems to be against me. How does it always get stolen and disappear? just when I realize how frightening the situation is.

Blood and blood, the one common thread in my confusion. I hesitantly raise my hand. Several scratch marks peel away my skin—evidence of someone's struggle. Was it me...? Was I...?

My heart pounds wildly. Slowly, I turn the corpse over to identify it. Suddenly, a hand grabs my arm. I'm shocked, trembling violently until the hand releases me.

The figure is stunned, its lips parted to speak. But only a hoarse groan is heard. Its arm points towards me. A moment later, I see its eyes dim. Its arm falls to the floor.

I gasp for breath, still trembling violently. He's dead, he's really dead now. I wipe my face in panic.

Did I kill him? And are the scratches on my hands proof of his struggle to survive?

No... no... I'm not a killer. I don't remember. How is that possible?

"Hei..." A soft voice approaches from behind me. My nerves still taut, I turn around in surprise.

"Hei...." she calls again. It's a girl's voice.

"Candy...? " I turn, fearfully.

The girl crawls closer to me. "What are you...?" She gasps at the sight of the corpse lying before us. I quickly cover her mouth to stop her from screaming.

"I... I..." I lose my words. How can this horrifying situation be explained? Clearly, anyone who sees this will think I'm a murderer.

"You killed him...?" the girl whispers, close to me, placing her small arm on my shoulder.

"Me...? No. I don't know, I... I did." Now I feel like a broken person. Confused, dazed, and even more difficult to speak. Unable to defend myself, doubting my own memory.

"It's alright... He deserved to die." Candy's hair falls over my shoulder as she bows her head and whispers softly. Her fingers now trace my back, patting it gently and stroking up and down.

"He...?" I ask, confused, shivering from her touch.

Candy snorted in annoyance. "Mr. Robert," she said softly.

My head automatically snapped up, now recognizing the tall, thin figure. Mr. Robert. His face was hidden in shadow, but his clothes were the same as the last time I saw him: a checkered shirt and blue jeans.

"Hei... Thanks." The girl hugged me from behind and planted a kiss on my cheek.

Surprised, I hastily pushed her away. I almost fell into the pool of blood.

"It wasn't me!!" I denied.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it like before." Candy's long-nailed fingers reached out towards me. I flinched back in fear.

"W-what do you mean? Like before?" My voice was now sad, almost on the verge of tears.

"Don't you remember?" Candy shook her head sadly.

"I don't know you! I don't recognize you!" I denied.

"Hei..."

"I have a name! Don't call me Hei..!" My frustration reached its peak.

"But that's your name!" Candy blinked in confusion.

"What? My name is Loki!!" I shook my head in frustration.

"Heil... your name is Heil!!"

"What?" The answer was like lightning striking my brain.

"I often call you without the 'L,' and you always get angry." Candy smiled faintly, her eyes looking upwards, as if recalling a fond memory.

"Heil...? My name is Heil...?" No, how is it possible that the name of the child in my dream is me? This is crazy.

"Yeah, how could I not know you? You haven't changed. Hey... same face, same kindness. And..." She dipped her finger into the blood, lifting the sticky liquid, then playing with its elasticity between her fingers. "Same tastes."

"You..... you know...?" She knew I was addicted to blood.

"Of course, I was the one who used to give you a drink." Candy raised her hand, showing her thumb with a pale scar. An old scar.

Damn it, all those strange dreams I've been having... maybe they're subconscious memories. Then why did I forget all of this?

I remember Rendy's words: my parents almost hit me, but there was no brain injury. What really happened?

My ears rang loudly, my head started to ache, and I clutched my arm tightly.

Candy shook my shoulder. "Hei.... What's wrong? Hei..."

The pain intensified, flashes of memories hit me like giant blows. The thin man stepped into his room, suddenly feeling pain, clutching his neck with all his might. A pair of arms pulled the cable wrapped around his neck.

He clawed at the attacker's skin with all his strength, but couldn't break free. His face turned red, his legs kicked wildly, his resistance slowly weakening, his hands falling limp shortly after.

I heard low laughter; Mr. Robert was dragged away. I took a deep breath; my head throbbed as if it were about to explode.

Again, the flash returned. The figure dragged Mr. Robert to the fourth floor, into a dimly lit room filled with building cleaning supplies. He moved a tile on the floor. A hole leading downwards appeared, and Mr. Robert's unconscious body was simply tossed down. A soft thud was heard.

"Hei.. Breathe, let go of your hair, you're hurting yourself." Candy tried to pry my grip from my hair, but I refused to let go; it was too painful. At least the pain in my scalp distracted me slightly from the other pain.

The figure now sank its teeth into its victim's neck, tearing off a piece of flesh. Blood flowed freely as the artery was severed. Again, it made another hole. Two pieces of flesh, three pieces of flesh. Then its mouth opened wide, sucking the blood with relish.

The smell of blood filled all my desires at this moment, merging with my memories. I pushed Candy away, turning towards Mr. Robert's body, burying my face in the pool of blood, alongside the figure in my memory. We drank to quench our thirst like wild animals.

We laughed together.

"Heil..." Candy backed away from us.

We stood up and wiped the drops of blood from our lips, licking our fingers clean.

"Hello, Candy!!"