Divided heart

16. ground meat

"Every anger that erupts always ends with consequences."

-Sin-

The loud ringing of my phone woke me up, startled and scared, recovering from a terrifying nightmare that made my reaction as slow as a snail. Only after the seventh ring did my fingers finally move to press the answer button.

I rubbed my face, feeling very tired. I didn't know how my body got back to the flat and woke up in bed.

"Hello… hello… hey…. Loki…!! Can you hear me?" Rendy's voice sounded panicked.

"Hello Ren…"

"I've been calling you since last night. Why didn't you answer? Are you alright?"

I rubbed my face, a mixture of fear, anger, and sadness blended into one.

"I…" my voice choked. How could I tell Rendy that I shared a body with another personality?

"Why didn't you answer the phone last night? I've called you dozens of times!! Are you still sick, Loki?"

"Yes, I… I don't know Ren, I'm confused." I wanted to confess. I'm a murderer, Ren, I've killed someone, but those words never came out of my lips.

My heart refused to admit it, everything felt unreal. He was the one who did it, not me. The boy's name was Heil.

"Loki, how many days have you been absent from work? Yesterday, Mr. Roger contacted me, asking about your condition."

I put my phone away, confused, and pressed the date button to check what day it was. My eyes widened in surprise. Why did time pass so quickly? It's the third day I haven't gone to work. How is that possible? My initial plan was only to take a day off.

"Loki… Loki…"

"Hello Ren, I'm scared." Even now, my fingers holding the phone were trembling violently. What if next time I'll never wake up again?

"Scared of what, Loki?" Rendy's voice was an octave higher. My fear made him panic.

"Ren, I…" Just as I decided to tell Rendy, my phone disconnected and the screen went black.

"Damn!!" I cursed in frustration, throwing my phone onto the bed with all my might.

I snorted in annoyance, pinching my temples for a moment to calm myself.

Calm down Loki, calm down, don't get angry; if you get angry, you'll call him to come.

I took a deep breath, grabbed my phone and plugged it into the power. In half an hour, I'll tell Rendy; he can definitely help me.

Fatigue tormented me while the smell of blood was still faintly present. However, for a blood lover like me, it was agonizing. I opened the balcony door to watch the red afternoon sun shining, showing its last strength before night fell. Funny, isn't this like my life? I am the king of the day, and Heil is the darkness of the night.

We take turns, complementing each other in a day. But what if night doesn't want morning to rise again? It will destroy its light, bring storm clouds and drench the day with endless tears.

I won't let that happen, let my existence be destroyed by that creature of darkness.

I… will fight it.

***

My steps stopped at that moment, seeing the residents of Marina Apartments passing in front of the lobby. The clock hadn't yet shown 4 pm, the usual time for middle-aged women to go out and gossip. Why were they gathered in front of the lobby?

My head turned to look for Candy. Her room was empty when I peeked into it earlier.

Several men nodded and smiled politely at me as they passed. Each of them carried a small black plastic bag in their hands.

I returned the waves of several women, feeling rather awkward with their overly friendly demeanor, unlike usual. The crowd was growing in the corner of the lobby; it was unclear what was happening there.

"Loki, thank you very much." A woman patted my back hard, making me turn around in surprise.

"Mrs. Marry, thank you for what?"

"The ground beef, thank you. You're very kind and charitable. I'm going to make meatballs tonight." Mrs. Marry patted my arm several more times, smiling broadly before walking away.

My heart pounded. No… no…

I pushed through the crowd. As I feared, Candy was distributing the minced meat to the people in line. A long table held stacks of the meat.

"Stop!" I yelled in panic, snatching the bag Candy had given a woman.

"Throw it all away," I commanded. Confused faces stared at me with curiosity.

"What's wrong? You already gave it to me, but now you want it back?" The woman forcibly snatched the bag of meat from my hand.

"If you want to donate, don't do it halfway," another resident sneered.

A buzz of anger began to resonate, and they condemned my actions. My head throbbed violently; the world seemed to spin. They didn't know that the minced meat they thought was beef was actually human flesh.

Candy pulled my arm, leaned close, and whispered softly, "Want to arouse suspicion? Want to get arrested by the police?" Her words hit me hard. She released her grip and spoke loudly to the audience.

"Calm down, everyone. Loki didn't mean it that way; don't reduce the amount. Put more meat in the bags. Come here, let me add more."

"Oh, I see…!" they replied in unison, approaching Candy with wide smiles.

I retreated, pressed in by the crowd. The smell of the meat made me nauseous; a sour taste filled my mouth. I ran away, to hell with their stupidity. It wasn't my fault, right?

My steps halted as I bumped into someone. Mr. Joni stood there, gripping my arm tightly. He looked at me intently.

"Loki, why are you so pale? Are you sick?"

I shook my head quickly, pushing the security guard away and running out of the apartment. As soon as my feet stepped outside, the contents of my stomach emptied onto the asphalt. Imagining everyone eating Mr. Robert's flesh made me vomit again.

What if they knew it was human flesh? What would they do to you, huh…? You… would be tried before being handed over to the police. Or worse, you would be minced into the next batch of ground beef.

That voice shook my thoughts, making me hit my ears hard. The world began to roll again, undulating like waves in the ocean. I was distorted by reality; I shook my head with difficulty.

No, don't come. Please… The rhythm of my heartbeat became more erratic. Fear gripped me even tighter.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I reached for it with difficulty, trying to breathe regularly.

"Hello…" Black spots began to blur on the convex screen of my vision. My consciousness weakened, as if something was slowly pulling it away.

"Loki, what's your room number? I'm close; I'll be at your apartment soon." Rendy's voice was raspy, sounding like a broken tape.

"What?" No, Rendy, you can't come now. I clutched my chest and moved towards the wall to lean against it.

"I've seen the Marina apartment building sign. What's the number? You didn't forget that I promised to come, did you? The connection was cut off earlier, and I couldn't reach you. I wanted to let you know I'm on my way."

Right, it's Sunday. How could I forget? I even checked the date earlier.

"Ren, listen… don't… don't come, Please..!!" An unconscious hand covered my mouth, making it difficult to speak. Slowly but surely, another hand pulled down a black curtain, trying to obstruct my vision.

"Loki…? What's wrong, Loki…? Hey, buddy."

I screamed in terror, but no words came out. Don't come, please! I'm afraid Heil will hurt Rendy. And I'll bear the blood of my own friend.

"Loki….? Please answer. Loki… Loki… I'm here. Loki… what's the room number?" Rendy yelled, increasingly panicked.

I cursed, hitting the convex glass hard with both hands until they trembled, but I couldn't break it. Vaguely, I heard my own voice speaking.

'Number 20, I'll be waiting for you.'

A creeping coldness instantly froze my consciousness.