Crimson || GyuRicky

11. Circles

(A/N- Since this is the last chap, I'll put a fair spoiler alter here. Do not read it, or any of the later chapters before reading the entire story because the fun would be ruined otherwise. Ik many prefer to read the last chap first but trust me, you don't wanna do it for this story! Follow the chronological order, ty!)

Under the cold moonlight, a metallic blade glimmered- approaching the half naked man tied to the trunk of a tree- his pale white body shining with a silver glow. The one approaching him had an evil grin, saying how beautiful a drop of crimson would look on his pale skin. The man threw his hands and legs, crying and begging, sweating profusely, but the blade only got bigger and bigger until it poked his skin and-

With a loud gasp, Ricky opened his eyes. For a second, he only saw black, but soon, his eyes adjusted to the white ceiling. He was sweating just as much, his heart still beating loudly. He looked around- yes, he was in the comfort of his own room- but the nightmares, do they ever end??

He tried sitting up. Although the doctors suggested him not to move too fast, he did that anyway. And his head kept spinning for a few good seconds. He wiped the sweat off his neck with the back of his hand. He still struggled folding his palm- his fingers still needed practice to regain the coordination. He never missed a day of therapy, but he had a long way to go until he gets to walk again. The wounds are yet to heal, for they were so deep.

Ricky sighed. It had only been a month- everything was so clear to him. He remembered those dreadful hours, the horrible pain, the blackout. He had no hope of living- in fact, after discovering him on the verge of death, many couldn't hope for him to live. The first few days he was at the hospital, his body barely responded. Low heart rate, he didn't regain consciousness in about three days. Zhang Hao kept crying day and night. Hanbin, even Jiwoong, they kept visiting the hospital all while sorting everything out to punish Gyuvin accordingly. As said earlier, the evidence was more than enough. They found Gyuvin's DNA in the plastic bag, the report from the handwriting analysis, all the letters and clues- they kept Gyuvin from winning or even reducing his sentence even if he had hired a good attorney. On the third day, when Ricky finally regained his consciousness, Gyuvin confessed his crimes. Aside from an attempt to kill Ricky, he admitted to killing all four others, making it evident that he'd receive a death sentence. And he did. After the trial, neither Hanbin nor Hao wanted to have anything to do with that bloody killer, their focus fell on taking care of Ricky.

However, Jiwoong constantly visited Gyuvin to understand why he did what he did. Surprisingly, no trauma acted here. Gyuvin was born incredibly wealthy- his parents barely looked after him. With lots of freedom from an early age, and a weird sadism, a strange fascination for blood, he started killing animals and hurting weak boys in his school. Soon, however, he started planning more daring projects and by 16, he killed his first victim. The rest of it is predictable. He left his town, started targeting his victims and eventually killed them. It became a fun game for him- to enjoy the look of betrayal, to enjoy inflicting pain, and to also play with people of law.

Ricky looked around. It was his very own room. He still felt scared until he heard the faint sound of footsteps on the other room, and the muffled voice of his cousin talking over phone. For him, Hao took a few months off his work, focused on an online job instead. Getting his cousin back was like getting another life for Hao, therefore, he vowed to protect the younger at all costs. Ricky knew that. He also knew how, during the first few days after returning home, Zhang Hao didn't even leave his room- carrying him to the bathroom and keeping watch 24/7. He felt like a child of his not so old cousin.

Fortunately, the rough days were over. With Gyuvin safely behind the bars, he became a little courageous. He also learned to use the wheelchair assigned to him temporarily for personal tasks. Most of the time, he chose to stay in bed though. Staying in bed, reading books and watching movies or series. He avoided psychopath movies at all costs- because there was a fresh scar every time he looked in the mirror, or at his hands, legs- a reminder that once he trusted a very wrong person.

Like every other time, he grabbed some wet tissues and wiped his sweat away. He then took his laptop, opened it to get lost in another episode of a rom-com K drama. He was notified about an email first. So he clicked to check, although the username was a bit sus- possibly a spam mail or something.

The mail had no subject. Only a body, and a few lines. But reading that, he couldn't but gasp, after screaming a loud 'NO!'

It took a second for Hao to show up, the phone still in his hand, his face painted with worries.

"What happened??" He asked, frantically rushing towards his trembling cousin. Ricky only pointed at his laptop. Zhang Hao saw the mail, read it out loud.

"I'm glad you're alive, Ricky. I still have so much more to do to you. Enjoy your time now, cause I'll take you to finish our date night, soon.

-Bambi"

Hao only glanced at Ricky as his insides churned with fear. His phone rang almost immediately. Hanbin called.

"Babe, are you home with Ricky??" Hanbin was heard asking. His voice was also filled with concern.

"Yeah.." Zhang Hao was yet to process everything.

"Stay there, I'm on my way. And stay alert." Hanbin said, "I just got the worst news ever- Gyuvin has escaped jail."

Hao couldn't make what Hanbin said afterwards, or when the call was over. The relief, the satisfaction he felt when Gyuvin was declared guilty in that trial all felt meaningless as he realized that they all had entered the loop again. The loop of fear, loss, agony. He couldn't even look at Ricky, who was probably short of breath by then. Why? Why must things turn that way?? Why couldn't they just get their happy ending??

Why did they have to run back into the circle of a sickly psychopath's twisted fantasy?

-

(The Chapter title is taken from Post Malone's 'Circles', based on the lyric- 'Run away but we're running in circles'. I guess it makes sense :)))

Okay but, before you come at me- the story ends here, so you decide in your head how things should go. Should Gyuvin be successful in his mission or should our detective team find him out before anything. An open ending is kinda needed here, cause obviously, jail isn't the end.

And ain't it a coincidence that irl Gyuvin talked about the series 'Prison Break'? (Tmi- back in high school, I loved watching this series)

Anyway, this is the end of 'Crimson'. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I put subtle clues about our killer everywhere. If you ever read it again, you'll see where they are! For now, let's say goodbye to this one! Take care and be happy! Love you❣️

-✍️Eva💎