Chapter 45: A Twisted Mind

It had now been a day and a half since Zane was kidnapped by Ellie. The sea of suffering he had faced, was like nothing he had ever experienced before. His heart was now only for the sole purpose of pumping blood through his body. It no longer responded to his now numb emotions.

Zane, now literally resembled a zombie— tiny cuts all over his face and his limbs going sore from the rusty chains that held them down. His eyes were pale and without expression. His skin covered in a sea of red— the result of the beating Ellie gave to him whenever he rejected her.

The stench of filthy body odor and death filled the air. It was a terrible sight to behold. Ashley was also tied down— her hands sealed behind her back and her legs trapped together. The ropes were tied so tightly, that it buried itself into her flesh— a stinging sensation gripping her whenever she dared to move. She was however in better condition than Zane. Ellie had only cut off a small portion of Ashley's hair and inflicted a small knife wound across her left cheek. If it weren't for Zane, she would be in far worse condition.

Ashley watched Zane— her heart feeling like it was about to explode. His head was slumped over his chest. He was wide awake, but he just stared blankly at his lap. There was not even a single shred of hope present in his pale-blue eyes. Ashley was desperate to talk to him. Zane was broken mentally and needed the encouragement to keep him going. However, Ellie had threatened Ashley, that if she tried to communicate with Zane, she would literally remove her tongue.

Ashley had hoped that the others would find them. While she was in the back of the truck, she had found an entire box filled with white Styrofoam. She had broken it into bits, leaving a trail for the others to follow. The only real issue was the wind. If they didn't find the trail before the wind blew them away, then there would be no hope of escaping the psychopath, Ellie.

Footsteps made their way back over to the two. Ellie, still only wearing her underwear, carrying another bowl of bat soup in her hand. Her feet slapping against the cold, concrete floor, with her favorite smile kissing her lips.

"Zaney! Your favorite person in the whole wide world is back! And with your favorite meal too!!"

Zane wasn't responding— his head still slumped against his chest. Ellie then picked up a wooden stool and placed it in front of him. Slowly, she took a seat facing him. She placed the bowl of bat soup in her lap and wrapped her fingers around the handle of the spoon. Carefully, she moved the boiled corpse of a bat to the side of the bowl, as she prepared to scoop the soup onto the spoon.

"Zaney! Wake up now! It's time for your favorite meal!"

Zane still didn't respond. His spirit far too broken to force as much as a single cry. Ellie frowned not liking his silence. She forced her hand underneath his chin, lifting his head to stare him in the eyes.

"Zaney! It's not nice to ignore me!! You should treat your girlfriend with respect!" Ellie sighed as she calmed herself. "Okay, I'm sorry Zaney... You must be tired right? It's okay... I'll feed you. I know you're hungry!"

Ellie raised the spoon towards his lips. The green, soup water moving closer towards his mouth. The spoon clattered against his closed teeth. The soup falling from the spoon into his lap as a result.

"Zaney! Come on now. Open wide and say AHH!" ordered Ellie in a sweet tone. Zane's teeth however still remained shut. The spoon constantly clattering on them as Ellie tried forcing the spoon into his mouth.

"Zaney! I said open your damn mouth!!"

"Stop! He doesn't want it! Don't you see that!" cried Ashley.

Ellie turned towards Ashley. An unpleasant look burning in her eyes.

"Who told you to speak?"

Ashley didn't dare to say another word. The fear that Ellie would sever her tongue, gripped her soul. However, Ellie was already extremely agitated. She calmly picked herself up off the stool and walked over to Ashley. She reached her hand over to the table and picked up the red metal axe she had threatened to kill her with before.

"Zane is mine! I know what's best for him!! LEAVE MY BOYFRIEND AND I ALONE!!! YOU'RE THE REASON HE DOESN'T LISTEN TO ME!!"

Ellie raised the axe above her head. Ashley staring up at her in horror. She was sure this was the end of her.

"No... Please don't kill her..." muttered Zane suddenly. His voice weak and feeble as tears fell from his pale eyes.

Ellie looked over to Zane. Her eyes filled with mystery and confusion. Slowly, she lowered her axe as she turned towards him.

"Zaney? Why are you hurting my feelings like this..? I don't understand... I was trying to feed you and show you my love. But you ignored me every time! Why Zaney?? Why do you ignore me?? But whenever this ugly girl speaks, you always defend her!! WHY????????"

Ellie's arms drooped by her side. The axe swinging deadly over Ashley's head. Tears flooded Ellie's eyes. Her crazy reasoning justifying her actions.

"You fell in love with her didn't you..? You fell- YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH HER!!! AHHHHH!!! NOOO!!! YOUR HEART BELONGS TO ME AND ME ONLY ZANE!! I'LL KILL HER!!! NO ONE TAKES MY ZANEY AWAY FROM ME!!!!!!" Ellie screamed like a banshee. She took constant deep breaths as if she had just ran a marathon.

She turned back towards Ashley. The axe gripped in her hand tightly. Her bloodlust was radiating from her like a beacon. She raised her axe once again. The shiny, sharp edge glistening in the dim light.

Zane forced himself to raise his head. Fear finding its way back into his soul. Ashley was about to die. He needed to do something to protect her.

"No! P-Please don't! I'll do anything for you! Just please don't kill her!" he cried. His voice being forced to heighten with desperation.

"No Zaney!! I'll make you do what I want from now on! Whether you like it or not!! I won't have your heart being stolen by another girl again!!"

Zane watched ghastly. His heart rate quickly increasing with each beat. His emotions coming back to him like a raging flood. The last thing he wanted, was to watch Ashley die before him, while unable to do anything.

"If you love her so much! Then I'll simply remove her head! No face equals no love!!"

Time seemed to slow as Ellie came down with a vicious swing towards the head of Ashley. Ashley met the eyes of the crying Zane. Slowly, a smile came across her face as she got ready for her final moments. In a quiet and loving whisper, Ashley released her final words to Zane;

"Thank you."

Bone crunched and snapped. Blood rushing out the severed head of Ashley— some even splashing against the faces of Zane and Ellie. Zane's body shook like an earthquake and his blue eyes were unable to close. He watched as Ellie picked back up the axe. Blood dripping from its edge like a running pipe. Blood marks staining her stomach and her minimal underwear.

"See what you made me do, Zane! Why can't you just love me for real?? Now, I had to kill another girl, just because you fell in love with her! If you just gave me your undivided attention, then I wouldn't have to do this!"

Zane remained silent. His eyes still fixed on the severed head of Ashley— her eyes half closed and her mouth half open. The bone in her neck hanging out like a turkey's. Her nose and mouth also crying with blood. Zane slowly felt darkness encase his heart. An evil and horrendous feeling that was about to drive him mad.

Ellie then jumped onto his lap, hammering her fists repeatedly into his face. "THIS IS WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!!! YOU HAVE TO LOVE ME ZANE!! LOVE MEEEE!!!!!!!!!"

Blood trickled from Zane's nose and mouth, as the fists of Ellie smashed into his face at least fifty times. Each hit sinking Zane deeper into his sorrow and darkness.

As if Ellie wouldn't dare to take things a step further. She got up and walked over to the severed head of Ashley. Coldly, she picked up Ashley's head by the hair, blood running out like a waterfall. She then turned back towards Zane and tossed the head into his lap. The blood soaking his pants wet, running down his legs.

Zane did nothing, but continue to stare on the head of Ashley. His face stiffened with appalment.

"Since you love her that much, tell me if you still love her when she has no head!!"

Ellie then stormed out of the basement— slamming the door aggressively behind her.

A sea of negativity began clouding Zane's mind like a roaring hurricane. All his built up tension was now stifling his positivity. He couldn't take it anymore. The hate he had for the world was now wrapping its shadowy tendrils around him. He hated how the world could never be a peaceful place. It was always drowning in war, conflict, or some other kind of deadly situation for the dumbest reasons.

Humans, Apocrypha and Chimera alike were all the same. Doing as they pleased for mere self-satisfaction. Breaking his deafening silence, was a voice. The voice wasn't of any human being or Apocrypha, but that of his own devilish conscience. It was filled with negativity and pain, that plagued him like a judgement day swarm.

"Why do you still care?" it asked. The voice sounding like the devil himself.

"Because, people all have hearts. They just hide it..."

"If everyone had hearts, then why did Ellie kill Ashley?"

"T-That's because she cares for me..."

"Does she though?"

"Yes!"

"Then that justifies her taking the lives of three people and putting you through hell then. Right?"

"I-I..."

"What about your family? The Apocrypha killed them. Are you willing to forgive them too?"

"I-I don't know! Get out of my head!!"

"What about the people who step on others to get what they want? Are they not selfish mongrels?"

"They're just... They're jus-"

"What about Frank? Do you not remember how he left you to die, kidnapped Layla and Sarah, then wouldn't even yield at the last moments of his life?"

"That's becau-"

"What about the people who judge others for what they have? The toxic assholes, who never cared a day in their lives for others. Do they have hearts too? Or do they just have hearts whenever they are in need of help?"

"I don't know!!! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!! WHO ARE YOU??? HELP ME!!! SOMEONE!!!"

"Why should toxic filth like that be allowed to live, while the innocent die? Why should the Apocrypha be allowed to play with human lives like it's a game?"

"Please... just leave me alone."

"No."

"I'm begging you!"

"Answer my question then."

"I don't know... They're just... They're just-"

"Evil? Heartless? Hateful? Judgmental? Hypocrites? Toxic? Selfish? Cruel? Monsters? Narcissists? Fake? The epitome of pain in the world?"

"Ye-Yea- No!!!"

"What good have they ever done for you? Everyone will betray you someday, just like Elio. They'll only use you until they have no more use for you. Just like how Ellie had no more use for Ashley. So her head lays in your lap, crying at you for being so pathetic. Am I not right?"

"..."

"This world is filthy and filled with toxic waste. It needs someone who can cleanse all that toxicity. Am I not right?"

"...maybe"

"Once love exists, hate will be born to defend that love. Wouldn't it be better to just dispose of love? Destroy everything you dislike? Become like a god who does what he thinks is right, because he's always RIGHT? Am I not right, me?"

Zane was now crippled up to his neck, with this dark conversation with himself. His dark side finally making itself known. He could no longer take the pain he felt.

"Yes."

"Then tell me what you'll do then?"

"I'll kill everything I hate..."

"What else?"

"Bring pain onto those who bring pain onto me."

"And?"

"Take advantage of whoever I want to accomplish what I want."

"And finally?"

"Show this garbage world what true fear really is."

"Good! Good! Good! Now, start with that bitch standing in front of you."

Zane slowly raised his head. A stare that was as calm as a gentle breeze, but as cold as the continent of Antarctica, met the eyes of Ellie.

"Zaney! You're ignoring me again! ANSWER ME!!!" she shouted. She had been trying to get his attention for the past five minutes.

Ellie slammed her fist into Zane's jaw. His head turning to the left from the impact.

"ANSWER ME ZANEYYY!!! I WANT YOUR LOVE!!!!!!!"

Zane calmly turned his head back to Ellie. A sinister smile perched against his lips.

"I'm sorry sweetheart. Your beauty had me paralyzed for a moment there." his voice a deadly calm and his eyes filled with a dangerous twist.

Ellie felt shivers run through her spine. She couldn't believe Zane had just flirted with her. It made her happy beyond belief.

"Zaney!!! You've finally fallen in love with me??"

"Yes, darling. In fact, I'm so in love with you right now, that I could lick those tasty lips of yours."

"Oh my gosh, Zaney! Are you saying you want to kiss me?"

Zane smirked, "Yes my angel. I'll give you a kiss you'll never forget."

Ellie was stunned. Zane wanted to kiss her. In her mind, Zane had finally fallen in love with her. But in the back of Zane's mind, his devilish conscience whispered;

"A kiss of death, of course."