Shadows of the Past

Zack was breathing hard as he walked into the house. He thought the drive home would settle his beating heart but it would not calm down. Maybe seeing Ray would make it finally relax. Ray always comforted him after a hard day at work. He sighed deeply at the feeling of being home. But his instincts were loud in his ears that something was wrong. The monster in his blood was restless. His heart raced again. He frowned as he opened the door. Normally, there would be the smell of dinner being cooked or the sound of something playing in the background but there was nothing. Where was Ray? Her bag was on the floor carelessly. He kept his scythe in his hand. Walking back into the house, he looked for any sign something was off. There were drag marks on the carpet from nails. Bending down, he felt the carpet only to feel wetness. Pulling his head up, he noted his fingers were red. The smell of it hit him hard. Ray. He kept walking to her room. Opening the door, he frowned deeper that she wasn't in there. Growling, he walked deeper into the house. Going into the room, he opened the door to see someone above Ray. She was gagged, bleeding on the bed while he held a knife to her throat.

"What the shit?!"

"A pleasure for you to finally join us, Isaac Foster."

Zack paused as his eyes widened. Ray's eyes were bleeding as she laid there naked on his bed. Her hands were tied above her head. He could see the little cuts on her neck and face. They were shallow cuts that he could tell. She looked at him in relief but there was something else. Under the dead look there was fear. What was she afraid of? "What the fuck did you do to my Ray?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Rachel and I were just enjoying some catching up time." Danny cheesed as he bent down to her face. "I saw her here waiting for you to return and I just couldn't help myself. But her eyes were so alive. I didn't like it." Danny grabbed her chin as his tongue slithered out to taste her blood.

"Ray, it's going to be okay. Don't you dare die brat." Zack spoke to her. His eyes looked at her shallow wounds on her side though it was dark he could see the crimson substance pool under her. "I thought you died in that damn building you eye stealing fucker."

"I always survive." Danny chuckled before turning to show Zack that he was covered in her blood. Not only that, he was inside of Ray.

Zack paused. He was inside of her. The gift that she wanted to give him was taken from her. His mind flashed to the guy he killed just an hour ago. He had walked in to see the man on top of some girl who looked no older than Ray. She was screaming while tears were falling out her eyes. He couldn't understand a word she was saying but the terror in it computed with him. He was by no means a hero but there was something about seeing that guy force his way into her that caused his hand to just react. What if she had been Ray or that Ray was next on his list? And now coming home to see Ray under that sick fuck of a doctor caused his heart to nearly burst out of his chest. Something in him broke terribly as he thought about how bad she wanted to give it to him. She had been introducing him to the feel of a woman and he didn't dislike it. His monster raged against his blood to end him for stealing something so precious from him, from her. He saw her face one more time, her eyes were so sad at depriving him of something she really wanted to give to him. His monster whispered to end it for her sake.

"Rachel is mine Isaac. I'm going to take her eyes and keep them forever. You can keep her body and then kill her." Danny cackled pulling out a gun from his coat. He aimed it at Zack. "That's all I want, her eyes that remind me of my mother."

"You are one sick fuck. But I told you before you fucking idiot." Zack's growl was feral. His hand tightened around his scythe. "I don't give a damn about what you want from her. I ain't gonna let you fuck with her anymore. Her eyes, her body, and her name are all mine."

Danny pulled Ray's gag out of her mouth. "Tell him Rachel, how you begged me to take your eyes only moments before."

Ray looked at him and shook her head. "I didn't."

He let the breath go that he didn't know he was holding.

Danny growled. "Rachel don't lie in front of him. You were begging me to take them to escape this life away from Zack."

"Dr. Danny I told you already. Zack is the only one who can kill me." She whispered.

"But Rachel, I love you. I want to be with you and I have been since I first started seeing you."

"My heart belongs to Zack."

"You hear that bitch! She doesn't want your dumbass!"

Danny pulled the trigger.

Zack didn't stumble.

Danny pulled it again and again and again, till the clip was empty.

It was fast.

Zack had his scythe around Danny's neck. It was so smooth how the blade entered into his skin only to take his head off. A loud maniacal laughter shook the house as his head dropped onto the floor. His body fell onto her. He grabbed the carcass and threw it across the room. Planting his scythe in the body, he sat on the bed. He looked down at her. She hadn't done anything or moved. Big ugly purple bruises were on her cheeks and neck. He frowned at the marks as he kept going. His name had been sliced from her tattoo. How had he found them? Why didn't she defend herself? He shook his head. She had. The wounds on her hands and neck said she had. But he had managed to overpower her.

"Ray, are you okay?"

She looked at him slowly before shrugging.

He moved to untie her.

She jumped away from his touch.

He stared at her. "Ray?"

"Don't touch me." She whispered. "I'm dirty." Her eyes pooled with tears.

Zack felt like someone had stabbed him. She didn't want him to touch her at all? Damn that eye stealing fucker! Shaking it off, he picked her up carefully. She was hurt enough from that bastard. Her eyes were wide as he carried her to the bathroom. Getting into the tub, he turned on some warm water from the shower to run over their bodies. She lay on his chest as he was finally able to break her bindings. He held her to his body as he watched the blood on her body wash away with the water.

"Zack, are you mad at me? Are you disgusted with me?" came her soft voice.

He looked down at her. "I aint mad at you."

"I didn't know Dr. Danny was in the house when I got home from class. I'm sorry." She whispered shaking slightly.

Zack grabbed her chin. "You don't have anything to fucking apologize for. You did everything you were supposed to, Ray. I know if he hadn't sneaked you, you would have killed his weird ass." He let her go. "I know he took the gift you wanted to give to me. I wish I could kill him again. Piece of shit. But this time he will stay dead."

Ray shook her head. "He didn't go inside."

"He didn't?!" Zack let out a deep breath. Relief flooded his body.

"I wouldn't let him."

Zack kissed her forehead. "That's my brat." He chuckled. He was so proud of her in that moment.

"Zack, can we get out? I need to stitch my side up. My eyes are hurting from the steam." She sighed trying to sit up. "Plus, I need to pull those bullets out of you."

He pulled her back down on his body. "Okay." Getting up out of the tub, he turned the water off then proceeded to leave the bathroom. He placed her on the bed before stepping away. Wet bandages were a sick feeling to his skin. His eyes looked at the rotting corpse on the floor. He frowned. "Asshole."

…

Ray watched him pick up the body and the head of the doctor that tormented them all those years ago. She sat on the bed slowly stitching herself up. A deep sigh escaped her. Her eyes felt like they had knives in them. Danny had put a fork under her eyelids to try and gouge them out but she made it a point to move away fast enough. She had been on her way back from dance class. Her friend from class had told her about trying it out due to her pale skin and blue eyes. She decided it would be something fun to keep her from missing Zack. As it was, she worked at an upscale club in the next city over. She didn't mind the extra money coming in. Of course, she still kept his money on the books but buying guns was expensive. Dancing, she made over 4k a night. Seeing that she was requested quite often for private dances, her money doubled. She had rules and had no problems pulling guns out of her outfits should her client do something out of line. She would have to let her friend know she couldn't come in for her next shift. Cuts and scars were not sexy.

She paused. Her eyes stared up at the moon. The fact that Zack had shown up when he did had tears coming to her eyes. He was about to push himself into her when he popped up into the room. The relief that filled her was short lived as Danny pulled out a gun. She didn't want him to die. A world without Zack was not a world she wanted to live in. Grabbing a t-shirt, she slipped it onto her body before looking to the sheets on his bed. She pulled them off in hopes that she hadn't stained his mattress. A sigh of relief left her as she balled up the sheets to put them in the laundry.

"I'm sorry Zack." She whispered softly.

"I already fucking told you Ray. You don't got nothing to apologize for." Zack spoke leaning on the door frame.

She looked over her shoulder with a deep sigh. "Zack,"

"Ray, ain't nothing wrong with you. That fucking asshole can't ever do it again."

He walked into the room to take the sheets from her hand. Balling them up, he tossed them to the other side of the room. Ray watched as he seemed to stare at the sheets for a long moment. His mind seemed to be thinking about something and she wondered if it was from his past. Cocking her head to the side in curiosity, she waited till he turned around. His eyes were on the floor before they arose to her smaller form.

"The fuck are you staring at me for?" he asked taken a back.

She shook her head. "I was merely wondering if you wanted dinner." Came her reply as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

Zack shook his head. "I'm too tired. Besides I ate at that damn club."

Ray nodded as she moved to the side for him to get on the bed. He plopped down on the bed on his face. She shook her head as she let her eyes get taken with the outdoors. Her mind wondered what he had done with the doctor. Shaking it off, she moved to the cabinet to get her stuff to bandage him up. Her hands clasped the bandages and the disinfectant before it was taken out of her hands. She looked up to see Zack holding them above her head.

"Go make yourself some food and I'll clean myself till you get back. I don't need ya passing out from lack of food."

She nodded slowly.

Zack wrapped his arms around her tightly. "You're fine Ray." He whispered in her ear.

Her hands came up to hold his arms. "All because of you."

"I'll always come."