Chapter 14: Panic

Day Six at the Haunted House (Midnight)

If Batista had blinked he would have missed Rey absolutely tearing out of the front door into the night, into the thick, drenching rain. Batista ran after him.

Rey stopped out in the middle of the yard, panting, and clutching at his chest, which was on fire. He was shuddering and hardly knew where he was. He didn't register that it was pouring down rain and it being fall in Massachusetts, that that rain was ice-cold and causing his body temperature to drop dangerously low too rapidly.

"REY!!"

Rey started as Batista came up behind him and grabbed his arms.

"No! Please, Dave no! I can't go back in there! I can't! Let me go!" Rey screamed and flailed around, trying to escape Dave's grasp.

He was hysterical and might have been crying; Dave couldn't tell because Rey's face was soaked in rain.

"Rey! Come on! You have to come back! You'll freeze to death out here!"

"NO! No, no, no…" Rey sobbed and struggled, But Dave kicked his knees out from under him and pulled him back from behind again.

Rey kicked a few times like a fish being reeled in and using its last spurts of energy to fight off the fisherman, but it was no use.

Dave dragged Rey backwards through the grass and up onto the porch.

"Jesus, man, you're drenched…" Dave said, reaching out to touch Rey's cheek to feel what his temperature might be, but Rey pulled away.

He hid his face in his hands and kept shaking. "Don't take me back in there, don't take me back in there, I can't-I-I-"

"Shhh," Dave said quietly, trying to soothe his friend. He touched Rey's back through his soaked shirt. Rey felt very cold.

"Rey, we have to take you in out of the weather," Batista said urgently.

"No, I'm better off out here, I'm better, I'm fine, Dave, don't-"

"Rey," Batista said firmly. He'd have to try to explain this as calmly as possible.

"You're hysterical. You don't know what you're talking about right now. You're freezing, and if we don't get you warm soon you could get sick or worse."

"Let me stay out here, then, just give me some sheets or something, I'll be fine, I just can't go inside, Dave, I won't," Rey said, talking a mile a minute. His teeth started chattering and an enormous shiver went through his entire body.

Rey curled up suddenly and held his knees.

Batista touched his friend's shoulder.

"Rey, see? You're cold."

"No, I'm not. Really, I'm not…"

"Rey, there's nowhere else to go. If there was another house or another building anywhere out here I would take you there. But there isn't. So you have to come back inside."

"I can't…" Rey said, shaking. "I can't…"

"I'll carry you. Come here."

"No."

"Rey, stop being such a-" Dave shook his head and exhaled. "Rey. I'm taking you inside, and that's final."

Rey tried to pull away as Dave set his hand against Rey's side, but before he could put up a struggle; Dave had lifted him over his shoulder and was carrying him in like a sack of potatoes.

"I swear, I've met mules less stubborn than you," Dave muttered.

Dave took Rey into the living room. "Don't be surprised, Rey, but everyone's in here. Is that okay? Can you handle that?" Dave asked him and shifted Rey so that he was holding him at the waist with Rey's feet just above the floor.

Rey nodded shakily.

Batista set him onto his feet.

"Okay. All the guys are right here for you. Right here."

Rey turned around slowly as Batista braced him at the shoulders in case he was too faint to stand on his own.

He was soaking wet and everyone's eyes shone sadly at him in the dim light. Rey looked like a poor, shivering little puppy dragged in from a storm.

He looked around the room and registered everyone's presence dully. Then he looked at the floor. His knees shook.

"Okay, easy Rey, easy. Let's sit you down here," Dave said, holding onto Rey again and leading him carefully closer to the fireplace.

He helped the smaller man sit down.

"There we go. Is that better?"

He touched Rey's cheek to try to get him to look at him. He was afraid that if Rey didn't meet his eyes then he'd lose him into the abyss of fear and cold.

"Rey?" Batista said softly.

Rey turned into his friend's touch.

"You're wet, Dave…" Rey said slowly, as though he were finally starting to view his surroundings.

Dave smiled sadly. "You are too, buddy, you just don't know it."

"I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get you some fresh clothes, okay? Will you be all right?"

Rey nodded faintly.

"Can one of you guys sit next to him? He's pretty out of it right now, I wouldn't want him to wander off," Dave whispered to the guys.

"Yeah, I'll sit with him," Punk volunteered.

"You okay, Rey?" C.M. Punk asked when he plopped down.

Rey didn't respond, he just stared into the fire and kept shivering.

Punk patted his dampened thigh sadly. "That's okay. You don't have to talk. It's okay."

Dave came back a moment later with his shirt off and a pair of sweatpants on, carrying a pair of blankets and some of Rey's clothes in his arms.

"Okay, here's the deal. You might get hypothermia if you keep your clothes on. And every movie I've ever seen with people nearly freezing to death tells me two things; one is take off your cold, wet clothes and the other is heat up your naked body next to somebody else's naked body."

"Hot damn, I hit the jackpot today, boy…" Shawn murmured, chuckling giddily to himself.

Everyone else looked daggers at him.

Batista whipped out the blankets.

"Dave…"

Batista looked up at him. "What is it, Rey?"

"Now isn't the time to try to seduce me…" Rey said sleepily.

Dave snorted. "Oh, get over yourself. You'll get hypothermia if you don't warm up soon. And the only way to do that is for you to get naked."

Rey shook his head. "Just give me the clothes."

"You can have this blanket, Rey, I won't look at you," Dave said, holding out the blanket reluctantly.

Rey shook his head again and didn't take the blanket.

"I'm not that desperate that I want to see your ass frozen solid in icicle form, okay? That's not my thing. I'd rather see you healthy and naked. How's that for honesty?"

Rey took the blanket reluctantly and laid it onto the ground next to him as he unbuttoned his shirt. The material was sticking to his skin and it was difficult to peel it off of his arms as he slipped it away from his back.

His pectoral muscles stretched slightly as he yanked the sleeves away from his wrists and tossed the shirt down beside him.

Everyone pretended they weren't looking as Rey pulled off his white tank top undershirt.

Rey's skin looked like polished copper where the light of the fire hit it and it shone back.

He sighed and bent his knees up to pull off his shoes. The laces were too wet to untie them so he had to slip them off as they were.

Dave swallowed at the sight of Rey slipping his jeans off with some difficulty. His underwear clung stubbornly to his waist and Dave wanted to swear at it for staying put, but it did slip down slightly enough to showcase the curves on the inner sides of Rey's lower stomach. Beautiful little cuts in his body that revealed his immaculate physical condition. His belly button lay tight against his stomach, like the muscles were holding it upright, they were so rock hard.

Dave almost had to look away for a second when he saw that Rey's boxers were white and nearly see-through from being so wet. But he couldn't bring himself to.

Rey didn't notice and Dave was secretly very, very grateful for it.

It was only visible for a second before Rey covered himself from the waist down with the blanket. He shifted around a little awkwardly for a second and slipped off his underwear from underneath it. He tossed the boxers atop the pile of the rest of his soaked garments.

He looked up at Dave. "Happy, now?"

Dave blushed and swallowed. "Y-yeah."

He sat down, his back to the fire; same as Rey, just a pace away from him.

"Is that it?" Rey asked, a little uncomfortable about only being covered by a blanket.

"No, you need body heat."

"I have body heat," Rey said stubbornly.

"Somebody else's body heat, Rey," Dave explained carefully.

Rey looked didn't meet his eyes, a slight blush coming to his cheeks. "Let's just skip that part."

He was still shivering, although not as severely now that he had the fire at his back and he was out of the drenched clothes.

"Rey, that's how you get warm. You have to come over here."

Rey didn't answer and just looked at the floor. Reluctantly, he scooted a little closer towards the Animal.

Dave rolled his eyes. This would take too long for Rey to inch over and he had very little patience. Rey was an arm's length away from him now.

Dave snatched Rey up and yanked him into his chest so quickly that the blanket shifted and Rey's bare thigh was against Batista as his head bumped into his friend's strong, thick chest. Rey wanted to wrap the blanket around his waist to keep his nakedness from touching Dave, but he was too close now, it would be too awkward.

"Ah…!" The sound escaped Rey's lips, pure surprise. He didn't know what to do, and briefly considered breaking away from Dave but then a wave of heat shook through him. Dave's chest was bleeding heat into Rey's body. He shivered in one huge quake from head to toes and nearly passed out as the temperature change overwhelmed him. He shuddered again and rested his temple above Dave's heart, his eyelids drooping blearily. Rey didn't feel Dave's pulse skip a beat as he laid his head there and closed his eyes peacefully.

He must have been very cold after all for Dave to feel so warm like this.

"Is that better?" Dave asked quietly.

Rey nodded silently, his eyes closed.

Rey's chest was against his side and his breathing felt good and regular. Batista ran his hand along Rey's back. He was almost dry now, but he still felt chilled.

Rey didn't move and didn't flinch against his touch.

Dave allowed himself a small smile and almost slipped; he almost let his lips get too close to Rey's forehead. He wanted so badly to kiss him. Rey felt so soft, and so beautifully vulnerable at this moment that it took all of Batista's willpower for him to pull back and lead his lips away from Rey.

He rubbed Rey's shoulder blades a little regretfully.

Why couldn't Rey return his affections? Even once, even just this once, that's all he wanted, just one time.

He gulped. But he knew that Rey wouldn't give in. Rey wasn't attracted to him even remotely in the same way. And if he indulged his friend's desires and kissed him or went further than that then Dave would only ever want more.

It was best not to ever start anything in the first place.

"Rey…what did you see?" Shawn questioned.

Rey started and the sudden movement surprised Dave.

Rey seemed suddenly scared again.

Batista glared back at Shawn. "He's had enough for tonight, leave him alone."

Rey shook his head. "No, I…I should tell them," he said, swallowing.

His heartbeat changed; it went faster and Dave didn't like that. Rey had seemed so serene just seconds ago, almost like he could just drift asleep at any moment. Now he seemed frightened; back on edge, not nearly as trusting, like he would jump at shadows again.

"I-I saw Sylvia," Rey began carefully, trying to steady himself. Dave hugged him tighter to his body to comfort him but Rey hardly seemed to feel it. He stated shaking more and more.

"She's dead now," Rey said quietly.

"Rey, she was always dead, she's a ghost, remember?" Triple H reminded him gently.

"You didn't start thinking she was alive, did you?" Shawn asked.

Rey shook his head. "I don't know what I thought. I thought I could save her, I thought she was still alive, but I…" Rey broke away from Dave and hid his face in his hands.

"I'm such a fucking coward, I just ran. I just had to leave this house. I can't stand this place, I can't…" he sobbed.

Dave dragged himself closer to Rey, very careful not to sneak up on him.

Rey looked up for just a second and saw Batista there and he just threw himself into the larger man's chest, he didn't care, he was just so saddened and afraid. He cried and gasped for air and tried to control himself, but all he could do was hide his face and reach his hands up against Dave's chest; they were clutched into tight fists and locked against either side of his face as though he were guarding himself.

He buried his face into Dave and Batista was grateful to have his friend return to his arms, but not in this condition. He wrapped his arms around Rey and rocked him protectively as Rey sobbed.

Damn these other guys, I can't even get one quiet moment alone with Rey that they won't ruin by upsetting him. Dave thought angrily.

He stroked Rey's back. "Shh, you're all right. You'll be all right," he said softly.

Rey choked and caught his breath after a minute. He didn't pull away from Dave this time as he began to speak again, and Dave was reassured by that. Maybe he was able to be a comfort to Rey.

"I saw Sylvia's murder," Rey mumbled, turning around, but still staying very close to Dave, as though he couldn't sit up on his own. "She…I…" Rey shook his head. Everything was scrambling inside his mind and he couldn't describe it into a coherent sentence.

"Just start at the beginning, Rey. Where did you see Sylvia?" Punk advised gently.

Rey nodded. "I walked into the…the bedroom that Dave and I have been sleeping in at night. I forget why I was in there; I think I went to get something."

He flushed to the point where his caramel skin was an entire spectrum whiter.

He looked so faint just then that Batista braced him.

"Rey?"

"She was…she was on the floor…" Rey whispered. "For a second I just forgot she was already dead, she's such a sweet little thing, and I didn't want her to be hurt. I just thought of Aalyah, and, oh, God, if I saw my baby girl lying on the floor like that, I don't know what I'd do…" Rey cried.

Dave rubbed his back. "It's okay, Rey. Aalyah's safe. She's fine. She and Dominik and Angie are all safe, don't worry."

Rey nodded and swallowed his tears for another second. "I just…I knelt down on the floor next to her, next to Sylvia, and she was so still, and she's so small, and there was this pool of blood by her head, I was just worried because there was no way someone so small could bleed that much and still survive it. I forgot she was dead. I just forgot…and I held her, I tried to wake her, and I saw that it wasn't the back of her head that was bleeding, it was her mouth. She…her tongue was gone. It was on the floor a little ways away from her, and that scared me so bad, but I stayed, all I wanted her to do was open her eyes at me one last time. She didn't, but I felt her cough and try to squeeze my hand. I gave it to her, I was just glad she was alive. For one last second she was alive. But I felt…odd, like someone else was in the room, and I looked up and I saw this guy…this huge guy…" Rey was shuddering horribly now. Dave tried to steady him so he didn't hurt himself, he was shaking so badly.

"It must have been her father. Somehow I just knew when I saw him that it was her father. He was the one that cut out her tongue, I could tell because he had a knife in his hand and it was covered in her blood, just covered. And he leered down at me and I froze. And I…he had an axe, and I didn't want to leave Sylvia there, but I couldn't move, my legs wouldn't move." Rey squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to block out the next image.

"Rey, what happened?" Shawn asked urgently.

Batista glared at him again.

"You're upsetting him!" Batista accused. He turned back to Rey, "We should just stop. Rey, you don't have to say what happened next, it's all right."

Rey shook his head profoundly.

"No, no, I owe it to her. She was always so nice to me, she was just a sweet little girl…someone needs to know how she died."

He took another breath.

"He…I couldn't move. It was like I wasn't there. It was like it happened so long ago and I realized then how many years ago this murder must have happened and that the Sylvia I knew was already dead. There was nothing I could do to stop him. She was still in my lap, but I never felt her. He slit her throat."

Tears fell out of Rey's eyes.

"He nearly took her head off and there was blood everywhere. She was shaking as her soul left her body, but I never felt her tremors. I almost wish I had. She was all alone when it happened; if someone had been there for her she would have felt so much better…"

Rey inhaled raggedly.

"But then her body was gone and it was just her father. I looked up and he was coming after me with that fucking axe." Rey grabbed at his chest like he couldn't breathe.

"Easy, Rey, easy," Batista said, bracing him.

"It…it stopped being like the murder. Her father turned into the way that Sylvia always appears to us. To me. Like he could see me. Like he wasn't stuck in the past. Like he could really see where I was. And like he could touch me."

Rey shut his eyes for a moment and opened them so slowly.

"I feel like I'm…like I'm covered in her blood, I never felt it, it was so wrong, I was holding her right there and I never felt her blood touch my skin. I couldn't feel the rain, either, I just went numb. I went and took off. I wanted to leave here…"

Batista set his hand on Rey's shoulder blade warmly.

"I just don't understand how…how could someone do that to their own daughter?" Rey asked, choking on his own voice.