2. Strange(r) Things

Author’s Note: I’m so sorry for the lack of screenshots in these early chapters – I played this so long ago, and didn’t take as many screenshots back then. I changed a lot since then, actually have a problem taking way too MANY screenshots in the current day! So… I promise more fitting screenshots to go with the described settings and dialogues in further chapters! Also, beware of the horribly cheesy lines in this chapter… I just couldn’t help myself, hehe. 🙂 The silliness and humorous overtones of the first chapter will also make their way back – it always takes a while to get into the groove of a new story.

After that night, as much as he tried to, Remi just couldn’t get Grim out of his head. And so a few weeks later he decided he just needed to see him again. He had to. His “next victim” wasn’t mean or angry as his first one had been. He lured her to his room with ease. Getting her into his walk-in closet proved a bit harder, but he managed. As soon as she got in, he jumped out, locked the door behind him and waited. When Grim finally showed up, he wasn’t initially as happy as he had thought he would be, though.

Instead, he felt guilty. Defeated, he sat down on his bed and started pouring his heart out. He didn’t even know if Grim was still there and if he was, whether he was even listening. He didn’t expect him to. It’s not like anyone ever listened to him, anyway. But then when he fell silent at last, shoulders slumped, head in his hands, and he felt a cold, bony hand graze his shoulder ever so lightly, he promptly felt better than ever. He looked at Grim, Grim looked at him (or at least he imagined he did), and he slowly drew closer to him. A cackle escaped his lips when he briefly acknowledged the absurdity of this all. But all that didn’t matter. Life didn’t matter. Right now, Death did.

This time, Grim didn’t disappear after little more than an hour. This time he stayed all night, and though Remi wasn’t sure how Grim really felt about him, he at least didn’t turn down all the gawky attempts at flirting he made.

His next victim didn’t deserve Death anymore than the last one did. But Remi couldn’t stop now. Not now that things were finally going well. Not now that he finally had a purpose. A passion. A passion for Death, that was. It wasn’t that he was evil. Really. He promised. He was just a man in love.

Unfortunately, when he suggestively asked him (had to have a humorous undertone, of course, because it was really a ridiculous question) whether he was single, Grim said that he wouldn’t “date a living body, that is.” He’d said more than that, but that was what had stuck with him. No living body.

Remi thought back of this strange tall man who he’d seen once in the worst part of town. He remembered this pale, impossibly good-looking guy who’d broken into his home once. Remi had always gotten a strange feeling when he thought back of them. He did some research. No living body.

An idea formed in his head.

But then, after the third soul was collected and Remi collected his ‘reward’, Grim told Remi he shouldn’t do this anymore; this is not how a dance with Death is supposed to go. He can’t continue to determine the fate of others to try to change his, since this isn’t his fate, and so Grim had him promise not to kill anymore people. Remi raised an eyebrow. “Death is concerned about life…? That’s ironic.” But Grim expressed that that’s the thing: “Death can’t concern itself with life.” That and, “You were never destined to become a murderer, Remi. Death shouldn’t make you one.”

Remi snorted. “Death didn’t. Life did.”

Still, after this conversation with Grim he did refrain from the killing. After all, the last thing he wanted was to upset the love of his… life? His soulmate? Soullessmate? Whatever he (or it?) was, Remi loved him. Also, admittedly, he didn’t like really like the whole killing thing much, per se. Felt kind of bad for his victims. Weird, right? He knew. But maybe Grim was right, and maybe he wasn’t supposed to be a murderer. But was anyone ever?

He didn’t give up on him, though. Instead, he devoted every second of his life to finding out as much as he could about Vladislaus Straud and Caleb Vatore, the latter of whom he’d found in his apartment once, holding his head as though he were in pain. “The f…” Remi had started, but the dude simply said, “Sorry, wrong house” and left.

Anyway, he went to a library and told the librarian he needed a book on “strange things.”

The librarian looked weirdly at him. “Strange things?”

“Yeah, strange things,” Remi said impatiently. “Like, I don’t know, unexplained mysteries. Here in town, preferably.”

The librarian nodded thoughtfully, excused himself and walked away. When he came back he dropped the biggest, heaviest and oldest book Remi had ever seen on the counter before him. Vampire lore, it read.

Remi laughed. “This a joke?”

“You have no idea what secrets this town is hiding from you, son. But I admire your determination to find out.”

Over the course of the next weeks, Remi would either be reading the book or strolling through Forgotten Hollow. His determination finally paid off when he discerned Vlad. He hurried to him. Vlad looked at him, eyes impenetrable, expression stone cold. “Hey,” Remi started as politely as possible. Extended his hand. “I haven’t had the chance to properly introduce myself to you. My name is… Remi Guari.”

“No, it’s not,” said Vlad. “Your name is Remi Greene. Remi Hart. Remi Grady. Changing your name will not change your past.”

Remi stood shocked. “How did you know–” “–Stay away, Remi Greene. You’re not worthy.”

After the fiasco with Vlad, Remi decided he would have to seek out the mysterious man who’d been in his apartment that one time instead. When he saw him at last he ran up to him, Vlad immediately forgotten. The man swore under his breath and tried to pretend he hadn’t seen or heard him. The dark-haired woman he was with did stop, brows knitted into a frown. “Hey, hey,” Remi called. “I’m new here. Mind showing me ’round town?”

“I’ve seen you walk here a dozen times in this week alone.”

“Yeah, I tried to show myself. Didn’t really work out. So come on, now. Be a good neighbor.”

The man glared at him. Made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Run along.”

But then the woman cut in. Placed a hand on the guy’s shoulder. “Now, now. Caleb. That’s no way to treat a new neighbor.” She placed a hand on Remi’s back and guided him forward. “We’d love to show you around. Wanna see our mansion?” Caleb shot her a disapproving look.

A smirk formed on Remi’s face. “I’d love to,” he drawled.

Remi was as sure that he’d done it as Lilith Vatore was that she’d found herself a nice snack. She knew her brother didn’t approve, but come on. The guy had it coming. He was practically begging them to bite him. But she was still surprised when they came inside and he actually did just that. “I want Death.”

Lilith shook her head. “That’s too bad. I like my meals… spirited.”

Remi tried to suppress a gulp. “I don’t want to be dead. I want you to end my existence… as a human. I want you to change me. I can’t be a living body anymore.”

Caleb’s glare deepened. “Sorry, we don’t provide that service. Least of all to pathetic vampire groupies.”

Remi’s face grew red with anger. “Pathetic? I’m as far from pathetic as you’ll ever see. If you knew… I could care less about vampires. All I want is to be with Death. And Death would be with me, if only his Kiss would not take me away from him for good. Death is my life.”

Lilith and Caleb shared a weirded look. Lilith had to suppress a rotating finger gesture. Loon alert, she thought. Then, after a moment of contemplation, she allowed her dark form to show. Remi instinctively stepped back, swallowing soundly, but he composed himself and met Lilith’s bright red eyes with unflinching defiance.

“Alright, I think we’ve heard enough.” She turned to Caleb. “Come on, brother. This guy’s obviously a nutter. Sooner or later he’s gonna get himself killed anyway; at least this way he still had something to contribute to the world… as in to us.” And with that, she lunged at him.

But in a motion too fast for Remi’s eyes to see, Caleb came between them. “No,” he said, voice forceful. Pushed Lilith away, then finally, he turned to Remi. He looked more calm than Remi had expected him to be. “What, exactly, is your relationship with Death?”

And so Remi told him everything.