"Ray? …Ray?" Rose's voice came softly from behind.
Ray flinched a little bit then, his head snapped back into the room. "Yea… yeah…" he replied, his voice was low and distracted.
Rose tilted her head and said."Is anyone out there?"
Ray paused. His mind replayed the image of the boy, the black book and that strange red flower. He hesitated and thought for a moment before his eyes met Rose's grey ones.
"Nuh… no. No one's out there," he said very quietly.
Rose exhaled, the tension left her shoulders. "Good…"
Ray looked away from her. His eyes wandered to the floor, the wall, anywhere but not at Rose. His thoughts were still running wild, chasing the same picture of that boy disappearing down the stairs.
Rose observed him for a few seconds, then she simply said nothing. She moved toward the suitcase, placed her hands on it, and tried to stand it upright. The weight made her strain slightly, and of course it was practical, as the suitcase contained a literal dead body.
"What happened to you?" she asked, her tone was halfway between concern and curiosity.
Ray blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? Me? N… nothing," he stammered and tried to look normal but failed miserably.
Rose turned her head slightly, studying him. "You're acting weird…" she said softly. "I know the situation is diabolical, but you're not like this. You always stay… like you."
Ray froze for a moment. His heart skipped again, not from guilt, but from confusion. "Like me?" These words echoed in his mind like a kitchen knife, neither sharp nor dull.
His dumbass forced a shallow laugh but it surely wasn't fitting according to the situation, he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "It's… it's just this situation," he said, his voice was trembling faintly. "I killed someone…"
Rose looked at him. Her eyes softened, but there was something unreadable behind them. She didn't rush to comfort him this time, but she simply observed.
"I know it's a tough situation," she said finally while straightening the suitcase, "but you've got to compose yourself."
Ray nodded and forced a smile. "Yeah… right. You're right."
Rose gave him a small smile in return, like a one that was faint but absolutely genuine enough to momentarily soften the air between them.
Ray tried to match it, but inside, his thoughts were roaming like a storm. "How the fuck am I supposed to know how Ray used to act?"
He kept his expression steady, he was very careful to not let the thought slip through his mind.
"By the way…" he said after a moment, his tone was carefully casual, "where are we gonna carry this body?"
Rose's smile faded a little bit. Her gaze flicked toward the suitcase. "That abandoned company will be a right choice," she said, her voice low but certain. "No one goes there anymore. And it's not too far."
Ray froze for a second and his mind was racing. "Abandoned company? What company?"
But he couldn't afford to look clueless. So he just nodded, pretending to understand like an innocent cow. "Yeah… yeah, of course."
So many thoughts rolled Ray's mind. "This girl… she's not like any normal girl. She's so sharp."
His eyes dropped to the suitcase again, and he sighed. "Lemme help," he said while stepping forward.
He crouched beside it, hooked a hand under the handle, and tried to lift, only to feel a solid weight drag his arm down, of course, that body was too strong to lift with just one hand. Ray clenched his jaw, pretending it wasn't a struggle at all, then he grabbed the handle with his other hand and heaved. The suitcase finally rose, wobbling slightly in his grip. He was unnecessarily pretending strong.
"Here we go…" he muttered and forced a breathless smile as he steadied it.
Rose watched him for a moment, then simply turned toward the door and said, "Let's go before someone sees us."
Now, they reached the abandoned company. The building was vast. There was only iron ribs, shattered glass and machineries. Inside, they heard nothing but the slow drip of water somewhere far off. Even lantern wasn't there.
Ray set the suitcase down. He was panting like a horse, his chest was working hard from the lift and the run. If someone were in his place, his situation would've been similar to his.
"You okay, Ray?" Rose asked while watching him with the same quiet calm voice.
Ray swallowed and tried to slow his breath. He blinked once, twice, and forced the words out. "Yeah… I'm… I'm fine. It's just… you know." His voice cracked on the last word. He sounded so exhausted and hollow.
Rose didn't press him. Then, she knelt and hooked her fingers under the suitcase's clasps.
CLICK!!
With one strong pull she opened it.
The body rolled out from the suitcase like a ball and collapsed onto the iron floor.
They both stared at the dead body. Ray's breath stopped for a beat. The scenerio of the body no longer shocked him the way it had earlier, the shock was already gone and been replaced by a small panic.
Rose reached beside her and set down a battered gasoline can. She moved slowly and pulled out a small brass lighter from her pocket. Her hands were steady as she turned to Ray.
"Here," she said in very gentle voice and pushed the can toward him. "Please, pour it over her."
For a millisecond Ray's brain stuttered, he wanted to refuse and run, but he kept his face blank and his voice low. "Yeah… ah. Okay." His fingers trembled a little bit as he unscrewed the cap. He tipped the can, and sharp scent of petrol spread in the air.
He poured all the gasoline on the dead body and when he threw the empty can aside, Rose struck the lighter. The tiny flame flared in the dark. They both were just standing there.
Rose stared at the flickering flame in her hand. Her expression wavered a little bit. "I can't believe I'm doing this…" she murmured, her voice was low and almost trembling.
Ray didn't look at her. His gaze was fixed on the dead body. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Same."
For a second, neither of them moved. The sound of dripping water echoed silently from somewhere in the hall. Then Rose took a slow breath, lifted her hand, and threw the lighter onto the body.
The flame caught instantly.
The fire spread across the dead body and the suitcase both.. The air grew thick and the smell of burning fabric and oil coiled entered in their body like unwanted prokaryotic bacterias.
For a long moment, there was only silence.
The two of them were just standing there, watching the burning dead body.
Ray's face was blank like a stupid, but his eyes were heavy. Rose's eyes were glimmering, and when she blinked, a few tears slipped down her cheeks and caught the firelight before vanishing.
"Life is so fucked up right now," Ray said softly, almost to himself.
A faint chuckle escaped from Rose. She turned to look at Ray, her eyes were tired, then she stepped closer and wrapped her arms gently around Ray.
Ray froze at first, he was completely blank, like his body had forgotten what to do. But slowly and awkwardly, he lifted his hands and hugged her back. For a moment, the world felt almost still.
Then, as they pulled apart, Ray's eyes caught something behind Rose.
At the far end of the hall, approximately thirty feet away, a faint orange glow flickered in the darkness. A man was standing there, holding a gas lamp.
He was watching them.
Ray's breath caught in his chest and his body stiffened. Rose noticed him and followed his gaze, she saw the figure too and instantly, her face went pale.
"Oh no…" she whispered, her voice breaking. "I can't be caught. He'll recognize me, I'm the princess"
Ray's mind froze completely and his mouth went dry. "You—you're what?" he stammered like a dumb person.
That anonymous figure was still looking at them.