The smell of burnt flesh wasn't enjoyable, not even to a psycho like me, a woman hater like Chris, or a cannibal like Kuza. By now, it was near five in the morning. The sun was starting to come up. I retrieved my phone from the watchtower and turned off the light. Somehow the damn thing wasn't cracked or broken, which was shocking after Mike chucked it the way he did.

I checked my phone while we walked through the tunnels. Ricky had text me that he was sorry he was late. Yeah, yeah. I've heard it all before. I had a missed call from him too. He always does this. He'll go off for awhile then come crawling back to kiss my ass. The games he plays, I know I play them too. It doesn't mean it makes them any easier to be apart of.

Kuza went off somewhere. I don't really know where. He just disappeared off one of the other tunnels. I'm thinking he doesn't want to be around Ricky right now, after all that's happened recently. Chris didn't really give a shit. He just wanted to get back to Angelo. Wonder if that bitch is dead yet. She had to have bled out by now. Angelo has a skill for keeping people alive way too long though.

She wasn't dead, shockingly. Angelo wasn't the most evil of all of us but he had the silent psycho act down to a science. He was knelt down in front of her, like the little gargoyle he was, still making very slow cuts into her skin. She was so sliced up she looked like one of those paper snowflakes that little kids make at Christmas time.

Chris came up behind Angelo, setting his hand on his back, "I can't believe you haven't killed her yet."

"I was waiting for you." He replied sweetly.

"Awww." Chris cooed.

The sad part was he wasn't joking. He really thought it was cute. Chris pushed Heather's face back to force her to look up at him. With a sinister smile, he leaned down and kissed Angelo. The fallen angel remained on his lover's lips while swiftly slicing the blade across her throat. Blood sprayed over them but they didn't break their kiss. How tragically beautiful.

If I want to talk a true tragic love, though, I suppose I should look in the mirror. After all this mother fucker has done to me, I continue to forgive him time and time again. When we fight and we get away from each other, I go do stupid shit like fucking Kuza. As soon as I see Ricky's face, I think "why the fuck did I do that?". Regardless, I was still mad at him. I didn't object when he embraced me in a hug and a kiss.

"I'm sorry I'm so late. I was helping Ryan with something back at the base." He said, holding his hand at the back of my neck. His other hand rested on my hip.

"Why didn't you answer my texts at least?" I pouted.

"I had my phone on silent and I didn't realize you had text me. I really didn't mean to ignore you. I promise." He replied.

I wanted to believe him. It seemed like he was telling the truth. Ricky rarely lies to me, and I know what he looks like when he lies. He wasn't being dishonest with me. I wanted to be pissed and pick a fight just for the drama of it. Just to have something to fuel me. I can't be that much of a bitch though, not when it comes to him.

"Just," I sighed and looked down at my hands, "Please don't do it again."

"I won't. How have things been going?" He asked.

"Well, obviously Heather is dead. Rayne is dead too because Mike decided to kill her. He still hasn't really told me what happened between them." I trailed off in thought, because this had just now occuried to me. He could've killed her for no real reason and I wouldn't really care. I pulled myself back to my train of thought, "Mauro is dead too. It's just Sonny, Chris' Mom, and Vanessa left."

"I'm guessing Vanessa won't be alive for long if Kuza isn't here." Ricky replied, glancing over to the monitor.

Twiggy leaned forward, switching through the feeds for Manson. After as moment, Manson said, "I don't see him anywhere near her."

"Maybe he just went to get some alone time. I know Vinny definitely had to go off and find a quiet place after he took his father out." Chris responded.

"There's still a part of that kid that's morally sound. I should go check on him." I stole a kiss from Ricky, "I'll be back in a little bit."

Manson told me where Vinny had run off to. I collected my things and started to head for a watch tower just a little ways from the main one. Hopefully he doesn't get mad at me for bothering him. There's always a fine line you have to walk with people when they fall in an emotional pit. You never know when it's right to comfort them or when they should be left alone.

For the most part, Vinny does prefer to have company when he gets miserable. He rarely gets genuinely sad. There's times he gets frustrated or pissed easily, but I don't see him cry. It doesn't take too much to bring him around. Give him a dog or a sandwich or something and he'll be back to himself. He's always just been one of those people that's hard to keep down. This, though, this is different.

There's something about moving on from pain that is such a fucking bitch. It's a huge weight off your shoulders but at the same time, you have to live through the agony of knowing you have a huge hole in your life now. Whether it be for better or worse, these people have consumed a part of us for years. It's not exactly easy to find something else to fill that part of our mind.

When I got up to the tower, I found Vinny sat at the desk. None of the lights were on but the monitors were. He rested his arms across the desk and his chin on his arms. The light of the screen illuminated his face in the pure darkness. I leaned against the side of the desk, glancing over at the security feed to see what, or rather who, he was watching. He had his eye on Vanessa while she bandaged herself up with a First Aid kit she'd found.

"Think she might survive?" He muttered, "She seems smart."

"Street smart, yeah. That goes a long way in here, but she's being hunted by a wild animal." I replied.

He forced a smirk, "Hm, yeah."

I watched the screen for a minute more, then broke the silence again, "Are you doing okay?"

Vinny sat up, drawing in a breath, "Yeah. It's just... an adjustment. I... I would never call it regret because I know the man I blew away wasn't the same man that raised me. About the time I turned seventeen, he stopped caring about me, 'bout the family... The money turned him into a monster."

"Money turns a lot of people into a lot of things." I spitefully grumbled. "Look, I know the whole touchy-feely deal isn't your thing, but if you do want to talk about it at all, you know where to find me."

He dismissively waved his hand to me. "Yeah, yeah... Thanks. You and Rick Dick doing okay?"

"I don't know. We're playing the act for everyone right now. It might change when we're behind closed doors again. As soon as Ricky got here, Mike ran off. I fuckin' hope he doesn't start shit."

"Like it or not, Ricky is still our boss. If one of us tried, or successfully, killed him, they'd shut us down. Mike isn't that selfish. I don't think so, anyways." Vinny said.

I sighed, "He's a smart man that does stupid things."

We've all had lasps in judgement. Kuza has a lot more than the average person. He has these impulses he can't control. It's what makes him so much more animalistic than the rest of us. Sure, there's times I think about what it would be like to just kill someone for no reason. Just be out in public and slit a guy's throat, just 'cause. Kuza will actually do it though. That's what makes me hesitant to trust him sometimes and unfortunately, I think those uncontrolled actions are wearing off on me.

| | |

A/N: First off, thank you guys for sending me fan art and fan theories. It makes me way happier than you guys will ever know. Secondly, someone please make me fan art of the scene from this chapter where Angelo and Chris are kissing covered in blood while Ange holds the bloody knife. I need a visual for that. I would love you forever if you made that for me. You can tweet it to me or email it to me. I'll post it everywhere.

Twitter - NonaHysteria
Email - [email protected]