I had no where else to go

A loud banging from the front door could be heard, rattling everything in my household. Glancing at the clock, the bright numbers of 4am flashed back at me. Who could be pounding at my door so late at night? Maybe if I don’t answer it, whoever it is  will eventually go away. Turning my attention back to the papers in front of me, I continued my investigation.

But the pounding didn’t lessen. If anything, it got louder and more urgent. Scraping the chair back, I stomped down the stairs prepared to give whoever it was behind the door a piece of my mind.

“Who do you think-“ My words stopped short as I stared at the injured man in front of me. “Kieran?”

“Hello, Cupcake.” Kieran greeted, his bloody hand tightly holding his side. “I didn’t know who else to go to. Well.. I have no one else to go to.”

The little voice in the back of my head was telling me to shut the door in his face. To pretend like this criminal that I’ve been chasing down wasn’t standing in front of my doorstep asking for help.

But that’s not what makes me me if I did that now would it?

“Do you know what time it is?” I questioned, stepping aside so he could get in. Once inside, I flicked on the lights that I had forgotten to turn on while coming down the stairs. Kieran carefully sat down on the living room floor.

“It’s four. What about it?” Kieran questioned back.

What were you doing out late at night? What happened to you? Who did you kill this time? Why are you here? Why did you have to come to me?

Those are the questions I wanted to ask. But they would have to wait. Kieran needed me as weird as that was. I couldn’t leave him to bleed out.

Pushing the interrogation aside, I made my way over to Kieran and helped him onto the couch

“I was trying not to get blood on your couch.”

“It can get washed. Now take your shirt off please.”

Kieran slipped his shirt over his head and my breath got caught in my throat. Besides the bruise on his right cheek signaling that he had been punched, his side was even worse. I couldn’t tell what caused the injury. A knife maybe? But a knife couldn’t have created such a large gash. Maybe if stabbed a couple of times.

Slashed. Turned. Nevermind, I don’t want to think about how it became.

Thank god it was not infected but if I don’t treat it now, it may become infected. I fetched the first aid kit that I store in all sections of my house before sitting down beside him. The first step I did was disinfecting the wound which caused Kieran to hiss out of pain.

Sorry man.

Silence was the only sound accompanying us other than the soft pats of the rain above us which I hadn’t even realized. Kieran’s eyes remained on my face but I didn’t dare look him in the eye. I focused solely on his wound. The faster I help him, the faster I can get away from him.

“This is a perfect time to turn me in.” Kieran spoke up, breaking the silence. I wish he didn’t. I was trying not to think about the criminal I had let in my house was the same criminal I was trying to put behind bars.

“Not while you are injured and I still have no evidence that you are the one behind all the killings.” I stated, purposely tightening the bandage around his waist.

“That’s true. You don’t want a repeat of the first time you tried turning me in.” A chuckle escaped his lips and I wish it didn’t have such an effect on me. But I sure as hell didn’t show him that it did.

“Why do you go around killing people?”

“Because it’s fun, Cupcake.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit. No one kills for fun. Not the way you do.” I scoffed, shaking my head. Kieran shrugged his shoulders.

“Why does it matter that I’m injured that you can’t turn me in? What if you did have the evidence?”

I didn’t know how to answer that question. If I did have the evidence and he had shown up at my door injured, would I still have turned him in?  Before I could respond, Kieran started talking again.

“You know what I think?” His hand crept to the back of my neck, pulling me close that our noses were almost touching. “You like this little game we’re playing. You don’t want it to end.” His voice was low and rough as he spoke.

“In your dreams.” I shoved him back, quickly getting up and into the kitchen. My heart pounding in my chest.  I grabbed some ice wrapping it and came back into the living room, handing it to him as I nodded toward his cheek. Kieran grinned, gladly taking it as he pressed it to his cheek.

“You can stay here.. I guess.. just don’t steal anything.”

“I may be a criminal, Cupcake but I’m not that type of criminal. I kill not steal.” Kieran stated, lying back on the couch with a slight wince.

“I’m so glad you know how much of a criminal you are.” I grumbled, watching him before leaving to go to bed.

“I’ll be out of your hair by morning. We can continue our little chase like normal, don’t worry.”

Kieran kept his word. He was gone by the time I woke up. No trace of him.

Nothing left behind. The couch was even cleaned of his blood other than a note left on the table.

Let the game comencé.