Youth

#42 - A Meeting With Dr. Rayne

    This chapter is gonna be pretty messed up. If you've experienced any past trauma and/or are easily disturbed, I wouldn't recommend reading it. I'll put a brief overview at the end of the chapter so you don't have to read if you won't want to.

    "Say [Y/n]. Have you ever killed something before?"

    [Y/n] staggered back into the wall, her body beginning to tremble. Rayne walked over to her, the white kitten in his hands, a twisted smirk on his features. He placed the kitten in her arms, watching amusedly as it purred and pressed itself close to her. [Y/n] stroked it soothingly, unbothered by the little claws that kneaded her arm or the little teeth that occasionally nibbled on her fingers. Her eyes filled with tears.

    "Don't make me do this..." she whispered, looking up at Rayne, holding the kitten closer to her chest.

    "My my, crying already? You're an easy one to upset," Rayne giggled, before walking over to the operating table. "If you want it to die painlessly, you should kill it yourself. Of course I won't make you kill it, but if you can't... I will." Rayne laughed as she pulled it closer to her once more, allowing its little paws to rest just below her neck. "It's funny. If I gave you a bird, reptile or rodent, would you act this way? What is it about kittens and puppies... why do humans love them so much?"

    "It hasn't done anything to you," [Y/n] hissed. "They're loving animals. Let it live... you'll see. Please, I'm begging you—"

    "Ah-ah," Rayne smiled, tauntingly waving his index finger side to side, "you're in no position to make requests. I've made the situation very clear. Either you kill it," he paused, picking up a pair of pliers from the operating table, "or I will."

    "Why are you doing this...?" [Y/n] hissed, slipping down against the wall and falling to her knees. The small creature stared up at her with big blue eyes. She couldn't do it— she couldn't kill such a beautiful, innocent and trusting animal.

    "Let's call it... a psychological study."

    "This isn't a study," [Y/n] yelled — despite the sound, the kitten didn't seem to react at all. "This is torture!"

    "Torture for who? You, or the cat?" Rayne sighed. "Perhaps both if you decide you can't kill it. A quick snap of the neck will cause it no pain. Of course my approach... will be a little more messy," he smiled. "Surely you've seen things die before? Ever seen a cat kill a rabbit?" [Y/n] didn't nod nor shake her head — she only glared at the man in front of her. "Cats kill for pleasure — rarely do they eat all that they hunt. Are you insinuating that I am a monster when a cat is not? They prey on the weak—"

    "They hunt because their instinct tells them to. You kill because—"

    "Because my instinct tells me to," Rayne interrupted with a smile. "I am a vampire, dear, not a human. Don't lump me in with your cowardly kind. We are, in a fashion, similar to your feline friends... you can tell us not to kill, but you can't stop us unless you rip out our teeth and break our legs." A murderous glare greeted Rayne in response to his words and yet another pitchy chuckle escaped him. "Why don't you use that malice on the cat? Pretend it's me," he shrugged.

    "I'm not like you," [Y/n] hissed, "I'm not a killer—"

    "Oh, but you are!" Rayne smiled. "You're a human. You may be a coward by nature, but that doesn't change your capacity to kill. As you seem to be trying to draw out that mangy beast's life, I'll give you ten seconds to make up your mind. If you don't kill it, I will."