════════════════════════════ It had been months since the incident. You moved cities, got a new job, changed your number, deleted your socials, and completely avoided that part of town, anything to get away from him.

Your boyfriend was still out there; police never found him. Ethan Loundes, 24 years old, 5'11ft, dark hair with brown eyes. His description was all over the news; the features you used to admire in the morning now filled you with dread. The hands you held during cold nights were warmed by blood that wasn't his, the eyes you once adored tainted by the image of how they must have looked when he murdered those people.

Your friend, Melissa, was his most recent victim. His sloppiest kill, the one that got him caught, all because of how you looked at him through tears while he consoled you. Ethan was a thorough man, it was one of his best traits, a trait he put to good use it seems, as he managed to go undetected for so long. But when you looked at him the way you did, seeing how much hurt he had caused the one person he did everything for, his facade collapsed in on itself.

"I did this to protect you," He tried to explain. "She tried to take you away from me." Ethan was frantic to get you to understand, begging for you to see his point of view, but ultimately the night ended as a foggy memory. You don't even remember how he managed to slip away, only that he would later be linked to multiple different disappearances, most if not all mainly being male. ════════════════════════════ It was another day in your new city, finally feeling settled and ready to restart after months of readjusting... and grieving. How strange it is to feel empathy for someone with no mercy; missing what you had and secretly wishing you had remained blissfully ignorant, it made you feel guilty.

You were riding the subway train back home after a long day at work, feeling the cold steel of the guard rail in your grasp as you thought of what to do for dinner-- if you wanted dinner at all before collapsing into bed,-- when a familiar voice introduced itself from behind you.

"Hey, I don't- I don't mean to bother you, but I feel like I know you from somewhere." The man said, his voice light and kind, you could almost hear the smile in his tone alone.

Something about his presence immediately stunted you, a wave of doom looming overhead, only to crash into you once you turned to look at him.

"Don't give me that look... you're looking at me like I'm crazy or something." Ethan continued, his eyes sheer with predation before fixing his footing to tower over you, softening his voice. You were too overwhelmed to speak, to move, to do anything in this train full of people.

"Hey, this your stop?" He glanced up at the station display, knowing full well this was not your stop. He knew your stop. He's taken it hundreds of times. Before you could break free of your fawning, he brought a cloth to your face and wrapped his arms around you to support your collapsing body. "I told you not to drink so much..." Ethan said, purposefully smiling in an awkward fashion at those nearby, alluding to a normal situation.

When you came to, you found yourself tied up on a well-worn couch in what appeared to be a comfortably decorated basement with a bandana stuck tied tightly between your teeth.

Trying to get up, you quickly learned your legs were also tied together, falling to the floor immediately with a loud crash, your leg knocking into the coffee table during your descent. Your legs were still numb for the most part, looking around the room desperately for any sign of where you were or how to get out.

A door sound shut as Ethan came down the steps, holding a plate of assorted fruits. A familiar gesture. "Hey... sleep well? Took you long enough." He said almost jesterly, stopping to bend down in front of your fallen figure. "I'm sorry, I know, I just had no other choice. You're good at disappearing too, you know." Ethan started, "...But I found you! I've found you for a while, actually." His finger slid down the gag.