“First question. Did you ever truly love Ethan?” asks Red in a calm voice.

Isak ponders the question for a moment before replying. “No, I didn’t... What I fell for was an act. He was never who I thought he was. He’s a violent monster who only cares about himself...”

His answer breaks Ethan’s heart. In this moment, he realizes the futility of his actions. You can never force someone to love you. The more you chase, the more you make them resist you.

“Second question,” Red gets out of his chair and paces around the room. “Why did Ethan choose you?”

Isak worriedly stares at him for a while and then to the floor. “This one time I overheard a colleague of ours saying Ethan has a type. Blonde men with blue eyes. He followed me home on my first day as a teacher. We didn’t even speak to each other that day. I’m sure my looks were the only reason he wanted me.”

Ethan balked at his answer even though it was partially true. When he first saw Isak, he badly wanted him, like a child wants a shiny new toy at the store. While he did eventually grow fond of Isak’s kind nature, his personality was certainly irrelevant in the beginning.

“Third and final question,” Red rests both his hands on Isak’s armrests and leans in, “Revenge or freedom. Which one of these do you want?”

Isak quivers timidly as he looks up at him. “Freedom. Revenge isn’t worth it. It only makes things worse.”

“You are nothing like me after all...” Red reaches for his short sword, causing Isak to screech at the top of his voice.

“No! No! No, please! Please don’t! Please!”

“Be quiet and stay still,” Red starts cutting the ropes binding him one by one. “You will leave Haverdale and never return, Isak. Don’t try to do anything foolish like going to the police. They won’t be able to find me, nor will they be able to protect you from me.”

“I won’t! I swear I won’t!”

Once all of the ropes are severed, Isak instinctively stands up to soothe his bruised wrists. He takes a few steps away from Red and looks at him warily.

“Time to leave,” Red puts a hand on his back and leads him out of the basement.

The final scene shows Isak in clean clothes with a bag over his shoulders, waiting at a bus station. When his bus arrives, he turns back to Red and waves goodbye with a warm smile. Ethan had never seen him look so genuinely happy. Red waves back at him and films him boarding the bus and vanishing out of sight. The film ends, and Ethan is left staring at a black screen.

“Fuck...”

His head throbs in pain as he tries to process everything. Three hours had gone by, and it was late at night. His body ached for rest, but sleep wouldn’t come to him. Not when he had one burning question still lurking in his mind. One that couldn’t be ignored. How did Red leave the CD on his pillow without forcing his way inside? Had he somehow figured out the password to his door lock? Ethan pulls out his phone and checks both camera recordings. He concentrates and tries to find anything that supports his theory but finds nothing. There was no sign of anyone entering his house other than his friends. A sudden and frightening realization hits him, making his blood run cold. His breath catches in his throat as he fearfully looks up at the ceiling. Red didn’t have to break in because he had been living here this whole time.

Ethan snatches his gun and runs until he reaches his destination in the hallway. He shudders as he stares up at the closed retractable ladder. The attic was the one place in the house he hadn’t checked. What was once his study room had been abandoned and forgotten for more than half a year. He hesitantly pulls down the ladder and takes several deep breaths before he starts climbing. The air above is surprisingly less dusty than he expected it to be. He cautiously moves around with his fingers firmly wrapped around his gun. The window in the room allows the glowing moonlight to slip through. He notices several boxes he had left here earlier neatly arranged in a corner. An old mattress of his now has a pillow, a sheet, and a blanket on it. Ethan’s hairs stand on end when he feels the presence of someone else in the room. Once he turns around, he sees a masked man clad in red sitting cross-legged in a chair.

“It’s been a long time, Ethan...” Red speaks in a cold tone. “I missed you so much...”

Ethan hyperventilates and feels his legs becoming heavy and immobile. Red gets up and slowly approaches him, causing him to back away at the same pace. Ethan soon finds his back pressed against the window, with no more room left to move. Red inhales heavily as he leans in closer to his face.

“A shame you don’t remember me and all the fun we had.”

“What do you want...?” asks Ethan in a low voice as he tries to contain his rising panic.

“Isn’t it obvious? I want you. The real you.”

“Real me? What are you talking about?” Ethan asks while he mentally prepares to shoot him.

“Your personality changed after your first brain injury. You’re no longer the man who once tortured and loved me.”

“How did I torture you?”

Red reaches his hand up to his face and caresses him with a thumb. “You will soon have all the answers to your questions. Don’t worry, I will make you remember everything.”

“What if I don’t want to remember the past? I’m very sorry for hurting you, but I just want to go back to my life...”

Red suddenly grabs a fistful of his hair and jerks his head back, causing him to loudly groan in pain. “Your pathetic apologies will not suffice. You owe me your life, Ethan. You will do whatever I tell you to do and learn to obey.”

Despite the pain, Ethan manages to press the gun against Red’s temple. Adrenaline surges through his body as his resolve returns. “Fuck off! I’m not your dog! Let go of me or I’ll shoot!”

Red chuckles eerily, and his grip on Ethan’s hair tightens, causing him to scream. “Do it. You kill me, and those videos of you abusing Isak go to the police and everyone you care about. My accomplice outside will make sure of that.”

“You’re lying! I don’t believe you!”

“Am I?! Would you like to find out?! Pull the trigger, Ethan! I dare you!” Red challenges him without the faintest hint of fear.

Ethan scowls down at him with gritted teeth; the pain shooting through his scalp is unbearable. Red didn’t seem like the type to lie, and Ethan wasn’t the type who could kill. He hadn’t shot anything with his gun before, not even a wild animal in the forest, which was its intended purpose. He squeezes his eyes shut and drops the gun on the floor.

Red releases his grip on him and pats his cheek condescendingly. “A wise decision. Perhaps there is a functioning brain inside that skull after all.”

He kicks the gun away and then grabs Ethan by his jaw. He pulls him downwards to make him face him. “From now on, you will follow all of my commands. Failing to do so will result in those videos getting released. And after that, I will mercilessly kill everyone you care about.”

“You wouldn’t dare...!”

“Don’t be mistaken. I didn’t kill Isak only because he was another victim of your abuse. I’m more than capable of killing people, Ethan. Behave and you won’t have to see that side of me. Have I made myself clear?”

Ethan’s shoulders sink in defeat before he gives Red a silent nod of understanding. His family and friends meant everything to him. The last thing he wanted was for them to pay the price for his actions. The best thing he could do for now was to play along.

Red lets go of him and takes a step back. “What is the password to your door?”

Ethan glowers at him and his fists tighten in resentment. He didn’t want to tell him, but he realized he didn’t have a choice. “It’s 1988.”

“The year we were born. Make sure you retain that password,” Red walks to the desk on the other side and begins to gather his laptop, sword, camera, clothes, and other belongings into a black bag. “All these months I spent living here, and you didn’t even notice me once. If I hadn’t left that CD on your pillow, I wonder how much longer I would have gotten away with it.”

A cold shiver runs down Ethan’s spine. The realization of how unaware he had been of someone living with him for months filled him with dread. It was far too late for caution and regrets. Red can come and go as he pleases now that he has access to his home. Privacy and safety are luxuries Ethan can no longer afford.

Red throws a strap over his shoulder and walks to the ladder but halts for a moment. “I love you, Ethan. With every fragment of my existence. No one else will. You will come to realize that soon enough.”

Ethan watches him climb down the ladder and leave. Once he hears the distant sound of the front door closing, he sinks to the floor and leans his heavy head against the wall. He feels disgust, anger, fear, and confusion all at once. His mind runs back to the memory of the blonde boy who saved his younger self. Was that sweet boy Red? Or was Red the one who assaulted him and left him in that state? Whatever the answer, he knew his life was going to be hell from now on. Whether he deserved it or not was the question.