Page 46 of Fractured

My two kills so far have nurtured the darkness and encouraged it to grow into something that has taken on a life of its own. That part of me is a hungry bitch… and she needs to be fed. It’s clawing at me from the inside, slowly taking over my thoughts until it consumes me. The only way to make it recede for a short time is to give it what it wants.

Ravenmaster was right. I need this kill before the darkness takes over at the most inopportune time. I’ll have to feed my addiction a steady diet to make sure it doesn’t shove me into the passenger seat. Thankfully my stalker recognizes it and has been willing to help guide me from the shadows like I’m a fucking toddler. A little baby psychopath, taking its first wobbling steps into figuring out who I am.

Fuck. I bet he’s been laughing at me.

A cough sounds from inside the room at the end of the hall, drawing my attention. It’s followed by a moan and then a scuffing sound. Oliver is probably just coming to. Whether he was knocked out or drugged when my stalker brought him here, I have no idea. But what I do know is that he’s waking up, which is my cue to get on with satisfying my dark urges.

I close the distance between myself and the end of the hallway. As I enter the enormous room—it must be the size of a football field—I notice the lighting isn’t as illuminating as the sound of them turning on had led me to believe. The overhead lights are sporadic. Some of the fixtures are missing bulbs, and others are flickering in and out. Shadows fill the room, leaving an ominous vibe… the perfect setting for a murder.

As I take in my surroundings, I spot a sheet of plastic laid out along the wall on my left. This is where my stalker instructed me to leave my clean clothes to change into when I’m finished. I set down my bag on the plastic and pick up a protective pair of booties he left for me. These will ensure I won’t have to dispose of yet another pair of shoes. Once I make sure they are completely covered, I unzip my bag and pull out the Glock my stalker provided for this specific reason.

Out of habit, I release the magazine and check that it’s loaded. It slides home with a click and I rack the slide, sending a bullet into the chamber. It’s not lost on me just how much this is all a lesson in using my gun to kill someone. My stalker is still upset that I put myself into what he sees as harm. He sounds an awful lot like Vander. I bet the two of them would get along. They could bicker over a beer discussing how obstinate I am.

With a last-minute thought, I tuck the gun into my pants. I should put my hair back to help keep any blood spray from finding purchase in the strands. I’m sure my stalker will also appreciate the attempt to keep any stray DNA from finding its way onto the floor in the form of my hair.

I quickly put my hair up and stride with purpose toward the man tied to a chair partway across the room. His chair is sitting on a huge sheet of plastic, my stalker having once again thought of the cleanup details. The moment he sees me approaching, his eyes go wide and he begins to plead for help. “Oh, thank god. I thought I was alone here, and it would be impossible to catch anyone walking outside,” he rambles.

The thought hadn’t occurred to me to keep the gun hidden, but I’m glad I left it tucked in my pants. Having this man think I’m here to save him… just the sight of me has him relaxing in his bonds, forgetting they’re even there. He lets out a relieved sigh and shakes his head. “Could you help untie me? I was just minding my own business, then the world faded out around me and I woke up here tied to a chair. Who would do such a thing? It’s a horrible prank if you ask me.”

He tugs at his restraints as he talks, trying to free himself once more. I watch him from where I’m standing ten feet away. My elbow rests on the arm I have crossed over my body. I bite at my thumb and tilt my head to the side, trying to sus out if this man is trying to con me, or if he’s really just that stupid.

After a few seconds of struggling, he glances up and finds me staring at him. The smile melts from his face, all the hope draining out of his eyes. How intriguing. The sight doesn’t bring me as much joy as watching life drain from someone’s eyes, but it’s a close second. It sends a thrill up my spine, and I bite my lip to keep the smile off my face.

“You aren’t here to help me, are you?” he asks.

I don’t say anything. It’s too much fun watching him squirm around. My silence just riles him up even more. He struggles against his bonds with renewed energy. Throwing his weight around, the chair shifts an inch at a time, but it doesn’t help him any. My stalker is a pro at what he does. It’s a long shot, but I can’t help asking the question that pops into my head. “Did you see the person who grabbed you?”

The question seems to confuse Oliver. His brows furrow and his head tilts back like he’s trying to put as much space between us as possible. “What the fuck is going on here? Who are you?”

“Answer my question!” I demand. I can’t be bothered to have a back-and-forth conversation with him. The only thing I want is to find out who my stalker is. If Oliver can’t give me that information, then he’s of no use to me.

“For all I fucking know, it was you! Now help me untie these bonds or get the fuck out of here,” he screams, all of a sudden showing anger. Maybe the helplessness he was showing before was all a facade like I suspected. A con to try and get me to do exactly what he wanted. Just another show of the person he is—a man who will do anything and everything to get the end result he wants.

“Hmm… I don’t think so,” I taunt him, enjoying the scowl he shows at my response. I’m toying with my food now. The darkness inside me preens with the anger I’m drawing out of him. It’s gathering it all up like a delectable appetizer.

I take a few steps forward. The plan was to just get a closer look, but my feet carry me all the way to him. Before I can even think about it, my hand reaches out and I run a finger along his cheek. He pulls his head away to escape my touch, but my hand thrusts out and grasps his chin. It’s like my darkness has taken control. With the tiniest hint of being let free, it wants to run a mile.

With no reason not to let its freak flag fly, I let my darkness free. I’ve kept it hidden, boxed up, and shoved in the corner as if I’m ashamed of it. Now it’s time to really get to know each other. To find out what my darkness needs. To find out what I can do to keep things in check. I have to figure out how to live in harmony with my darkness instead of always trying to fight it. I need to discover my new normal.

I tsk in a show of disappointment in his actions and run a finger along his cheek like I was trying to do before. “Now, now. What are you doing that for? Don’t you want me to help you, Oliver?” The realization that I know his name strikes a cord of fear within him. He doesn’t know what to make of it. His mouth opens to possibly ask how I know him, but I push my finger against his lips in a sign to stay quiet.

My fingers trail against his body as I walk around him, circling my prey. Feeding off the fear he’s giving me. The more I get, the more I crave. I come back in front of him again and straddle his lap. I don’t want to miss a second of seeing him up close.

It’s a whole new experience being able to examine my victim. To have free reign to watch him without a threat to myself and having to constantly fend for my own life. “The world is filled with all kinds of vile creatures. They are parasites on society. They feed on others for their own gain in a whole variety of ways. Never giving a care for the destruction they leave behind.

“That’s who you are. A vile creature who feeds off of the elderly. Sucking them clean of their retirement, the little they have in life to sustain them for the short time they have left.” I run my hand along his cheek in a move that I know would be confusing to him. A soft gesture that’s normally used to show affection. I move some of the hairs along his forehead and he opens his mouth again. My eyes narrow and I shoot him a death glare. A look that makes it clear he would be smart to keep his mouth shut.

“Now, I’m not the type to care either way what vile things you do to the old people you con. I don’t know those people, they mean nothing to me. What I do care about is the fact that it gives me a good reason to gain something I need. It lets me pretend I’m not as big of a monster as you, if I have a good reason for killing you.” I let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Perhaps someday I’ll find I don’t need the excuse of someone being a worse sinner than me to kill them… Anywho! You’re scum, and I’m feeding my darkness so I don’t give myself away.”

His eyes widen and he jerks around again, trying to throw me off his lap. If he couldn’t free himself from his bonds, I’m not sure what he thinks this will do for him. Desperate men don’t think with the clearest of heads apparently. “Get the fuck away from me, you crazy, psychotic bitch!”

I reach behind me and pull the gun from my pants. He freezes as I press the barrel against the underside of his chin, effectively shutting him up. “Well, that wasn’t very nice. You aren’t the smartest. While it’s not possible to change my mind, if it was, that certainly isn’t the way to go about it.” I jam the barrel against his skin even more and it tilts his head back.

His eyes look down at me, not wanting to miss a warning of what I’m about to do to him. I keep my own gaze on his eyes. Any second now I’ll pull the trigger, and I don’t want to miss a second of watching the life leave him. It’s the one thing that’s been a constant so far with each of my kills. “Your day of reckoning has come. The law might not have caught up to you yet, but I’m here to say I’m your judge, jury, and executioner. Enjoy Hell, motherfucker. You’ll get to meet a few people with something in common with you. Oh. And one more thing.”

I lean into him so my lips are right by his ear. “Nevermore, Oliver. Nevermore.” Pulling back so I can watch his eyes, I pull the trigger. The sound has my ears ringing and I instantly regret not having planned out ear protection when I knew full well I’d be shooting him. That was stupid.

What’s also stupid is how instantaneous his death is. I knew it would be, but I didn’t realize how anticlimactic it would be. There was no time for him to realize what was about to happen. No slow leaching of his life leaving his eyes. In fact, it leaves me feeling quite pouty. Like something was stolen from me.

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