Page 7 of The Afterthought

He desperately tries to roll to put out the flames, but it is useless. Even now, if he did manage to put the fire out, the burns on the length of his body would be enough to kill him. As they consume him, I feel my cock straining in my pants. The smell of burning flesh isn't something I enjoy, but the sight of the flames alone is enough for me to disregard the disgusting stench. He smells especially foul.

Fire has always had the power to draw me in. The way it dances freely is intoxicating. The mixture of the sight of this fire and adrenaline from the kill has me needing to find my release. I’ve become a bit more unhinged over the last few years.

I reach down to unbutton my pants and pull my cock free and stroke it as I stand next to the scorched body. I tilt my head back in pleasure as I stroke myself over the sight of the orange and yellow blaze dancing over the now-dead Mr. Myers and the ground next to him. "Fuck," I say as I stroke faster. I close my eyes, and Ava fills my mind. I imagine her on her knees in front of me, basking in the orange glow of the flames. She licks the length of my cock before covering it with her wet mouth. The way the fire illuminates her skin in my mind is enough for me to blow my load almost instantly.

I tighten my hold on my cock as I begin to feel the pleasure building up in my body from thinking of her sucking the life out of my cock. My balls tighten, alerting me to my near imminent release. I picture Ava gagging on my cock again, and it's all too much. I lose it all, surrendering to the sensations coursing through my body. My come shoots out all over my hand in spurts as I try my best to ensure none of it falls to the ground. I reach into the bag on my shoulder with my free hand to grab the towel and wipe myself clean.

I'm a bit annoyed that Ava came to mind while I was jerking off. I need to make a point to get her out of my town. Having thoughts of her in my head isn't something I want. The last item I need from the bag is the small fire extinguisher I carry because I'm a responsible criminal. I'm not about to start a brush fire in the middle of this field, although it would be fun to watch. That would draw too much attention to Mr. Myers’ dead body.

Once I'm sure the flames have made their way through the entirety of his flesh to leave behind only charred bones, I pull the pin on the fire extinguisher. I feel disappointed as I grip the handle to spray the contents and douse out the fire. Just like always, the remains of the piece of shit appear to be black like coal.

With that, I clean up everything possible, ensuring there is nothing left that would connect me to the crime scene if it's ever found. Who knows how long this sorry piece of shit will be out here before someone finds him.

Chapter 4

Avalynn

Ipark my car along the street across from the Dune Valley Police Station, giving myself one last moment alone before everything changes. When I walk into the building, I'll be walking out responsible for someone besides myself. I'm still not entirely sure what this dynamic is going to look like, but here goes nothing.

I cross the street and climb the stairs to the police station. The door sticks as I struggle to pull it open, and I curse under my breath. A smiling face appears on the other side of the door, pushing it open for me.

"Sorry about that. We have someone coming to fix it later today." He steps to the side, and I slip into the building, anxiously twiddling my fingers. I'm not sure who he is, but there is nobody else around. He’s wearing a blue pinstripe shirt tucked into beige khakis. The lines along the sides of his eyes and forehead tell me he has to be close to his mid-40s, but I never know for sure. Judging by the way he's looking at me, I have a feeling he knows exactly who I am.

"Thank you. Can you tell me where I can find Sheriff Wolfe?" I glance up at him cautiously.

"You're looking at him, young lady. You must be Avalynn." He gestures for me to follow him down the hallway, which I'm guessing leads to his office.

"Yes. It's nice to see you, Sheriff." I say nervously. I'm so on edge with the idea of meeting Chloe.

"Your sister should be here soon. I'm having my wife bring her, but I wanted to have a few moments alone with you first to go over some things."

"Absolutely."

We step into his office, and my eyes find the gray chair seated across from the L-shaped oak desk in the corner of the room. I head over to the chair and lower myself into it, waiting to see what exactly he needs from me. He takes a seat in his chair and grabs a substantial stack of papers out of the drawer, pushing them toward me. A large birthmark in the shape of a moon between his thumb and pointer finger catches my eye.

"There are a few papers you will need to sign in order to assume guardianship if you wouldn't mind," he says, gesturing towards them.

"I was kind of hoping I could meet Chloe before signing anything," I confess, which sounds pretty stupid now that I think about it. It's not like it would change anything.

"I'm sorry. I was under the assumption from our phone conversation that you would be taking her in. We fast-tracked this process due to the special circumstances. Are you unsure whether you will be caring for her?" He gives me a condescending look.

"No, that's not it at all. I was just thinking maybe she wouldn't want to end up with me."

"I can assure you that my wife, daughter, and I all talked with Chloe last night, and she is excited to meet you. She thinks the two of you will hit it off just fine." He tries to reassure me, and it relaxes my mind a bit. "Are you ready to sign then?"

"Yes, sorry. This is all just a lot to take in. I didn't think my father was capable of keeping a secret like this from me," I confess.

"Even the best people have secrets. I'm sure you have a few of your own as well," he says while smiling over at me.

"That may be true, but those secrets don't include an entire family member I never knew about." I shake my head. "Can I have a pen?"

He hands the pen over to me to sign away the next few months of my life. Fuck. I really hope this all works out and the two of us don't butt heads too much. I skim through the first few pages of the stack in front of me before deciding it's just too much legal jargon and sign the last few without even bothering to look at them. The sooner I can meet Chloe, the better. My nerves are basically eating me alive with anticipation. I sign the last page and set the pen on the top of the pile, pushing the stack back towards him.

"Thank you so much, Avalynn." He takes the stack of papers and sticks them in a large folder. As if on cue, a phone rings from his pocket, interrupting whatever exchange was about to continue between us. I thought he had questions for me. "Yes, please go ahead and bring her in. We have been waiting for you to arrive." He hangs up on who I assume is his wife since he said his wife would be bringing Chloe here.

"That's it? I just sign a few papers?" I ask.

"That's it. Legally, you now have guardianship over Chloe until she turns eighteen. You aren't required to stay here in town, but after what she's been through, I would highly suggest staying here to prevent her from any further trauma. In the last few days, she lost her mother and learned about a sister. I don't know how she would handle the prospect of being uprooted from her friends and hometown when she is so close to graduating."

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