Page 4 of Beatitude

Fuck, no goddamn it.This is what happens when you deviate from the plan you fucking moron. I come here, kill just one and go home. But I had to stop at that fucking coffee shop this morning, and I had to bump into her. She was so kind, so sweet to pay for me, a complete stranger, just to make my day a little happier. Obviously she’s too good—too perfect for this world. I can’t allow her to continue walking around this planet when she’s destined for greater things. You don’t accidentally bump into someone this perfect and walk away from them. I need to do it now, but… this is against my usual plans. I don’t know this area on a Monday afternoon. I don’t know about those who frequent the trails. And my previous victim, myscheduledvictim will be discovered any time now on a separate trail several miles over.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I grit through clenched teeth whilestuffing myself back into my pants and running my hands through my wet hair from the earlier rain. My angel must hear the talking. She looks at me, those perfectly mismatched eyes wide and wild. Realization hits me in the gut.

No. She wouldn’t.

“HEL-mmmf!” I slap my hand over her mouth, silencing her scream.

“Are you insane?” I snarl while looking around, listening for any change in the surrounding. Silence… everything has gone silent. If I kill her now, I have no time to erase my footprint. “Fuck!” I cry out as burning pain runs through my hand. I yank it back, leaving her lips and chin smeared in my blood. She smiles, my blood covering her white teeth and… holy fuck she’s insane. I’m insane, clinically, diagnosed, committed, medicated, blah, blah, blah.Iknow insanity, and I’m looking right the fuck at it.

“I. Will. Kill. You.” I grit out, trying to regain some semblance of control of this situation.

“Promise?” She spits my blood at my feet while staring up at me. Her chest rising and falling with each labored breath.

I look around in confusion before my eyes connect with hers again. “Prom—Yes! Yes, you crazy ass! What part of this isnotscreaming serial killer to you?” I frantically gesture to myself and the ropes holding her.

“Well, you seem to be doing more talking than actual killing so…” Reaching up, I cut through the rope before jerking her toward me. “I prefer my kills to be a little more private. Looks like we’re going on a trip.” I smirk while lifting her petite frame over my shoulder.

“Put me down!” she yells while beating on my back.

“Hey!” I smack her ass as she continues to punch me withher bound fists. “Shut up and knock it off before I knock you out!”

“Fuck you!” she screams as I reach my car. I swear to fuck, she might be an angel, but she’s acting like a fucking demon.

Opening my trunk, I toss my little hellion into the space before grabbing my syringe box out of my duffel bag and pulling out a preloaded syringe. The anesthetic is powerful enough to temporarily knock her out, but she’ll still be able to breathe. I pull the cap from the needle with my teeth as she goes to scream. I cover her mouth with my still bleeding hand and growl as she bites my flesh again. Fuck, I just came and she’s already stirring my cock again. This is dangerous, it’s reckless and stupid, even still… it’s all I can do not to climb into the trunk and consume her body and soul.

“You fucking temptress,” I moan, pressing my palm into her bite as I push the needle into her neck. A tear spills from her amber eye, causing me to furrow my brows. “Shhh… don’t cry, it’s alright. Don’t worry little angel,” I coo as I push the drugs into her neck. “It’s a clean needle, I would never do anything like that to hurt you. Now go to sleep, beautiful, I’ll check on you soon.” Her fighting begins to stop as her head lulls and her eyes begin to roll. “That’s my good girl,” I whisper, kissing the top of her head. Her body goes limp and starts to slump—quickly I go to catch her upper half, ensuring she doesn’t hit her beautiful face. “That’s my baby, sleep and have sweet dreams. I’ll see you soon.” Kissing her forehead again, I cap the needle before tossing it into my bag and grabbing the rope to bind her delicate wrists before shutting the trunk.

Getting into my driver’s seat, I shut the car door and put my belt on while staring at my hand gripping the steering wheel, the tattoo of Sister Agatha’s rosary wrapped around my wristglaring back at me. Almost taunting me. She always told me it would happen, that the demon inside me would become too hungry and I would become consumed. And then there would be no saving me.

I would have to say, having a living, breathing angel in my trunk who has seen my face is definitely more than I ever planned to deal with. Flicking my lighter open and closed a few times, I absently pull a cigarette from my pack in the cup holder and chuckle to myself while lighting the stick and taking a deep inhale.

“What to do, Sister?” I exhale the smoke while leaning my head back.

You could let her go and move on.

“Oh could I?” I snap, rolling my eyes. “If you’re not gonna help me out, you may as well fuck off.” I chuckle to myself while pulling another satisfying drag from my stick. I wonder if someone looking in would think I’m insane. Sitting here, pretending to talk to that psychotic bitch.

The girl in your trunk is what will give you the insane title.

“Eh, I’ve had far worse in there.” I watch the rain hit my windshield as I make my decision. Honestly, there wasn’t ever another option, I’m going to have to take her home.

EVERLY

TWO

As I walk into my local coffee shop, I can’t help but be thankful I wore my large sunglasses as a headband last night so I can use them to cover my eyes today. I’m just not in the mood for the stares. My eyes get me a lot of head turns normally due to my extreme heterochromia—meaning my eyes are not matching in color and if that wasn’t unique enough, one of my eyes is yellow, not light brown or honey, but amber yellow. It’s rare and as someone who doesn’t like to stand out, I hate it. Typically, I wear my colored contacts, making both my eyes brown, but since I was unable to gather any of my things last night before Devon, my boyfr—ex-boyfriend, decided that he’s over me and changed the locks on our…his apartment, I have to rely on my sunglasses to hide them, along with the dark bags I’m sure I’m sporting.

“Hey, Pip!” The sweet older barista, Lucy, smiles politely at me. I’m going to miss her dearly, but with Devon kicking me out, I have nothing left keeping me here. I moved to this city to be with him since I have no family of my own and as ashamedas I am to say it, I relied on him financially. It’s not that I don’t want to work, I’ve asked Devon to let me get a job several times, but he wouldn’t, stating that he didn’t want me out there for other men to look at. He said I was walking sex, that my body makes men go against their better judgment and it’s wrong of me to put them in that position. He would know, Devon was one of the first men to go against his better judgment and hurt me.

But because I allowed him financial control for the past three years, I don’t really have enough to buy this cup of coffee, let alone support myself. Devon always said to let him worry about everything, that I wasn’t able to handle bills or money. Maybe he’s right, I mean, I grew up with nothing and here I am, down to my last twenty dollars and what am I doing? Buying an overpriced coffee with no phone, no car, no friends—nothing. I spent the night in a hotel that I can’t afford to stay in tonight, and I have enough money for this coffee and maybe lunch. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. Who do you talk to when you have no one and nothing? Do I go to a homeless shelter? Where are those? Would they even take me?

“Hey, Ms. Lucy, can I get my usual please.” I hand her my last twenty and want to cry when I receive my change.

“No Dev today?” She asks and I try not to flinch. Devon always went with me to the coffee shop, and anywhere else I would go. Again—walking sex—I couldn’t be out here alone. What if someone came along and fucked me? I swear it’s only been hours since we broke up and already I’m seeing how disgusting he is. I mean, I know how disgusting he is, but I also know how cruel and dangerous he could get if he didn’t get his way, so I ignored his controlling bullshit. It was the lesser of two evils and I was trapped. I should be happy thathe dropped me, and maybe I am, but right now with no plan, I’m scared.

“N-No.” I give her a polite smile. “Caught a cold,” I lie as I move to allow the person behind me to order. But in my nervous haste I stumble over their boots and fall against them, my elbow driving into their torso.

They let out a winded “Oof” while trying to hold us steady.

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