Page 5 of Rugger: The Huntress

Maybe it was because my scent was potent.

Maybe it was because my head was high.

Maybe it was because signs of the life I’d just taken still lingered.

Maybe it was because she was deathly afraid.

As she should be. I resolved in my head. Witnessing my presence could be the end of hers.

Still baffled by her desire to waste precious oxygen on a stranger, I stared back at her. My brows creased and my top lip pursed. What wouldn’t come out of my mouth was possibly written all over my face. When she turned around, I figured she’d gotten the memo one way or another.

At the back of the elevator, I took my rightful place.Back against the wall. It was a rule I’d followed religiously throughout my life and it had always worked in my favor.

Aaaaa–

Amen.

The whistling continued.

I removed the battery from the phone in my hand and located the small piece of plastic surrounding an even smaller chip.

Amen.

Amen.

Take me to church.

On the first floor, the elevator opened. Before my guest could gather themselves, I waltzed past. As our shoulders touched, I dropped the broken SIM card into her fresh, piping hot coffee knowing the data didn’t stand a chance.

“Hey!”

I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife.

Offer me that deathless dead.

Oh good God,

Let me give you my life.

I strolled through the lobby without haste, taking in the scenery while documenting everything I witnessed.

Every sound.

Every sighting.

Every face.

Every figure.

Every piece of furniture.

It all mattered. Even when one thought it didn’t. Everything mattered.

Click.

Clack.

Click.

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