Page 50 of Last Breath

Moving to the man who’s still wrestling with my knife, Joy is serene and calculated. Standing by him, I watch as she considers where to start.

This moment is all hers. Yes, I could kill him fast, or I could drag it out, but I want to see what she can handle.

“Can you hold him, Salem.” It’s not a question, it’s a request. Grasping him by the shoulders and pinning them back, I tie his arms with a roll of kitchen twine that's sitting on the counter. As his shoulders strain, he cries out. With the knife hilt deep in the muscle, I reach to pull it out.

“Leave it,” Joy states with a quiet malice.

She’s deadly.

Serious.

Contained.

Good.

That’s what I want.

Stepping back, I lean on the counter. “This is your show, love.” Crossing my arms and readying to watch her performance, I smirk.

Bending low, coming face-to-face with the man who attempted to rape her, Joy flashes the knife in his face. “Hi. My name’s Joy. How are you?”

“This hurts like hell, bitch!” he yells at her.

Egging her on is possibly not the smartest move for him, but I give him bonus points for still having the balls to try. Pushing on the knife hilt, Joy shoves it farther in. “How’s that?”

Growling out at the pain, attempting to scream out, I quickly cover his mouth with a twisted dish towel. Tying it behind his head, he fights to push it out.

“Why fight it?” Grinning ear to ear, she toys with him, using his own words against him. “It’ll be over faster if you don’t fight. Isn’t that what you said to me?”

“Fuck you, cunt!” he tries to yell through the stuffed cloth.

Laughing darkly, Joy has a wildness in her eyes. It makes my cock hard to see her keen to cause pain. “I have a story to tell you. Are you ready to hear it?” Standing up, she flicks the boning knife back and forth.

Mumbling something incoherent, his face turns blue as he tries to convey his words. As I pull down the cloth, the piece of shit spits in Joy’s face and spews, “You’re a twisted fuckin—”

Seeing her slash the knife along his bicep, blood seeps freely, and his yell is caught in his throat.

As tears start to fall, collecting on the cloth, she says, “How’s that for twisted fucking bitch? That’s what you were going to call me, right?”

He’s crying in earnest now. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“I think I said that too.” Smiling wider, Joy looks at me. “Story. So, a few days back I needed a new coat. I was cold, shivering actually, and we popped by a small store in rural butt-fuck-nowhere.” Pacing around the jerk, she’s telling me what happened too. “The lady was sweet, tossing me tons to try on and not taking no for an answer. Anyhoo. I went to the change room and I heard this little girl, a teenager at most. She was crying and asking to go home. In my heart I knew something was wrong, so I investigated. Low and behold, gutter trash—such as yourself I might add—was raping this poor little defenseless thing.” Flicking the knife in his face, Joy runs it along his cheek. “So you know what I did? I slashed his throat. His screams died out on a growl as he flopped forward.” Slicing the skin of his chin smoothly, only enough to leave a slight cut, I watch and relish this telling. My cock is getting hard, just as my devil is anticipating the ending. “I killed him for fucking with what wasn’t his to touch. I’d never killed anyone before, but he more than deserved his penance.”

Standing up and smiling wide, Joy looks to me. Her grin is intoxicating and gleeful. “Would you mind helping our friend up, Salem? I’ll have a hard time taking his cock off with his pants on.”

“Are you sure, Joy?”

Smiling darkly, there’s the telltale light I know so well. Her brilliant eyes have a sinister undertone—her demon is ruling her moves.

Standing behind him, dragging him to stand, he fights to stop me. I’m imagining the fear in his eyes as I hold him. They must be bugged out wide. Leaning over his shoulder, never taking my eyes from Joy, I tell him, “If you fight, I’ll make sure she prolongs the pain. Do you believe me?”

He nods violently.

“Good.”

I wiggle a finger at her. “Come here, love.”

Shifting to edge around our friend, I pull Joy’s hand close. Laying the blade against his neck, I bring her mouth to mine. Kissing her, putting all the light I have left into it, I revel in how her darkness is matching mine. How what little I had left was only waiting to escape when the time was right.

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