Page 26 of The Trick

With my mask on my face and my tools stowed in the leather compartment I’ve attached to my harness, I’d say I’m ready for tonight’s festivities to begin. I trust by now my little hellcat received my final gift of the evening.

I made sure to have Cam’s business associate, William, drop it off at Satan’s shortly after she arrived. I hope it helps set the tone for what she’s in store for this evening. If she knows what’s good for her, she will see my gift as a warning flare and the absolute last opportunity she will have to run far away from me. Because what will transpire tonight isn’t a playful game of cat and mouse…it’s revenge.

As I round the corner by Oogie’s Ink, about to cross the street to the entrance of Satan’s Stiletto, a flash of red fills my vision. A hungry grin works its way to my concealed lips that bump against my mask when the Excelsior New York license plate, FNL GRL6, comes into view.

It’s adorable, how she really believes that she is a final girl. As if every lie that composes her volatile personality isn’t owned by me. The life that I have allowed her to live, free from repercussions, hasn’t been to spare her, it’s been to trick her, like she has done to me…for the last time.

Peering over my shoulder, I make sure no one is around to see where I am now kneeling at the rear of her car. Not that anyone would recognize me with the mask and hood concealing my face, but still. The only way tonight will work as planned is by having no interference, either by the law or any nosy onlookers stepping in. So, being extra cautious, even if it feels monotonous, is a must.

Grabbing my house keys from where they are strung on the chain I always keep draped at my side, I begin to glide the jagged edge against the metal plate. The scraping sound grates my ears as I etch a wide “X” along the letters, but I don’t care. Keying her license plate is just a warmup for what else I plan on marking this evening. I decide to deepen the keyed gash on her license plate, retracing where I carved the “X” as my back pocket begins to vibrate.

Raising from my kneeled position behind her car, I reach for my phone as I begin to cross the street to where my little hellcat thinks she is safe from me.

Ha, never.

Cam: You have to be fucking kidding me…another one?!

Me: I don’t know what you’re talking about =)

Cam: Cut the shit. Bill just told me. We discussed this. Stop going rogue.

Me: It needed to be done.

Cam: No it didn’t. You need to stop cleaning up after her!

Me: I know, but I can’t let history repeat itself. Not tonight.

Cam: Whatever. That girl is going to get you killed.

Cam: Just do me a favor…stay away from Satan’s tonight. Too risky.

Me: Ha, funny you say that… I’m actually crossing the streetto head there now.

Cam: Maddox, I’m serious!

Me: So am I =)

Three dots flash on the screen, but I close out of our message without waiting to read Cam’s last-ditch effort to talk any sense into me. I already know Cam is going to urge me to stay away from her or tell me that I should have killed her when I had the chance so messes like the one I was forced to clean up earlier wouldn’t happen again. All of which I know already and all of which mean nothing to me.

Of course, I should stay away from Blair. But where is the fun in that?

Part of what makes the chase so damn exhilarating is that I’m not chasing a meek mouse. I’m competing against a predator as capable of death as I am.

Though, as I pull the elongated handle of Satan’s Stiletto towards me, I wonder if what I have planned to punish her for what she started fifteen years ago is taking it too far.

Oh well, it’s too late now.

I’m coming for you little hellcat. Masked and ready to make your night a living hell.

* * *

Chad Kroeger’s rasp blazes through the speakers closest to the center stage as Nickelback’s “Next Contestant” fills the main room of Satan’s. Humming to the beat, I move past the rich velvet entry curtains, making my way to the bar when a commotion erupts a few feet ahead of me.

From the looks of it the annual Horseman’s Hollow Duel appears to be wrapping up, which means that this year’s chosen Katrina Van Tassel will be gracing the stage, twirling around in her All Hollow’s Eve’s best.

I can’t fucking wait.

But, before that, a winner must be chosen.

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