Page 46 of Sinner

Blackwell Group certainly didn’t need to worry about that. It seemed they had more money than God. I headed into the bathroom, flicking on the light and immediately grimaced the moment I glanced into the mirror. I looked as exhausted as I felt. Burning the candle at both ends was certainly taking a toll. I brushed my teeth like a good little girl before heading to bed.

A strange taste remained in my mouth as if I’d been sucking on a copper penny.

I tugged down my sheets, easing down on the bed. The taste lingered, even filling my nostrils with a putrid odor. Not strong, but enough that it left a bad taste nestled in my throat. Water. I’d forgotten my usual bottle of water.

As soon as I walked into the kitchen, I realized in my haste to snuggle under the soft throw on the couch I’d forgotten to close the blinds. The slender sliver of moonlight filtered through the slats, the glow reminding me of the initial screen before playing Dark Nights. I couldn’t help myself, standing directly in front of it, tilting the blind closest to my eyes just enough I had a full view of the street in front of my home.

It was late enough that I only noticed a few lights on in houses close to me, and almost no traffic. Maybe I’d expected to see him standing outside in full view. Maybe even I’d wanted to catch a quick glimpse of his x’d out eyes, the grin that projected malicious intent. But there was only the darkened street and trees lining the sidewalks.

Sighing, I turned around, wishing I could get the masked man from my torrid thoughts. I felt lost in the shadowy chaos that consumed my mind every night, feasting on my nightmares for energy just to return again and again.

There was no one there. No one waiting to consume every inch of my soul. Just a dark night full of creatures of darkness. I had to break the strange cycle and return to real life.

Whatever that was.

At least I could still smile at my silliness. I walked toward the refrigerator, still feeling the intense chill from moments before. Now the quiet in the house was unnerving. I opened the door, reaching inside.

And felt him.

There was no warning, no strange sounds or heavy breathing.

But I knew.

He was there and as always, he was waiting.

Wanting.

Wanting.

“Hello, little lamb. Did you miss me?”

I took a fortifying breath and lifted my head, allowing my fingers to tighten around the thin plastic. How the hell had the freak gotten inside without me knowing? I’d checked everything. Every closet. Every room. Even under the bed.

“What do you want?” I managed, although my voice sounded weak.

“Isn’t that obvious? You.” His voice was deep and husky as it had been the first night, but I knew it to be electronically disguised. If only I could see his face.

But he would surely kill me if I dared rip off his mask. While I’d yet to turn around, I knew instinctively he was coming closer. “You can’t have me.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you’re a monster.” Maybe taunting him wasn’t a good idea, but I had to buy time to figure out how to get out of the house. The trouble was he was in my way of being able to do so.

His laugh was just like before, sending tiny prickles of fear and excitement into me. The haze that I’d felt before threatened to return. If it did, I’d succumb to moments of his madness and that couldn’t happen.

“Yes, I am.” He sounded proud of it.

“Sinner,” I hissed.

“Did you enjoy our game, little lamb?”

“How?”

“You know I’ve been watching you, protecting you. I’m very good at what I do, including being able to hack into any system.”

He’d fucking read my mail. He’d seen the invitation. My God. The lengths the bastard would go to. “What the fuck do you want?”

“Every time you ask, my answer will be the same.”

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