Page 39 of Psycho Killers

“Oh, it’s me, Mom,” Calista said, her tone deceptively sweet. “No, I’m not at the party." And then her voice dropped an octave, taking on a more menacing edge. “I’m with Gunnar; remember him? You thought he’d be the one to ruin me forever.”

Silence reigned as realization sunk in on the other end. I could almost see the gears shifting in her mother’s head, piecing together the horrific tableau she’d conjured. “What… what are you talking about?”

Calista’s laughter was a symphony of madness, blending seamlessly with Gunnar’s ragged gasps. “I’m talking about justice, Mom. I’m making sure you both pay for what you did to me.”

I seized the moment, grabbing onto vitality from Gunnar’s last seconds, squeezing as the tension curled around us like a predator. “You always wanted a performance, didn’t you? Well, here it is, a masterpiece curated just for you both.”

With a final, savage twist of the knife, I watched as life extinguished from Gunnar’s eyes. An eerie calm settled over the warehouse, a resonance settling in deep as his body fell limp. Calista, still caught in the throes of her frenzy, flicked the remnants of blood from her hands with triumph. The line went dead, the realization seeping painfully into their minds.

"Goodbye, Mom," Calista hissed, her eyes glistening with joy.

The chilling potential of a thousand nightmares danced across her flushed cheeks. The world beyond the warehousewalls felt less than fantasy; it was our canvas, our proclamation of defiance against the very parents that had suffocated her spirit. Calista dropped the phone, her wild laughter ringing hollow but echoing with newfound freedom.

"They will know!" she cried, the fervor of revenge painted intricately with the shadows around us.

Together, we stood, triumphant and drenched in crimson, lovers of chaos united. The hunt was far from over, and I could sense the horizon stretching before us, hiding countless more thrills and threats. What would we uncover next?

The line between hero and villain had never been so blurred, and as we stepped over Gunnar’s remains, I couldn’t help but smile, ready to script the next chapter of our tale. Would the night ever extinguish our urge for destruction? The thrill of the chase was just beginning. Our monsters were only awakening, and I couldn’t wait for our encore.

1. Mother

2. Father

3. Holden Graham

4. Gunnar

5. Adam Moretti (Ash's father)

6. David Blacksburg (Kill's father)

7. Jackson Gray (Dom's father)

8. State Senator Pete Gallagher

9. Mayor Kyle Benjamin

10. City Councilman Marcus Rutherford

11. Judge Hayden Wilson

12. Brockton Chief of Police Robert Bailey

13. City Councilman Mr. Josè Brown

NINETEEN

CAREFREE

VINDICATED: DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL

CALISTA

As I pull a wet wipe from my backpack, I glide the cool cloth over my face and neck, finally tending to my hands to erase every trace of Gunnar's blood, ensuring I present a clean façade for the race. With Killian’s hand in mine, I walk proudly, a spring in my step, joining the cheering crowd gathered in anticipation of another underground showdown.

A sense of liberation washes over me; it feels like I can finally breathe again, as if a tremendous burden has been lifted from my chest since I killed Gunnar—the final piece of the puzzle that leads straight to my parents. Calling my mother while I finished him off was the cherry on top. She knows I’m fucking coming for them, and the fear in her voice only fans the flames of my resolve.

“Are you holding up alright?” Killian asks, giving my hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

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