Page 14 of Deranged and Obsessed Omnibus: Vol 1

I exhaled slowly, the initial shock fading completely as something far more twisted settled in its place. It wasn’t horror I felt. No, it was something more dangerous, which had been lurking beneath the surface for a long time.

Something I’d buried deep under layers of memories I tried in vain to forget.

I sat there, still holding the severed hand, but I felt my gaze growing distant as I thought about things I never admitted to anyone. I stood and carefully placed the hand on my nightstand instead of my dresser. I picked up the ribbon and walked back to the bedside table, draping the stained satin over the hand and admiring the grotesquery of the sight.

My heart was still racing, never once fading as this rush of adrenalin slammed into me. I couldn’t keep this body part in my place for very long… but right now, it looked perfect. There was darkness curling up from the shadows of my past, like smoke from dwindling coals. I stared at the hand for a moment longer, my thoughts spiraling through old wounds, forgotten scars, and the heavy weight of everything I endured back then.

I closed my eyes and breathed through the memories of my past. But no matter what, my past was always there, a whisper that was incessant in my ear. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t run from the memories.

Instead, I let them in, made them a home deep in my soul, and accepted my reality. The pull of something inevitable, something that had always been a part of me, rose to remind me of who I really was.

Chapter Seven

Isla

Several days later

Although days had passed since the severed hand “gift,” I didn’t even try tonotthink about it. I let it consume me during every waking moment. I couldn’t help but let it take over my mind.

My new serving position had kept me busy these last few days, and so I’d thrown myself into my job. It wasn’t rocket science, what I was doing, but it was mentally and physically exhausting, and by the time I got home, I crashed and didn’t wake up until hours later.

This diner was just like the last one I worked at. It had the same peeling linoleum, the same greasy smell that clung to not only the walls but also my clothing and my hair. But I was thankful I had this work to keep my mind at least a little busy.

It was something to distract me from the uneasy feeling that lingered ever since I woke up to a random bloody body part in my bedroom.

The last hour of my shift dragged on, but when I clocked out, tossed my grease-stained apron on the back counter, and left, all I wanted was a scalding-hot shower, a snack, my book, and then bed.

The night air was cool, and the dim streetlights cast long shadows across the empty road and grimy alleys. I headed home, keeping to the main sidewalks and passing a couple of regulars on this block, drunkards, and a few drug addicts tucked away in the shadows.

I’d only been walking for five minutes before Ifeltit. That familiar presence I’d sensed days ago, when I’d been followed and then confronted the stranger.

I didn’t know who he was, but I was smart enough to connect the dots and understand whoever he was… he’d been the one to leave the hand in my room. And it was after the body part showing up that I paid a locksmith to add a chain lock to my front door.

His presence was visceral and tangible. It was a shift in the air that sent a prickle down my spine. I wasn’t going to be surprised this time.

I came prepared.

My hand slipped into my jacket pocket, my fingers brushing over the cool handle of the small pocketknife I brought with me. Although slight, the weight of it was a comforting reminder I wouldn’t be a victim.

I kept my pace steady and even, then turned into a narrow alley but walked deeper into the darkness so I was swallowed by the shadows. I pressed myself against the rough brick wall and waited. My heart was beating fast, but not with fear.

No… this was something else.

This was anticipation.

I thought I’d hear footsteps coming closer, picking up speed to catch up with me. But I heard nothing.

I waited, holding my breath, and then I saw his shadow before hearing the soft sound of his boots connecting with the pavement.

He was big but stealthy, like the true predator he was.

And then I saw him—a dark figure moving just past the alley before he turned and headed into the shadows with me.

This time, I wasn’t the prey.

I held my breath the closer he came and forced myself to be calm as I kept my back pressed tight to the brick. If he didn’tsense me yet, I knew without a doubt he would in a matter of seconds. I had to act fast.

“I want you to stop fucking following me,” I said, my voice steady, the knife small enough that I kept its presence hidden in my hand.

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