Page 7 of Madness & Mayhem

And now it’s for her.

I love her.

And if I survive this shit, I’m going to tell her.

I growl, my hand shoving off the tree as I continue to stumble through the woods, the bark brushing against my gloved palm. Sweat drips down my back beneath my clothes, my body rinsing itself of my sins.

My mask is no longer on my face, but on top of my head. Breathing is now difficult, my lungs quenching in pain, and I need all the air I can get to make it through this.

Sticks break under my boot, stones rolling across the ground as I finally make it through the woods, the trees breaking and leaving me with a clearing. I gasp in a breath, looking at the small town over the hill, most everything closed this late at night, mostly with the curfew from all the murders.

Though a few remain open, and I stumble down the hill as Walgreens stays in my view. My legs grow tired, and I feel like I’m running on barely any fumes as I stumble into the parking lot, my feet dragging behind me.

I’m full of blood, and sweat, and the scent of sex remains, but I ignore it all as the automatic doors roll open, and I slip my mask over my face as I walk inside.

The lady sits behind the cash register, bent at the waist, her arms planted on the counter as she works on a sudoku book in front of her. She stands and barely glances at me as I quickly walk down the aisles.

“Can I help you with anything?” she shouts at my quickly retreating back.

“No,” I bark, my eyes scanning the rows until I find the medical aisle. My hand falls onto the shelf, blood smearing on the gray metal. Cough medicine spills to the ground, and I kick it aside as a travel medical kit comes into view.

Perfect.

I let out a groan as I bend over, because of course that shit is on the bottom shelf.

I keep my hand to my stomach, feeling my skin scream beneath my clothes. My head whooshes, and I grow light-headed, my vision fading as my fingers grasp around the white-and-red kit. I’m losing too much blood. I need to fix this shit, fast.

With a sigh, I pull myself upright and grip the pack tightly as I drag myself down the aisle. My shoulder knocks against one of the shelves, and supplements scatter over my shoulders and rattle to the ground.

“Sir, are you all right?” a woman asks from the pharmacy.

I nod, not sparing her a glance as I make my way to the register. I head down the drink aisle, pausing a moment when I see the cases of beer.

I grab one, knowing it won’t do much, but I need something. Something to dull the ache. Of both the wound and Lakyn’s look.

Fucking devastating.

Once I get close enough to the register, the lady at the counter pushes herself upright, shoving her sudoku book aside and waiting for me to reach the register.

I watch as her eyebrows scrunch together, her body tensing slightly when she gets a good look at me.

And then she turns horrified, stepping back a second.

“What happened to you?” she asks, her eyes wide in fear.

I shake my head at her, slapping the small kit against the counter. “Don’t worry about it. Ring me up,” I order.

She stares at the bloody kit, then looks up at me, a lick of fear entering her gaze.

She doesn’t move.

Fear enters her gaze, and she knows.She knows.

“You’re the slasher, aren’t you?” she asks quietly.

I lean forward, wishing I had my knife, but it’s been left at the lighthouse. “Ring me up,” I glance down at her name tag, my lips curling beneath my mask. “Sonya. Now.”

She lets out a shaky breath as she reaches forward, grabbing the corner of the kit that is unstained. She pulls it across the clear glass, and the beep is like a gunshot between us.

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